Turn your venture into a TV star

If you play your cards right, you may find exposure beyond your wildest expectations

Think your small business has what it takes to be next TV reality star?

Shows featuring small company owners, such as A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” and History’s “Pawn Stars,” are hits, turning nearly unknown small businesses into household names. The shows give them exposure that most could never afford to pay for through advertising or public relations.

So you want your own show? Here’s a guide: Sometimes they find you

Production companies are always on the lookout for businesses to film. That’s how “Pawn Stars” came about. Brent Montgomery, the owner of production company Leftfield Pictures, was at a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The limousine he was in passed by a pawnshop, and he came up with the idea of a reality show that took place in a pawnshop. Montgomery told his staff to find a family-owned pawnshop in Las Vegas that they could shoot. The producers found Rick Harrison of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, who had already been pitching a reality show idea to other producers. Harrison went with Leftfield Pictures, which sold the show to History. It’s been on the air since 2009. Pitch a producer

Many production companies accept pitches for reality shows. If a production company likes the idea, it will be able to bring it to networks. Do an online search for reality TV producers and call to see if they accept pitches. The Idea Factory, which has produced reality shows for Spike and Discovery, accepts pitches on the company’s website (http://tiftv. com/). Darryl Silver, the owner of the Idea Factory, says that he usually first meets people who pitch shows through webcam chats. Silver usually asks what major events they expect to happen in the next year that could be filmed.

You can also film the business, and the people you think will be on the show, and upload it to YouTube so that you can send a link to the production company.

Robbie Montgomery, who stars in “Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s,” says that her son pitched their show idea to a St. Louisbased production company and then sold it to OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, where the show now airs. No failing businesses

Your business must be in good financial standing. No production company wants to start filming a show that centers on a business and then have it close down during filming. Production companies will check to make sure your business is on solid footing. They love families

Family-owned businesses are favored by producers because it adds “an extra level of story,” Silver says. Audiences love seeing people and relationships on TV that they can relate to. “Duck Dynasty,” which features a family-owned duck-call business, is the most watched documentary-style reality series on TV right now, according to Nielsen, which provides information and insight into what consumers watch and buy.

A&E Willie Robertson, star of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty,” lounges at the Duck Commander warehouse in West Monroe, La. Turning owners into stars has become a winning formula for television producers, but some businesses featured in them are cashing in, too.

Julie Jacobson / Associated Press Rick Harrison, owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, waits as a camera crew prepares to shoot an episode of “Pawn Stars.”