Reality TV can be more than the Kardashians or the Real Housewives-of-Wherever.
It can be used to shed light, to build bridges, to increase understanding.
Sultan Sharrief is one of the creators of a show called Street Cred, and it recently won funding to shoot a pilot in a national competition called Pitch Black, put on by the National Black Programming Consortium.
Street Cred could put some Detroit high school students into the national spotlight on PBS.
“Street Cred is a new reality show that showcases the talent and potential of Detroit high school students,” Sharrief says.
Twelve students will compete in a program that will teach them entertainment producing skills.
“They learn how to pitch, they learn how to do fundraising, how to do location scouting, produce a radio segment, produce a TV segment, and engage the community in the process of making a film,” Sharrief tells us.
Sharrief looks forward to premiering the show sometime next summer or fall.