I have many questions and have looked through most of this MB trying to find answers. While I have learned many things here there are just somethings I am not finding so I am sorry if any of these have been discussed before.

1) Who actually picks the jobs? Is it Mike or a calibration?

2) What thought process goes into picking a Job? Meaning what things are looked at when choosing a job to do?

3) What pre-production steps are done in preparing for a Job?

4) Worse mishap while on a job?

Anyone knows these answers or where I can find these answers?

I would be overjoyed to get the answers from Mike, but any one that can help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi!

Here are your basic answers:

1) Who actually picks the jobs? Is it Mike or a calibration?

Mike has nothing to do with the selection. The jobs our found or picked from the website by our researchers. Eddie Barbini, Exec. Producer, Ed Rohwedder, Supervising Producer, and myself weed the good from the bad. Final approval comes from the network.

2) What thought process goes into picking a Job? Meaning what things are looked at when choosing a job to do?

We want these basics: Process, other than just cleaning dirt. Some sort of uniqueness, whether its the job itself, or location. And some form of dirt or hard work. We also look for character, but that is hard over the phone.

3) What pre-production steps are done in preparing for a Job?

Once the researcher writes a "pitch sheet: for myself, the Eddies, and the network, and it is approved, a segment producer will flesh it out and then pass it onto me, with all the story points. I make a single call to line up a time when I can scout before the shoot to see how the day will play out best.

4) Worse mishap while on a job?

Would have to be the $100,000 diving lesson in the alligator swamp.

Thanks for watching!

Barsky

See Necy? Dave= much more reliable than Mike. Heeheeehee. Glad you brought your questions over here.

Din0

OMG...Thank you!!! Thank you!! Thank you!!!!!

This is why everyone keeps whatching!! cause of little things like this!!! keep up the great work and next time make Mike were the Turkey suite!!...i'm just kidding...no really you should...lol..thank you again Barsky..I was a fan before but now..that I know you guys really take an intrest in your fans I am like WOW!!...i'm going to go buy the last two seasons on dvd now just so i can catch up!! and DinO..thanks againg for your suggestion!!

much love

Necy

sorry..I was so excited that I got a response I forgot to ask what happened in that diving lesson? and are there any behind the secens episodes of DJ? Once apon a time I tought I was going to be a producer so I'm all about the behind the secens stuff..*long sigh* memories..

Hey Dave!

Now that I think about it, I was wondering. Maybe this has been addressed before, probably several times, but how many ideas have you filmed that have never aired due to either lack of content of just not meeting your expectations once you were done? And what ever happened to that whale autopsy technician job that was listed for a while on the opening credits?

By the way, awesome job on the show. I can always count on DJ for a great show. Thanks for all you guys do.

Sheri

Sheri-

About that whale. Well, timing is everything with dead whales. When we first started researching the show, we knew this would make a good segment, so the idea was turned into Discovery with a stack of about 100 other before we even aired. When the main title sequence was produced at the network, someone just said "That's a good one and weird one!" and of course they were correct, and threw it in the open of the show.

But we've been chasing it ever since. One turned up in California early on, but we were in St. Louis or somewhere... Months later we were alerted to one in Oregon and all ready to go. The scientists we were going to out with were worried about decay and birds destroying it before our arrival so they hired the local "guy with bulldozer" to bury it, forgetting to tell him not to tear it apart in the process...intact would be the only impressive way to shoot it.

Then last September we were in Maine with a couple of thousand slime eels when when turned up in Dutch Harbor AK. We could not get there either. Until this January. We were told, despite my skepticism, that it was still intact, having been frozen all winter. It sounded great, but the biologist we were going to go out with was not in the area, nor could he get there until we arrived. But he was assured by locals it was out of harms way across the bay.

The day after we arrived on Unalaska, Doug and I went to scout it. I could not wait! I thought this would be the center piece of our Alaska trip.

This is what we found...

http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7231976839/m/8431915769

Wow, who would have guessed it would have been so difficult. Did you ever feel like Captain Ahab chasing a whale? Too bad it hasn't worked out, it sounds like it would have made a great episode.

I feel honored to have gotten an explanation about that, people have been wondering since before I got on the boards last June. Thanks!!!!! I am definitely buying you some fudge or something tasty.

Sheri

P.S. The photos were great! Thanks. It looks pretty gross, did it smell?

Sheri

Dave, when does Mike start calling you Ishmael?

Thanks for filling in the backstory; I'd been wondering why I never saw the whale autopsy technician episode.