Factual America examines America through the lens of documentary filmmaking. Guests include Academy Award, Emmy and Grammy-winning documentary filmmakers and producers, their subjects, as well as experts on the American experience. Find out more about the current and upcoming documentaries on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV+, Sky Documentaries and other platforms directly from the creators. Whether we discuss true crime, music, burning social and political topics, history, or arts, Factual America is your #1 documentary film podcast. Factual America is produced by Alamo Pictures, a London- and Austin-based production company that makes documentaries about the US from a European perspective for international audiences.
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episode 17: Baywatch: The American Dream
Baywatch was a 1990s phenomenon well ahead of its time, going ‘viral’ long before there was something called social media.
Director and producer Matt Felker is an acclaimed observer of pop culture and social media trends. As a result, Matt is making a documentary that takes a serious look at Baywatch – a show that still resonates with a global audience 20 years later.
Recently, Factual America caught up with Matt, producer Nicole Eggert, who played Summer Quinn on the show, and Jeremy Jackson, who played Hobie Buchannon.
Besides sharing their experiences and memories of Baywatch, they explain how the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting their day-to-day lives and their ability to complete production on the documentary.
Moreover, all three examine why Baywatch became the most watched TV show in the world. In addition, Nicole and Jeremy share with complete candour what it was like being child actors and the ‘family’ they have built around Baywatch.
“I’ve been in the trailer when packages of cocaine and alcohol arrived. I’ve seen the predators around the kids. Baywatch wasn’t like that, it was very different to a lot of sets I’ve been on in my life.” – Nicole Eggert
Time Stamps:03:17 – The history of Baywatch meeting our guests.
04:50 – How the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting Matt and production.
07:01 – Jeremy’s experience of the lockdown.
09:08 – Nicole’s experience with having kids at home during the lockdown.
12:08 – Why Matt decided to make a Baywatch documentary.
16:24 – Why Nicole was so keen to get involved.
17:54 – How Jeremy got contacted for the documentary.
21:42 – The layers behind the movie, and people’s careers after being on the show.
27:56 – Our first clip, showing the lives of Nicole and Jeremy.
29:47 – The intellectual side of Baywatch.
32:50 – A funny story from the filming of the documentary.
42:41 – Baywatch’s brand and how it influenced 1990s culture.
45:15 – How modern day culture references back to the 90s.
46:28 – Could Baywatch be made today?
47:59 – How they’re going to finish the documentary in light of social distancing measures.
54:19 – How fanatical Baywatch’s European fans were.
58:14 – Why this show was much more successful in Europe than it was in America.
59:50 – The hardships with being a child actor.
1:03:15 – The risks involved on most film sets, and how Baywatch was different.
1:05:04 – How much of a role David Hasselhoff played in creating the show.
Baywatch the Documentary (IMDB)
This Is Distorted
Alamo Pictures
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