HIGH NOON ENTERTAINMENT AT 20

FROM ‘CAKE’ TO ‘LOVE,’ HIGH NOON FINDS THE RIGHT RECIPE FOR HITS

igh Noon Entertainment has left a distinctive mark on reality TV during its 20 years in Hthe business. With a mission statement that promises to “discover unknown breakout characters, create entertaining formats around them and tell their stories with authenticity, heart, and a healthy dose of humor,” the company managed to find success while eschewing many of the genre’s most lowbrow tropes. Variety got the stories behind three signature series — the mouth-watering “,” inspiring “Fixer Upper,” and invigorating “Tough Love” — that helped establish High Noon as a true force in the world of unscripted television. RANDEE DAWN

CAKE BOSS FIXER UPPER TLC HGTV

Buddy Valastro and his With three wildly successful eclectic family, owners of seasons now under their belts, the 116-year-old Hoboken, husband-and-wife team Chip and N.J.-based Italian-American Joanna Gaines help homebuyers Carlo’s Bake Shop create cake purchase fixer-upper houses and confections while dealing turn them into the home of their with family and employee dreams. relationships. Inspiration: Buying a home might Inspiration: While competing prove stressful for most couples, on “ Challenge” but for the Gaines it turned out in 2007, Valastro emerged as a to be a ticket to stardom. The perfect reality star: charismatic, Waco, Texas-based pair, who had hyper-verbal, and funny. Plus, fixed up more than 100 homes he really knew his way around a together before the show even cake and had a genially chaotic started, were scouted by High home environment. TLC showed Noon. Then, says Chip Gaines, interest and Valastro pushed HGTV “put their own spin” on for the production to be done the concept. “I like to joke that at High Noon. “They said it was the three of us got together and the best pilot they ever saw and had a baby,” he laughs. Today, ordered 13 episodes and it aired the show is heading into its in 2009 and boom, that was it,” fourth season and attracts more says Valastro, who has now shot than 3 million live plus same-day his 200th episode and spun off viewers for each episode. multiple shows. Breakthrough Moment: Breakthrough Moment: “Once According to Gaines, it was when I saw the line to the bakery, I he scarfed down a cockroach in a said, ‘We’re on to something video that went viral after being here,’” says Valastro. Adds TLC challenged. “I’m like, I’ve done a president and general manager whole lot worse for a whole lot Nancy Daniels, “It was a good less,” he says. “People are like, general manager at Shed Media, and the authenticity of Steve’s mix of family, and process — the ‘This guy’s like my neighbor! He’s TOUGH LOVE zeroed in on the Wards. “VH1 advice had immediate appeal. cake builds. Buddy comes off as like my uncle!’” pitched back: ‘What if we make it Legacy: “Tough Love” eschewed VH1 this blue-collar Jersey guy, which Legacy: Much like a lot of a love rehab element?’” she says. the then-popular format of VARIETY.COM he is, but he’s also a true artist.” Scripps/HGTV programming, For six seasons, Philadelphia- “People needed brutally honest people living in a home together, Legacy: Though far from the “Fixer Upper” is rarely about based Master Matchmakers CEO feedback about what they were with one going home each week. first, the docu-soap format the stunt (cockroach aside) Steve Ward and his mom, JoAnn, doing, right and wrong.” “Having a big, bold voice at the achieved surprising heights with and more about information. advised singletons and couples Breakthrough Moment: center of it, there wasn’t a lot “Cake Boss,” and proved highly “It reminds us all that healthy about relationship difficulties. According to Healey, it was the of that on the air. But it wasn’t exportable. The series is seen television can be fun to watch,” Inspiration: “Obsessed” with pilot. “Steve has a gift, he and his confrontational: We were trying

OCTOBER 11, 2016 OCTOBER in more than 220 territories Gaines says. “I hope some of the book “He’s Just Not That mom, of matching and working to change people’s lives. I was worldwide. “We’re not trashy TV,” that organic authenticity is what Into You” in 2007, then-exec VP with people,” she says. The show trying to bring romantic comedy 178 says Valastro. makes our show great.” West Coast Pam Healey, now started out with single women, to unscripted,” says Healey.

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