Be the Star of your Own TV Show!

The Bench Jewelers Television Network is part of Bench Media LLC.  The Bench Jewelers Television Network is a full television network with different channels of interest to Bench Jewelers and is aired over the Internet.

Bench Television Shows
Each show is to be approximately 10 minutes in length, and a new episode will air each month.  At the end of the year all 12 episodes will be packaged onto a “Complete Season” DVD and will be sold online and through jewelry tool suppliers.

Channels include, Shop Management, Stone Setting, Jewelry Repair, Bench Tips, Custom Manufacturing, Laser Welding, CAD-CAM, Photography, and more.  Each channel will have different shows of related topics.

The advantage of broadcasting over the Internet is that we are not limited to an exact time slot.  If the information you want to convey ends up being less than 10 minutes it’s no problem, the show can be shorter and you don’t have to use any useless filler just to fill the time frame.  Also if you need more time, it’s no problem you can just let your show go a little longer, and you don’t have to cut important information to fit it in the time slot.  However, studies have shown that Internet viewers don’t watch videos online much over 15 minutes.  So if your episode runs longer than that, it would probably be best to cut it into 2 episodes and play part 1 one month and part 2 the next.

You Can Do It
To be considered for a show you must submit a short (5 to 10 minute) edited Pilot Episode, and a written synopsis of what you plan for the 12 episodes during the year.  This synopsis is to be a general overview of the show and does not need to be a detailed description of each episode. 

Any jeweler can have more than one show.  If you have an idea for a show that does not fit into one of the channels we have outlined above, let us know and we’ll consider adding a new channel just for you.  Our only requirement is that the content is applicable to professional bench jewelers and jewelry repair & custom design shops. 

Video needs to be 720 X 480 resolution (Standard TV resolution), or larger.  Most digital Camcorders record at this resolution.  Mini DV tape is the best.  Camcorders that record directly to DVD are not as good for editing.  NO WEB CAM SHOTS.  Web Cams and other such cameras that record directly to your computer are low resolution for posting in e-mails and low resolution web site such as YouTube, Google Video, iFilm, etc., and are not the quality video that we use on the Bench Jewelers Television Network.

Your video needs to be edited.  There is nothing worst than watching a video as the camera is moving to frame the subject or focusing in.  And we don’t need to watch you saw or file for 5 minutes.  Just show us the beginning of the procedure and then a simple fade to near the end conveys the idea that time has elapsed and it’s easy to follow.  But don’t worry about having to buy and learning expensive editing software.  Those are great if you have them and know how to use them, but the editing software that came with your camera will do a decent job and is often all you need.

Benchie Awards
At the end of each season, awards will be given to different shows for categories such as most watched episode, most watched series, best new information, best technical information, etc.  These awards will be like the Emmys, Grammies, and Oscars, and will be called the Benchies.  Winners will be announced on the network and released to all the trade publications.

To Submit a Show for Consideration
Send your edited Pilot Episode, and written synopsis to:

Bench Jewelers Television Network
c/o Bench Media, LLC
106 South Pinepoint Dr.
Spartanburg, SC 29302

If you have any questions e-mail Brad@BWSimon.com or write to the above address.