Music Business

Will EDM Reality Show Be DJ Starmaker Or Celebrity Wannabe Humiliator?

Edm-casting-picDoron Ofir, a man who's proud of the accomplishments of Pauly D, is casting a new EDM reality show that he believes will be a "star-making vehicle." EDM purists and pundits are taking the news poorly, heaping abuse on the concept, on Jersey Shore and on Doron Ofir. But keep in mind that Pauly D's doing quite well for himself and it's quite possible that a new star could appear without the approval of EDM insiders.

If that's all you need to know to sign up, go right now to EDM Casting and apply. If you want to know more, casting director Doron Ofir has been enjoying his moment in the limelight with interviews in Spin and Noisey.

EDM Casting Asks: Are You Ready?

Doron Ofir is the "infamous casting director behind" "Jersey Shore", "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila" and "Paris Hilton’s My New B.F.F." So though he may not be responsible for the shows you love to love/hate, he did help find the reality tv stars that have polarized a nation.

Ofir spoke with Spin but said that many details would have to wait till an official announcement later this month. He did clarify that the only connection to Jersey Shore is his casting company and that "titans of the industry" are involved.

Ofir, who's feeling some heat from negative responses to the news, reiterated points to support his own credibility and that of those creating the show:

"I understand this world [EDM] probably better than anyone else in the television entertainment pop-culture universe."

"My background is from nightclubs…I broke artists long before there was ever an agency system that was actually representing electronic dance music culture."

"I would never have signed on to this project if I didn't actually believe in the people who are putting it together."

Ofir told Noisey a bit about about who might be cast and why:

"If I find somebody who is the best at what they do in a small pocket of this country I want to be able to give them the opportunity to be seen…So if you’re somebody who’s doing fusion-mashups with real interesting electronic beats…with a country perspective and you’re coming from somewhere out of Oklahoma, that should be listened to, that should be heard."

He also shared with Spin a few details about the show itself:

"There's definitely a competition basis to this. There is an elimination process. Only one can be the winner…They have to have the personality to engage an audience. They also have to have the talent to back it up, and they have to have the vision in order to transcend and create something bigger than themselves. Which is why this is a star-making vehicle."

Most of the response I'm seeing on the web and on EDM sites is negative. However, given the somewhat limited information about the show, there's only so much that people can criticize. Nevertheless, Cory Garcia does a nice job of explaining:

"Why You Shouldn't Apply For That New EDM Reality Show"

It's true that appearing on such a show would affect a dj's credibility among the purist EDM crowd but if you'd be just as happy with a career like Pauly D's, then why not go for it?

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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2 Comments

  1. Huh, I never knew Weekend at Bernie’s came out with an EDM sequel. Oh wait, he learned on CD’s and MP3, not vinyl.

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