TORONTO – CTV has begun production on a new one-hour reality series pilot offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to earn up to $50,000 by pitching their untested business ideas to a crowd of 100 real consumers.
Hosted by TSN’s James Duthie (pictured), Dream Funded: Let The Crowd Decide offers an original take on crowd-funding by putting all the power in the hands of the crowd. In the pilot, seven budding entrepreneurs, known as the “Dreamers”, will introduce their original product to a crowd of 100 curious customers, who each have $250 to support the Dreamer and new product they feel has the most potential. Throughout the show, celebrity entrepreneur experts Amber MacArthur and Ron Tite offer advice and feedback to the Dreamers, helping to elevate their pitches to a higher professional level. At the end of the episode, the Dreamers take home all of the money invested by the crowd, up to $25,000, and the Dreamer who has earned the most receives an additional $25,000.
Produced by CTV in association with Entertainment One, the pilot is the first project from Bell Media’s new partnership with United Artists Media Group and Omnicom Media Groups’ Highway Entertainment.
“Dream Funded puts an entertaining spin on the crowd-funding phenomenon, where the crowd invests in everyday products, making dreams come true for emerging entrepreneurs while creating a feel-good show,” said Phil King, president of CTV, sports, and entertainment programming, in the news release. “With our partners' stellar background in non-scripted entertainment, we anticipate the pilot will deliver high-stakes drama and real-life happy endings.”
