Television Series

[Meredith]

Hello,

My name is Meredith - I am a television producer in Montreal currently developing a series about "tide pickers". I'm looking for great characters who have great stories, are very active and are willing to appear on television. I'm also looking for good leads on what types of "treasure" can be found, where and how - Valuables? Historical items? Personal pieces? If anyone is interested in speaking with me, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks so much!

Meredith

 

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[h2ojunkie]

Hey Judith, come in here and see what these guys are doing. Hell, they're finding gold rings, chains and all kinds of valuables on the beach and in the water.

Well why don't you get off your fat butt Harold and give it a try. You need a hobby now that your retired. Hell, you could go down to the beach everyday for all I care...better than sitting in that Lazyboy wasting your "golden years" watching the damn TV all day.

Your right...think I'll give Jim and Pat a call and see if they'd like to give it a try as well.

Flash forward 5 years...So how did your hunt go yesterday Pat?

Well, got to the beach at 5am as did about 5 other old farts, chased the tide out and all I got was a few pull tabs and a half dozen pennies. Remember the good ol days when just about every other hunt we dug up a little gold? Hell, I aint found gold all month. Doesn't help that golds over $2000/oz these days. I heard Jim got in a fight when he asked some jerk to fill his holes last week. This hobby really went down hill after that TV show and all those damn MD forums went mainstream.

 

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[urdaboss]

everything i find is in the dry sand. i NEVER have found anything in the water!
i know if i ever do find anything in the water it belongs to someone else! at least here in florida.
anytime anybody asks me where did you find that? it was by the garbage can over there!
never in the water!

 

[Lefty Ric]

Once all the 'rookies' start flooding the beaches and leave their empty holes, then people will rightly begin to complain. Then local governments will start making restrictions or making people get permits, then state governments will want their piece of the pie, and it will continue until the entire hobby is ruined. NO THANKS!!

 

[TORRERO]

I doubt it would have a great impact on the hobby. Face it, how many people looking for an easy score are going to stick with the hobby after digging 6000 pull tabs and $1.28 in change their first few times out? Cut Meredith a break and at least show some manners.

You never would have thought that a show about storage auctions would have ruined the business either but it did. Like Stpauli said "I would recommend planting some goodies on whatever Canadian beach you want to film so that it will keep interest up. I also recommend making sure there is lots of drama like fights and feuds between detectorists, etc." That may be him just kidding but that is what happens and people believe it. You show guys pulling a lot of gold from the water and you can kiss our hobby goodbye. There will be more people detecting then swimming. If they showed the real thing (which wouldn't happen) I probably would not have a problem with it and as far as guys showing "manners" I don't think anyone had bad manners. Just having fun. You show that person all your hunting spots and finds if you like. I'll keep mine within my hunting party.

I also buy storage units at auction and have been for several years and the truth is, well yes the crowds
went crazy when the storage wars came to TV, but they are back to somewhat normal levels now
after 6 - 8 months.
Most people who showed up wanted to see the "great deals" that could be made for little or no money
and they ran for the hills when they saw piles of trash going for $300 and $400.
Now mostly just the same old people are going as there was before the TV show.

To all you guys who are sarcastic on this forum to such suggestions maybe if you have forgotten
but this hobby has been around for almost 50 years, and when I started nearly 30 years ago, people would look at you and ask what you are doing, do you find anything, what's the best thing you have
ever found so forth and so on.
Now nobody really asks me anything....
Most people don't even give me a second thought, that's because they know what I do, they know what I am looking for and they are not interested in getting involved with me.... If they were... you would already have thousands of people on the beaches with machines because everybody already knows what we do and what we are trying to find...
So maybe you all should get over it a little....

 

[TORRERO]

Hello,

My name is Meredith - I am a television producer in Montreal currently developing a series about "tide pickers". I'm looking for great characters who have great stories, are very active and are willing to appear on television. I'm also looking for good leads on what types of "treasure" can be found, where and how - Valuables? Historical items? Personal pieces? If anyone is interested in speaking with me, I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks so much!

Meredith

I think it's an interesting idea, sorry for those here who do not want to share our hobby with anyone else.
Years ago I remember seeing two guys in Charleston SC digging and they said they worked with a PBS
show about treasure hunters in the south, I seem to recall seeing this on a TV show once also.
They did not hunt beaches, but were looking for historical relics from our countries past.

I'm not sure what concepts you have considered for a show, but to have someone walking on a beach seeing what might come up, might take a while to recover something good.
Maybe some concept shows of some of the spectacular finds that have been made in the past recreated for a series show might also be a thought.

I have been metal detecting for about 30 years, with a lot of walking and time under my belt.

I spent 5-6 years living and hunting in Spain, working the beaches there, as well as the farmers fields for historical artifacts.

I have many stories to tell, and although I have never been to Canada, I know that unless your getting lucky, digging gold dabloons on a Florida beach, from the fleet shipwrecks, it can be pretty mundane out there...

Case in point, I spent 3 days at Myrtle beach over the New Years weekend holiday, and walked extensively for 3 days and found less than $1 in change in 3 days over 7 beaches.... That was a very poor showing....

On the other hand, I remember a beach in Spain, where we hunted in the winter time and found more than 500 coins in a day of hunting, all pocket change from tourists from the previous 5-6 years.

Obviously that beach had not been hunted in a long time....

I also remember a beach in Spain were I dug an Aribic Gold Coin, from the sand and almost passed out, after realizing that it was not a gold foil chocolate coin wrapper.

If it's stories you want, I can give you some, and talk about what I have found and learned over the years.
It would be great fun, to be nostalgic about treasure hunting.
you can PM me if your interested.

 

[beachboy]

People would give up in a year, yet they would trash the beaches, and that could be a problem.....

 

[tnt-k9]

I had mentioned to my wife not long ago, I think after they came out with the Ice Sculpture show that they could probably do a show on Metal Detectorist. Considering they have a show for everything else.
They'd edit properly with some drama and show the great finds. Then I realized nope, that ain't a good idea.

There's gonna be a few who take "Meredith" up on her offer, but there's some grammar issues with her message that I have issues with, so I doubt her validity or financial backing. (Con)

I hope those who pursue this endeavor great luck and success. Much like Mr. Dave Hester soon to be known formerly from Storage Wars because he became too greedy and was asking for more money. A&E may not renew his contract although the others have agrred to their contracts.

How much money do you really have to have?

 

[Da Sand Crab]

Hey Meredith,
You probably stopped reading the reply's by now...
I wish our hobby was as easy as going down to the shore and picking valuables
up off the beach. If it were, there would be no thrill of the hunt and discovery and that's what
we live for. Without that challenge this hobby would be boring.
The beaches are small and few in Hawaii and the hunters already outnumber the finds 10 to 1.
As for myself, I enjoy the relaxed peace and quiet of metal detecting...a script and a
camera crew following me around, no thanks.
Good luck with your idea and intentions.

 

[NYwaterhunter]

Meredith,
My advise - find something better.
You will mislead many, many folks.
Metal detecting is like fishing. You can spend day after day and not get a fish or you might find a good target or two. You will P. Off alot of folks whom will go buy a top of the line machine, use it an hour or two, find garbage and then get frustrated with YOU.
Won't be good for your career.
+ who ever it was that said they wanted American Beer - well I disagree, Canada beer is awesome!
Gary G.

 

[Aka Nameless]

Don't kid yourselves, she doesn't give 2 craps about the hobby. She see's $$ and is completely willing to ruin the hobby for it. She probably thinks we all walk off the beach with pockets full of gold, sadly, that is dead wrong, I haven't found gold in the last 15 hunts...

I hope none of you take her up on the offer.

 

[biggmike]

The thing is that there has been series on T.V. (like the one in the link below) and they were pretty good but now days the problem is they have to sensationalize it or even fake a lot of the footage to get interest. I warn you.... Don't click on the link below unless you have about 20 hours with nothing to do....

http://whiteselectronics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1937&Itemid=91

 

[Captain Loosechange]

Um, the difference in your storage auction comparison is that there are no government agencies or folks with agendas trying to shut down the storage building industry. You see when hoards run to the beach looking to "get rich quick" and the beach looks like a minefield afterwards well then it won't be a month until all detecting will be banned on said beach, and this hobby will never have the chance to "get back to normal". There is a cable tv show about every mundane chore to be done and most of those shows have the common factor of Drama as the main attraction. Treasure Quest was an awesome show on Discovery a couple years ago about Odysee Marine Exploration finding and recovering treasure from shipwrecks, something that not every Joe Blow can run out and do easily, a show like Overkill Overkill, I mean"Merideth", described would seal the fate of this hobby without a doubt. So you can "get over that" but obviously you can't see the impact such a glorified, dramatized, "great finds everywhere" type show would have. How many new wannabe "Crab fishermen" do you think have tried that out in the last couple of years?
[/quote]

You never would have thought that a show about storage auctions would have ruined the business either but it did. Like Stpauli said "I would recommend planting some goodies on whatever Canadian beach you want to film so that it will keep interest up. I also recommend making sure there is lots of drama like fights and feuds between detectorists, etc." That may be him just kidding but that is what happens and people believe it. You show guys pulling a lot of gold from the water and you can kiss our hobby goodbye. There will be more people detecting then swimming. If they showed the real thing (which wouldn't happen) I probably would not have a problem with it and as far as guys showing "manners" I don't think anyone had bad manners. Just having fun. You show that person all your hunting spots and finds if you like. I'll keep mine within my hunting party.
[/quote]

I also buy storage units at auction and have been for several years and the truth is, well yes the crowds
went crazy when the storage wars came to TV, but they are back to somewhat normal levels now
after 6 - 8 months.
Most people who showed up wanted to see the "great deals" that could be made for little or no money
and they ran for the hills when they saw piles of trash going for $300 and $400.
Now mostly just the same old people are going as there was before the TV show.

To all you guys who are sarcastic on this forum to such suggestions maybe if you have forgotten
but this hobby has been around for almost 50 years, and when I started nearly 30 years ago, people would look at you and ask what you are doing, do you find anything, what's the best thing you have
ever found so forth and so on.
Now nobody really asks me anything....
Most people don't even give me a second thought, that's because they know what I do, they know what I am looking for and they are not interested in getting involved with me.... If they were... you would already have thousands of people on the beaches with machines because everybody already knows what we do and what we are trying to find...
So maybe you all should get over it a little....
[/quote]

 

[wecandigit]

I don't know what kind of preconcieved ideas you have about this hobby. But the reality is that a ring or bracelet or earring or Spanish treasure coin will be found every now and then. If a full crew follows a detectorist around daily, you will be taking pictures mostly of findings of miscellaneous iron fragments, beer can decomposition, pull tabs, bottle tops, tent pegs, and other various flotsam and jetsam depending on the type of detector being used. Jewelry finds are generally infrequent. The crew would be bored to death, although they would see lots of bikinied girls. The production budget would be gone in no time. A better series would be "Bikinied women I've seen while metal detecting." Probably would be a big hit in the 12+ male demographic though.

 

[h2ojunkie]

Can you imagine all the people that would come forth saying..."that's my ring" or "hey honey, doesn't that look like the diamond engagement ring I gave you that you lost at that same beach beach"? Imagine the wingnuts that would come crawling out to claim "their" ring, necklace, bracelet etc.

Sorry...I'm a pirate. arrrrrrrrrr

 

[thrillathahunt]

I think a show about a couple of crazed metal detecting fanatics on the beach, flailing their detectors at each other while shouting obcenities would be much more entertaining.

 

[WishfulThinker]

Do you really think there is a market for a reality TV show that digs up beer cans and bottlecaps from the beach and parks? If you do and you are willing to pay, I think there will be some takers, otherwise check the Daily Finds and What Is It? sections here to see what really comes out of the ground. It is an interesting hobby to try to figure out what you found and what it was used for, but that is more like PBS History Detectives than striking it rich gold hunting.

Just for fun to pass some time .. read the BEEKROCK Message Thread .. Old House Hoard

 

[CASPER-2]

Like the idea or hate it - (looks like a lot of hate here)
but would you watch it?
I think most would - even if it is just to pick it apart
each week

 

[biggmike]

Like the idea or hate it - (looks like a lot of hate here)
but would you watch it?
I think most would - even if it is just to pick it apart
each week

I would watch it

What they would do it film for a week or 10 days at the best beaches and cram all that into a 30 minute show. Just think if you put 3 of the best hunters on the best beaches hunting for 10 hours a day for 10 days then put only their best finds into a 30 minute show and make it look like that happened in one day. Probably wouldn't be good for our hobby.

 

[CASPER-2]

why would they have to put it in one day - what if you put like you said
3 reputable hunters on the beaches of Fla. like you said and taped for 7 days
let's say one of us gets 1 gold the first day - the other guys get a little silver - then the next day one of the other guys get a gold or 2 - coins and misc silver etc - no one says you would have to show as one day
- you would know Im sure if the hotels changed during the program that guys were nt hunting same spot - and they would have to wash their clothes each day to re wear - I hunted with a friend down in Fla. Thanksgiving week - we hit rough water and calm - we stopped at like 10 different spots and detected like 6 different beaches over 4 days - I did okay - my partner got a few more gold - I got more silver
we had a couple of nice lunches and a nice dinner - we saw fish and sting rays on days we had visability - osprey carrying fish to its nest - bikinis - sail boarders - para surfers and surfers - would have made a great show - we also found a ton of trash - i hunt in all metal and had a good pile of junk going - i would want that to be shown along with the huge pile of crappy zincs - I would want the jelly fish and man-o-wars we saw shown - along with the broken glass and large junk on the bottom - plus mention the risks of sun cancer which a few guys down their have gotten - plus the cost of parking - risk of theft - the cost of someone like me flying down - renting a room and car - food
I go down for the hobby - not to make money - if I get a handful of gold- fantatstic
if I do like I did on my past trip - I was happy
I had pretty good weather - hooked up with a good friend (we joked around a lot and had a few tense moments over where to hunt and whether to stay at a spot or go)- had good food - and made some good finds
and was away from work -as George Castanza would say "there's a show"

 

[bigscoop]

Progress is progress, you are never going to stop it, especially where opportunities exist. It’s not always wanted and it’s not always good for this or that, but it will come eventually, always has. Personally I get bored pretty quickly watching videos of search coils swinging back and forth, not too exciting to watch. Love to participate but really don’t care to watch all the explosive action, if you know what I mean.

However, on the other hand, I would love to sit back every now and then and watch a show where people relive and share their best finds and adventures while metal detecting.