TikTok collectives are racing to land reality shows

The New York Times

Groups of TikTok stars who've gathered in Hollywood Hills mansions are pitching themselves as the next big reality stars. One TikTok collective, Hype House, featuring a group of male stars, has been pitching a reality show billed as “the modern day Mickey-Mouse club.”  "Feuds, cliques and rivalries have long captivated viewers of shows like Jersey Shore, The Real World and Keeping Up With the Kardashians," explains Taylor Lorenz. "Now, many wonder if a new wave of unscripted shows about the lives of young influencers could captivate the next generation of viewers." Last year a show called Reality House attracted millions of viewers on YouTube. But TikTokers are looking for something bigger. That's why they've been talking to production companies like Bunim-Murray, which was behind The Real World. “The problems we have had is that often these houses are looked at more like a business,” says Julie Pizzi, the president of entertainment and development at Bunim-Murray. “They want to show the business of making these videos as opposed to the personalities and personal lives of the characters. We’d have a hard time selling a show about these TikTokers doing their videos for TikTok, or getting deals with advertisers. We’re more interested in their lifestyle and how they interact with each other, what the relationships are like between the different people in the house.” TalentX CEO Warren Lentz, who represents the TikTok collective Sway house, says "it’s clear there’s a strong appetite and there’s white space that a streaming platform or network hasn’t stepped into. We have come up with five or six different show ideas that we’ve been talking with outlets about. I do know other houses are having those conversations as well.”