John de Mol Needs a Reality Idea

Do you have the next big idea for a reality TV program? Have you been watching all the reality shows on television and come up with an idea that you know is better than anything you’ve seen before? Well, John de Mol, producer of “Big Brother” and “Fear Factor,” wants your idea and is willing to pay you for it.

Endemol co-founder John de Mol’s Talpa Media Group has launched a website, TalpaCreative.com, that reality fans can visit to pitch ideas.

The site launches this week. Users will register as members and then receive an opportunity to submit ideas as well as respond to assignments posted by de Mol and Talpa execs.

“Everyone has an opinion about TV,” de Mol said. “But for people not a part of our business, it’s extremely difficult to get a meeting with a network. This is a platform where people with good ideas can come.”

De Mol is so serious about the effort to find a new show that he is willing to pay people for their ideas. According to de Mol, users will be compensated on a scale depending on how far their idea goes.

“It depends on the state of the idea — is it a one-liner? A one pager with some structure? That will determine our option price in the beginning,” he said. “At the end of the day, they will still remain on board with a certain percentage as co-owner.”

It’s even possible that some website users could be asked to come on board the project as full-fledged producers, depending on their TV expertise.

Currently the site is only open to US audiences. The plan, however, is to develop the best of the entries in Holland with an eye toward bringing a show to the States if they prove successful.

If you think you’ve got an idea that might work, I highly encourage you to jump over to the site when it launches and give it a go. What do you have to lose?