It’s a New Day for Quilters!

by Linda Turner Griepentrog, Freelance Contributor

Building a TV show isn’t easy, but it’s a whole lot of fun -- just ask Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims who created The Quilt Show for broadcast on the Internet.

Alex Anderson, veteran hostess of HGTV’s Simply Quilts for 11 years, and Ricky Tims, well-known quilter and musical entertainer have joined forces as ARJJ Corporation, not only as media partners, but with revolutionary Internet TV technology as well. (The other two initials are those of Alex’s husband John and Ricky’s partner Justin.)

With planning in the works since January, the first episode of The Quilt Show uploaded in April. But the group wasn’t resting on their laurels during the interim. They were recruiting members, planning shows, booking guests, building the set and figuring out the details of their new adventure.

Much of the technology they use for the Internet show broadcast didn’t even exist just a few months ago.

Network—not!
Ricky originally procured funding for a pilot TV show from Bernina of America, but when Alex’s Simply Quilts was cancelled, the idea for a partnership evolved. The group toyed with the idea of a network TV show and actually made a list of pros and cons of the idea and finally determined that the Internet venue offers greater benefits: There are no content constraints -- quilt-related topics sometimes deemed controversial and off-limits by networks, such as AIDS, Alzheimers and some charitable causes, can be featured without restriction on the Internet. Product names can be mentioned and there are no restrictions on guests, as long as everyone agrees. The Internet venue also offers more real time for the show -- all shows are 45 minutes long, as opposed to the approximately 25 minutes of network programming. Internet TV viewers can fast forward, search for specific segments or watch the show in its entirety.

According to Alex, “One of the beauties of the Internet is that there is no set format to the show. It can be whatever we want! Individual segments don’t have to be a certain length like on network TV.”

Perhaps the biggest benefit to the Internet TV venue is access. Viewers can access the show at their leisure, day or night, worldwide. Ricky estimates that about 10 percent of current viewers are outside the U.S. and Canada, including quilters from Australia, South Africa and Chile. Content is available to people in countries with very limited or otherwise nonexistent access to quilting information.

Ricky noted that “Initially some folks were fearful of the Internet and didn’t understand how to use it. My mother is a prime example, but now that her son has a show, she figured it all out in less than two days!” He said in the quilting audiences he addresses, probably 90 percent of people now have Internet access.

Membership Ops
To access the shows, quilters have to become “members” of the community. To enjoy the videos on the site, members need to have high-speed Internet access. A trip to the local library will often provide the high speed they need to watch the shows. A Flash Player, required for viewing, is available free online. For a small fee which helps offset the production costs of the show, members have unlimited access to a series of shows, plus the other site benefits of chats, search engines, forums, blogs and product discounts. A free membership level is also available, but without access to the show. The show series will be available on DVD at the end of a season.

Perfect Pair
Alex and Ricky have known each other for years as quilting colleagues and always got along well. Both tout the respect and trust they have for the other, compatible thinking and common goals. Ricky quickly noted, “There are no power plays or egos here. We have an equal vote.”

When asked why Alex’s name is first on the show’s official name, The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, Ricky replied, “She has the name recognition. People know me as a quilter and entertainer, but they know her name from her previous TV work.”

When asked about their common goals for the show and the Web site, Alex said, “Our goal is to educate, inspire and grow today’s quilting community.”

Alex describes their team as “a group of strong-minded individuals” and said both she and Ricky are perfectionists. Does this cause conflicts? Both immediately replied “No!”

“We think alike and share the same goals,” Ricky noted. Any concerns are immediately resolved by a “passion level” discussion where a degree of importance is placed on a given issue. For example, someone might say, “I’m 95 percent on this one” while another group member might say, “I’m only 35 percent, so go ahead and do it.”

Behind the Scenes
The duo actually did a screen test to see if they had compatible chemistry on screen, noting they wanted to be “as comfortable together as Regis and Kelly appear on their morning show.” The pair was instantly harmonious. Each admits to correcting the other on occasion, but in a friendly way and for the good of the show. Ricky had only a few previous guest TV appearances and said he was a “little scared” of being a TV talk show host with Alex’s vast experience in front of the camera, but those fears quickly melted away. Ricky has lots of stage experience as a musician, but noted that TV is definitely different.

Taped before a live audience at the Ricky Tims Gallery in LaVeta, CO, (south of Pueblo), each series is 13 shows. They are ramping up to do 10 shows in five days and maybe even more per “set” in the future.

The available audience seats fill rapidly -- in fact the first openings were gone within 24 hours after the announcement was posted on the Web site. Busloads have arrived, and also lots of people plan vacations around the tapings. Audience members are allowed to be part of two show tapings, then must relinquish seats to others awaiting a peek at the fun.

Alex and Ricky toyed with the idea of renting big-time TV studio space, but thought that the “real life” gallery setting worked better. They were able to design and build the set themselves and are able to change it at will. The show’s production team includes producers who have worked previously at HGTV and also at Harpo Productions (Oprah’s company), so it’s not a hometown crew -- it’s full-scale television quality production. In fact, Ricky said that when the crew is in town, all the hotel rooms in La Veta are filled and some workers (and audience members) have to drive from neighboring towns.

As production continues, modifications are being made to improve the show and the co-hosts see this as an ongoing process. They encountered some technical glitches in initial tapings, like someone forgetting to turn on Ricky’s microphone, and light-blocking shadows from his infamous black cowboy hat, but those were quickly resolved.

Each of the show’s broadcasts will be a mix of how-to segments, special guests, techniques relevant to quilters -- like how to photograph quilts properly -- and field pieces. The latter is a chance for viewers to see things they may not ordinarily be able to like an early show visit to Quilter’s Newsletter magazine’s offices. Viewers were privy to a look at how a magazine is put together, got to meet the editors and tour the offices.

Some shows will also include musical segments by Ricky, as quilters worldwide know music is an important part of who he is, as an adjunct to his quilting expertise.

As with anyone busy with their work, time is a challenge. In addition to the TV partnership, Ricky and Alex also have their individual endeavors of books, teaching and other personal appearances, plus the time they devote to their own quilting.

Alex commented, “Time is always a challenge. All the players are going in different directions at 100 miles per hour.”

Will they ever run out of ideas for the show? Both Alex and Ricky, without hesitation, utter a resounding, “No!” The media of choice allows them complete freedom to bring the latest and greatest to viewers worldwide in their quest to establish the ultimate quilting community.

And while the site started “for the shows,” it has already grown to the point that the shows are secondary to the overall impact of the Web site. Members are learning, connecting with each other and are now able to watch the first “reality TV” for quilters with the Rhapsody Reality Blog -- an edgy, unusual production featuring Ricky making a quilt, and so much more. These short three to eight minute videos come out about every day or two and have been met with rave reviews.

What’s coming up for the future? Though both declined to spill the specifics, they’re hoping to create online classes, patterns and feature a more interactive Web site, in addition to offering content in multiple languages. The co-hosts chimed, “We’re having a blast! And our goal is keep growing with the Internet.”

Stay tuned for the latest at www.thequiltshow.com.

For more information about Alex, visit www.alexandersonquilts.com, and to learn more about Ricky, visit www.rickytims.com .

Reprinted from SQE Professional, August 2007