Home & Garden Television
C/o Weller Grossman Productions
14144 Ventura Blvd., Suite 200
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818/755-4800
http://www.hgtv.com
Got a problem? Bring it to "Smart Solutions," an HGTV show now entering its sixth season (third year). This program focuses on simple home solutions and caters to women ages
18-54, and probably a few stay-at-home dads, too. HGTV is distributed to more than 65 million U.S. households. "Smart Solutions" airs Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. Eastern
time (8:30 Pacific).
Content
Hosted by Maty Monfort, "Smart Solutions" calls on guest experts to share practical, cost-effective ideas related to home decorating, gardening, family, parenting, cooking and
fashion themes.
What constitutes an expert? Recent notables include a makeup artist talking mascara tips, an environmentalist teaching parents and kids how to make hummingbird feeders out of
plastic soda bottles and a horticulturist discussing low-light plant options for shaded lots. Book authors, pediatricians, skin care experts, chefs, home organization gurus,
interior decorators and craftspeople also are good bets. Every show ends with a "Smart Solution of the Day" - that is, a quick tip designed to make life easier, such as using a
dryer sheet to clean your TV screen, or making your luggage easier to identify by tying a bandana to the handle.
Most segments are shot in the studio, although some are filmed on location such segments on gardening, home redecoration (before and after) and other see-it-to-believe-it
scenarios. As a bonus, broadcast content often shows up on the HGTV Web site. When it does, the names, credentials, URLs and contact numbers of guest experts appear at the bottom
of each frame.
Pitch Tips/Contacts
Christmas in July? Yup. The show runs year-round and features well timed seasonal and holiday segments. Shoots occur only twice a year, in March/April and June/July. The best
story ideas are seasonal or evergreen bits that the network can mix and match.
Guest experts are nailed down three months before each shoot, at which time producers weigh each pitch idea by plugging it into a paragraph format that spells out the inherent
"problem/solution" dynamic and the guest expert's credentials. "We used a guideline we call STEMS, which stands for sources, time, effort, money and substitution," Monfort says.
"Each segment takes all those factors into account. Where's the source of the problem to be addressed? How much time will the solution take? How difficult is it to do? How much
will it cost? And where can you substitute alternative ingredients or supplies, if necessary?"
The show's executive producers are Robb Weller and Gary Grossman, but the best hands-on contact is supervising producer Dan Weaver. He can be reached at 818/817-6500. If you
don't mind pitching into the great abyss, you can also fill out an online form at http://resourcedirectory.hgtv.com, but Monfort recommends the former course of action.
Comments
Although show segments are largely mapped out during pre-production, Monfort has the final say on the set. "We had to let go of one person doing ideas for a home baby shower
who thought it would be cute to have a black velvet signing book and these horrendous chocolate things covered in weird colors," she says. "It's not a highbrow show where
everything has to be expensive, but we still look for quality ideas."
To increase your coverage chances, make sure your pitch spells out a specific problem and solution. "A lot of times, publicists will just send us their author's book," Monfort
says, which is a mistake. "We're not a straight crafts, cooking or how-to show. We always want to know what's the problem to be solved here? Maybe it's that you planted too many
tomato plants and you have an overage of tomatoes. What else can you make besides tomato sauce and salad? Or maybe you want to redecorate your house, but you only have $100."
Show content, overall, falls in the light fare category. "We don't address problems such as, 'My child is talking back to me. What do I do?'" Monfort says. "And we don't deal
with the psychological underpinnings of problems like school shootings."