Barking Fish Entertainment

Naked Reality Show

THE NAKED COWBOY
…because American Idol is not an option

A Weekly ½ Hour Hybrid

THE BRIEF

Entertainers from across the globe dream of making it big in L.A. or The Big Apple. Countless aspiring actors, singers, and dancers spend years studying their craft, struggling to make it in the business, hoping to get discovered, waiting for that big break. Robert John Burck skipped that part.

With a guitar in his hand, a motivational message in his heart, and a suitcase full of tighty-whities Robert moved from rural Ohio to New York City, dubbed himself “The Naked Cowboy,” and started the journey to becoming the most celebrated entertainer of all time.

Times Square and underwear have never been the same.

Armed only with his homespun brand of self-motivation, The Naked Cowboy has taken his place between the Statue of Liberty and apple pie in the annals of Americana. He has created a cult following for himself without the use of a publicist or an agent. The Naked Cowboy has entertained millions of people from across world with his offbeat songs and hand-painted underwear. He has appeared on MTV, CNN, Animal Planet and USA on shows such as The Howard Stern Show, New Years Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, K-9 Karma and Late Night with David Letterman. Additionally he has been featured in music videos for artists such as Cake, several commercials, including the Beyonce-starring Pepsi spot directed by Spike Lee, and feature films such as The Olsen Twins’ “New York Minute”.

But that’s just the beginning. Even though The Naked Cowboy has become an instantly recognized icon throughout the world, “Naked” has bigger dreams: to become “The Most Celebrated Entertainer of all Time”. Without pants!

THE SHOW

THE NAKED COWBOY is a weekly ½ hour hybrid where Naked takes the viewer through his hilarious and awkward path to becoming famous. We’ll follow Naked’s quest to conquer film, television, music, motivational speaking - and, of course, the underwear industry. There’s no point in worshiping celebrities on the red carpet when you can become one!

Part comedy, with a dash of fantasy, we follow THE NAKED COWBOY each week as he tilts at windmills and refuses to give up his dreams. We watch Naked as he puts himself into situations that defy logic in order to create buzz and gain notoriety. And because Naked lives by a philosophy of personal empowerment that he passes on to anyone who will listen, his methods for achieving mainstream success lead to incredible, over-the-top comedic moments. The wonderful part about watching Naked is that as ridiculous as many of the situations are, Naked ultimately taps into the visionary in all of us. Viewers can’t help but root for him, and ultimately for themselves.

THE STYLE

Each episode of THE NAKED COWBOY plays out via two distinct storytelling vehicles – live action, and a highly stylized animated component in the vein of a visually stimulating graphic novel.

The live action footage of Naked is designed to have a caught-on-tape feeling, but is edited with a cinematic and modern pace. It is in the live action that we see the variety of situations that Naked finds himself in while trying to become the most celebrated entertainer of all time. In any given week, we might see him booked as entertainment for a wedding or bar mitzvah, hired for a promotional video, trying to secure an underwear deal with Wal-Mart, negotiating a record contract or flying overseas as a match.com spokesperson. We’ll also capture the various events he crashes (and at times is thrown out of) such as the Academy Awards, Major League baseball games, Mardi Gras, political conventions, and popular TV shows.

The animated component juxtaposes and foreshadows each episode’s story with a fictional interpretation of Naked as a typical “A-list celebrity.” For instance, if the live action footage shows Naked distributing his painted briefs via pick-up truck to Wal-Mart, the animated “A-list” Naked is presenting his underwear collection on the runway during fashion week in Milan. It is in these animations that the viewing audience realizes the hilarious difference between the “Hollywood” and “Naked” ways.


THE CAST

The cast of characters that surrounds Naked range from family and friends questioning his sanity to an array of disciples caught up in his quest. We’ll meet Cindy, the fitness expert girlfriend, and her two kids who live with Naked in New Jersey. We’ll meet Naked’s manager and brother Kenny, who happens to moonlight as a drummer in an Iron Maiden cover band. There’s Ron, the ex-dentist turned Naked’s personal videographer, and Aaron the “Naked” disciple who was so inspired by the Cowboy “change your life now” attitude that he quit his job and started a landscaping business in the dead of winter, became a fighter in a “Meanest Man” contest and performed as a stand-up comedian… All because of Naked.


SUMMARY

With guts, determination, and jaw-dropping nerve, THE NAKED COWBOY allows viewers to witness the hilarity that surrounds Naked’s triumphs, failures and unique way of inspiring others to achieve their dreams. In addition, the show gives viewers an inside look into the world of small time entertainers who make their living in fringe venues. THE NAKED COWBOY uses a cutting edge stylized method of storytelling to tap into the “never-say-die” dreamer in all of us.

There’s nothing that will deter Naked from becoming the world’s most celebrated entertainer of all time, even if he has to drag the rest of the world kicking and screaming along the way.