View Full Version : Casting call for Discovery channel - Top Engineer
http://pilgrimstudios.com/casting/topengineer/
Need to be 21, but not necessarily an engineer.
My favorite part:
AS PART OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN AND/OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROGRAM, YOU WILL ENGAGE IN ACTIVITIES THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED DANGEROUS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ACTIVITIES INVOLVING ELECTRICAL AND HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT, POWER TOOLS AND MACHINERY, HEAVY OBJECTS, COMBUSTIBLES AND OTHER POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS AND FIRE.
If your experience is strictly behind the keyboard, then this show is NOT for you.
Software engineers need not apply :p
At least not ones like me where topics like gear ratios and statics go whoosh over my head.
Chris Hibner
01-03-2012, 11:03
The description sounds more like "America's Top Hack"
DonRotolo
01-03-2012, 20:24
OK, but look beyond the text for a moment: Someone is pitching a TV show about Engineering.
That should make you stop in your tracks. If it doesn't, read it again. :cool:
Ankit S.
01-03-2012, 20:31
JVN
I think you meant Andy Baker.
No offense intended JVN :D
I can see your case...
...but I'm not changing
If it wasn't during my college time, or during a time when I've got a competition in Florida, I'd go for it. Just one minor problem... I'm supposed to be either in class, or not necessarily in California, or hopefully starting work, the entire time.
Oh, and I think JVN AND Baker should go for it. Team Baker, or Team Neun?
Alex Cormier
01-03-2012, 23:23
Interesting. I'll give it some thought.
Chris Hibner
01-03-2012, 23:31
OK, but look beyond the text for a moment: Someone is pitching a TV show about Engineering.
That should make you stop in your tracks. If it doesn't, read it again. :cool:
I think that's my problem. They're going to bill it as a show about engineering, and I have a feeling there will be very little engineering that goes on. It will be more about cobbling something together that works in a junkyard wars fashion. That gives the general public the wrong impression of what engineering is all about.
I hope I'm wrong.
I think that's my problem. They're going to bill it as a show about engineering, and I have a feeling there will be very little engineering that goes on. It will be more about cobbling something together that works in a junkyard wars fashion. That gives the general public the wrong impression of what engineering is all about.
I hope I'm wrong.
I get what you mean, but junkyard wars was awesome.
Lil' Lavery
02-03-2012, 00:15
Bah, casting is "approximately" overlapping with the MAR Championship and filming overlaps with a number of other commitments I have. I'll just have to wait for season 2. ;)
Ian Curtis
02-03-2012, 00:52
I think that's my problem. They're going to bill it as a show about engineering, and I have a feeling there will be very little engineering that goes on. It will be more about cobbling something together that works in a junkyard wars fashion. That gives the general public the wrong impression of what engineering is all about.
I hope I'm wrong.
We aren't boring people -- we're just easily amused by very boring things. :)
I agree that it won't be engineering in the sense that engineers think about their desk job, but in my view that is probably okay. I don't know very many engineering students my age who didn't watch Junkyard Wars and think "Hey! That is Awesome!" Did that solely push them to engineering? Probably not, but it certainly didn't hurt. It's similar to how Mythbusters is widely hailed for doing "science" but anyone with a brain (including the Mythbusters themselves) know they are only scientists in the very loosest sense of the word. On the other hand, they are certainly STEM heroes.
If your experience is strictly behind the keyboard, then this show is NOT for you!
This is quite telling that it won't be about "real" engineering -- because the really cool stuff is so out of the box you need a computer to analyse it. I'm not getting on a test flight that hasn't been proofed out in a computer first! :ahh:
Ashley Painter
14-03-2012, 14:13
sounds awsome too bad you have to be 21:(
Ryan Caldwell
14-03-2012, 15:10
I Actually ended up talking at length to producers about this. Sounds like they want to actually use CAD and all that jazz but it'll still be here's two days to make a something or other, worst one someone goes home...like top chief.
Unfortunately filming takes ~8 weeks...Americans top unemployed engineer might have been a better title? I'd need to get approval from corporate with more notice than they gave...oh well.
It'd be great for seniors coming out of college with no job lined up yet.
wendymom
14-03-2012, 15:39
One of Bacon's alumni is applying. WOOT WOOT!!!
Lil' Lavery
14-03-2012, 15:52
One of Bacon's alumni is applying. OINK OINK!!!
fixed. :cool:
Jack Jones
14-03-2012, 16:00
The description sounds more like "America's Top Hack"
They couldn't, I have that trademarked.
It'd be great for seniors coming out of college with no job lined up yet.
You mean alumni who graduated last December/January and don't have a job. Those of us who haven't graduated yet are SOL because we'd have to miss school to participate.
I actually filled out an application and created their requested sample video last week including a walk into my mad scientist laboratory/workshop through the secret passage way I built through a bookcase. I also talked to the casting folks at some length, and my supervisor at work just in case. This was my takeaway.
1. It would be possible for me to do this if I really wanted to using a combination of vacation and time off without pay. But it would be difficult and as some people already said this does not look like a real option for most working engineers or almost anyone with a normal job.
2. There is some living stipend and a top prize that you compete for. However those are not set yet and they did say that the stipend is not intended to replace pay from a real engineering job. They were particularly elusive when asked about the prize so this very well may not be worth the effort unless the possibility of embarrassing yourself on TV is irresistible.
3. The competition takes place at WETWORKS, so I expect it involves the design and construction of some type of high tech fountain installation.
4. They said they really wanted videos that were very expressive. Perhaps even over the top. This suggests to me that they may be looking for people that could take direction. In other words, they do not really want reality TV, but technical types willing to work as cheap actors.
I very much doubt that I will be asked for a further audition, and if I were, I would want to know a whole lot more in the way of specifics. But I believe the deadline for submitting new applications is over now anyway so this information may be of limited value to anyone else.
DampRobot
14-03-2012, 19:16
I Actually ended up talking at length to producers about this. Sounds like they want to actually use CAD and all that jazz.
When I read this, I immediately pictured a TV show about people sitting at a computer CADing. In my opinion, watching someone CAD is about as exciting as watching them sleep. I hope the editors make liberal use of the time lapse and jump cut...
ewhitman
25-04-2013, 12:49
Sorry to resurrect an ancient thread, but...
I heard about this show, here, in this thread.
It looked like fun, so I applied, and made it onto the show.
After some delays, it was filmed last fall, under the new name: "The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius" (I liked the old name better.)
I think several of the other cast members did FIRST when they were in high school. (Though I'm the only one still involved.)
1) Thank you to CD and RoboMom for posting this and letting me know about this opportunity.
2) Thank you to FIRST for giving me much of the experience needed to compete on this show.
3) The show will start airing weekly at 10:00 on Discovery Channel on May 1.
PVCpirate
25-04-2013, 12:55
Cool! I know you probably can't talk about the show very much, but can you give us a general description of what to expect?
ewhitman
25-04-2013, 13:14
Each episode (there are 8), will be one challenge. They give us the general idea of the challenge, and we have 30 minutes to write our ideas on a white board, then 5 minutes to present to the judges. The judges pick their 2 favorite ideas, and those people become the team captains. They take turns picking teams from the other 8 contestants.
Once we have teams, they give us the detailed rules and the budget (e.g. 4 days and $10,000). Then we build something. Then we test the devices and the judges eliminate somebody from the losing team. Eliminated contestants are no longer eligible for the grand prize, but they don't go home either, so the teams are always 5v5.
We had pretty good shops to work in (1 for each team) and could get parts from wherever we wanted (McMaster, of course, was a go-to choice because we needed stuff FAST).
They've only shown us the first episode ahead of time, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
Alex Cormier
25-04-2013, 13:25
Each episode (there are 8), will be one challenge. They give us the general idea of the challenge, and we have 30 minutes to write our ideas on a white board, then 5 minutes to present to the judges. The judges pick their 2 favorite ideas, and those people become the team captains. They take turns picking teams from the other 8 contestants.
Once we have teams, they give us the detailed rules and the budget (e.g. 4 days and $10,000). Then we build something. Then we test the devices and the judges eliminate somebody from the losing team. Eliminated contestants are no longer eligible for the grand prize, but they don't go home either, so the teams are always 5v5.
We had pretty good shops to work in (1 for each team) and could get parts from wherever we wanted (McMaster, of course, was a go-to choice because we needed stuff FAST).
They've only shown us the first episode ahead of time, but I'm happy with how it turned out.
That's cool. I've seen the commercials and look forward to the show.
PVCpirate
25-04-2013, 13:35
Sounds like a technical version of the Apprentice. I'll give it a shot.
I probably should at least give the CD community my contributions to the show as well...
Similarly I applied..Made it to the call to LA for final selections before being down selected...(without going into details turned out a couple issues prevented me from doing the actual show...)
But... I ended up as a technical consultant for the actual show.
My job...
Essentially... I was part of the team of engineers that got to test the actual challenges. So we got the raw challenges from the producers and chief technical advisers. This usually consisted of a single piece of paper with the first draft rules... Many times I had to go back and say... "I need more requirements" and they would say.. "nah...make it cooler for TV!" Eventually we nailed down all the challenges.
As for the build...We had the similar time frames and budgets. (Though we often had to re-scope things so budgets fluctuated--hopefully 10K was enough for you.. I know we ran into that cap for one of them)
In addition we had to unfortunate luxury to work in the not fully ready shops so they could figure out what tools we needed. (think not having Solidworks or any major tools. ie no CNC nor oscilloscopes). Though by the end we had most the items we needed (though we never got that programmable CNC... man would that have helped)
Overall it was a blast. Not a bad way for me to use my vacation time as each challenge turned into a mini build season... I think the challenges turned out well and it will be a great show. I highly encourage you all to give it a shot! And hopefully next year we will have more FIRST members on the show!
Also...
You all can look for me as I ended up doing a commercial for one of the sponsors. Though I can't tell you exactly what the commercial is until it airs, but there is a direct tie to the show (its obvious) so it will only be aired when the show airs... I am the taller guy in Black.
DampRobot
25-04-2013, 19:46
When I first heard of this show, I was a skeptic... But this actually sounds really cool! I'd watch this show (but then again, I listen to old EWCPcasts for entertainment, so...)
I guess now Dean's vision of FIRST changing the culture seems less crazy than I once thought it was.
CLandrum3081
25-04-2013, 22:06
This sounds amazing! I hope it's still running by the time I graduate college! :p :D
Reported.
And ... Go, Eric, Amy, and Gui!!
Reported.
And ... Go, Eric, Amy, and Gui!!
There were actually 4 people associated with FIRST on the show this past Wednesday night - along with contestants Eric, Amy, and Gui, the guest judge, the NASA "Mohawk Dude" from the Curiosity mission, Bobak Ferdowsi, is also involved with FIRST according to Dave Lavery's speech at Championships.
vBulletin® v3.6.4, Copyright ©2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.