The entertainment business has gotten wind of this whole startup thing and now there’s no getting rid of them. The latest attempt to cash in: a work-in-progress called “Alley Girls,” which is “a new series about women working and building companies in Silicon Alley.” Valleywag reports the project is currently seeking interviewees for a sizzle reel in the making, shooting next Thursday at the offices of Inc. and Fast Company.
But the creators (including Left Brain/Right Brain Productions) insist this isn’t anything like that Bravo travesty which shall remain nameless. No, they’d have us believe this is really more of a documentary project.
Teresa Bigelow of VSCPR wrote in the email call for interviewees (published by Valleywag) that, “As I mentioned this is not a reality show, and this is not a casting call. This is because my team and I have plans to produce a smart, entertaining and informative show about amazing women doing amazing things.”
Right. Their stated goal is pretty high-minded, though, and it’s one we can’t really take issue with:
“The high-level purpose of the series is to chip away at the subconscious perceptions that still exist in many of our girls, women and just as importantly, boys and young men across the nation – that is, the misleading notion that females are not leaders nor are they capable of maintaining the same entrepreneurial backbone as their male peers.”
Lean in, baby!
But that name sets off some serious warning bells, as it sounds a little too lifecaster-y for Betabeat’s tastes. Can you imagine someone like Adafruit’s Limor Fried or even Marissa Mayer calling herself an “alley girl”? Compare that to PBS’s take on the topic, which they gave the far more dignified name “Makers.” This sounds dangerously like the kind of project that stars “social media gurus” who spend more time tweeting (or, you know, appearing on television shows) than actually building their companies.
Plus, the creators are in kind of a bind, here: It’s narcissistic lunatics who make the best television, but this is supposed to be upbeat boosterism, which all too often ends up either boring or obnoxious. Pick your poison, ladies.
