Anna Maria Island officials will soon have their shot at keeping up with the Kardashians.
Filmmakers Sam Hardy and Heather Harr teamed up in Kansas City, Missouri, six years ago to create Hardy-Harr Productions, and soon will be turning their cameras on officials in Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach.
Hardy and Harr are known for their work on the reality TV circuit, taking advantage of public spaces. Harr said the team prefers the label “entrepreneurial public filming” over “reality show.”
“We asked ourselves late one night in a north Florida bar, ‘How do you get people interested in politics?’ You make a reality show, that’s how,” said Hardy.
Joining the growing trend of infotainment — the cross-section of news and entertainment — Hardy-Harr Productions said the move to film government officials seemed natural.
“No one is doing this right now and I’ve been following the meetings. This island is ripe for filming. It’s got the drama you see in ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ with the seriousness of ‘The Apprentice,’” Hardy said.
Harr said they drew inspiration from parallels they recognized between the local governments and popular reality shows.
Social structures and alliances frequently mirror those on the hit series “Survivor,” where members are systematically voted off, Harr said. And the forced relationships harken back to the days of “The Real World.”
“Even the obstacles encountered in the process of lawmaking are comparable to the feats in ‘The Amazing Race,’” she added.
The company is best known for last year’s project, “Senators in Hallways.” The series flopped, but an assault charge filed by Hardy against U.S. Sen. Cam Payne made national headlines.
The production team gained marginal success with “Mall Watching,” which became popular with older audiences.
“These cities are like little bio-domes of political drama gold. Many of the characters won’t even need coaching,” said Harr.
The Hardy-Harr team expects success with its series, but only time will tell if it can outrun competitors like “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and “Happy April Fools’ Day” in the race for ratings.
And, yes, happy April Fools’ Day.