Pete Berg

American Underworld

October 8, 2011
My latest TV project before I went abroad was Discovery Channel's American Underworld. This was gritty documentary at its finest. The show follows investigative journalist Mark Allen Johnson as he delves into underground subcultures throughout the country -- drugs, prostitution, carjacking rings and more.



We produced three episodes this spring, which include a Meth bust in Tennessee, a drug dealer making illegal steroids in his Los Angeles kitchen, pimps working the streets in Chicago, and an auto theft ring in Oakland. This was one of the most challenging shows I've worked on, since so much of it involved forging delicate relationships with criminals as well as law enforcement officers, and the show was shot very on-the-fly, by-the-seat-of-your-pants. We never knew what we were going to get when we sent Mark out with a camera...a lot of times we got nothing...but a lot of times, we got some of the most scary and revealing footage we've ever seen.

American Underworld has been airing the past few weeks on Discovery. You can watch clips from the show here, and also find listings for when it will air on the Discovery Channel.

-Pete

The Mongol Rally

January 28, 2011

I've got that itch for adventure again, so it's time to dust off my backpack and hit the road!

This summer I will be taking part in The Mongol Rally, a 10,000 mile car rally from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I'll be driving with a team of friends through about 18 different countries with anything but suitable roads (or no roads at all), with no electronic navigational aids, in a tiny little car that is generally considered crap and completely inappropriate for the task. That's the spirit of the Mongol Rally.

All in all, I'm planning to spend about four months abroad beginning in June. I'll start the trip with a week in Iceland, and then I'm planning to travel to several atlatl events in in Germany with my parents, and visit some relatives in Denmark.

The Mongol Rally begins at the end of July, and our current route will take us through 17 countries: England, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Mongolia. Afterwards, I am considering taking the Trans-Siberian Railroad through Russia back to Europe and spend a few more weeks there.

One part of the rally itself is to raise money for charity -- we are planning to donate well over 1,000 pounds to the people of Mongolia, as well as the car that we drive, so we will be setting up our team website and will begin collecting donations soon. It should be quite the trip!

-Pete

Is the D.B. Cooper case solved?

January 6, 2011

Tonight's episode of Brad Meltzer's DECODED delves into the D.B. Cooper case, the 1971 skyjacking which has been unsolved for forty years. I produced this episode, and it's my personal favorite one of the season. And after this latest investigation, the case may very well be solved.

The show follows a new suspect named Kenny Christiansen, who was brought to light by the book Into The Blast: The True Story of D. B. Cooper. Kenny was a Northwest Airlines employee and a trained paratrooper; he suddenly began spending large amounts of money in the months after the hijacking; he was unaccounted for the night of the crime; and there was even a plastic bag of $20 bills found hidden in his backyard years later -- the denomination of the cash stolen by D.B. Cooper. Wikipedia has a longer summary of the case against Christiansen.

During our shoot, we visited Kenny's former home in Bonney Lake, Washington (where the bag of twenties was found), and searched the walls with an infrared camera. The idea was we were looking for a hiding spot or a cubby hole -- a place where money could have been hidden. We weren't expecting to find anything, but when we came across a peculiar rectangular area in the ceiling above Kenny's former bedroom, we had to investigate. We sent one of our Decoders up into the attic, and sure enough, we found something. In between the rafters in Kenny's attic, hidden under a layer of insulation, we found a hinged box that was clearly some sort of deliberate hiding space! It was the perfect size to hide the stash of money that D.B. Cooper stole, and we found it in the ceiling right above the leading suspect's bedroom. I know this doesn't prove anything, but it's another piece of circumstantial evidence to add to the ever-growing case against Kenny Christianen.

After we wrapped, author of Into The Blast Robert Blevins released a new edition of his book which includes a chapter on the History Channel shoot. I'm quoted in the book and Robert even put my picture in it. It's pretty cool that our detective work actually turned up something!

To see this episode, tune in tonight at 10PM on The History Channel.

-Pete

Brad Meltzer's DECODED

October 10, 2010

Since June, I have been working as a Producer for a new History Channel series called Brad Meltzer's DECODED. The show features a team of investigators -- the "Decoders" -- solving mysteries from throughout American History. Bestselling author Brad Meltzer is the host, and kind of the Charlie figure to this Charlie's Angels.

I've been traveling all over the country, field producing episodes on a variety of really interesting topics. Here are a few of the episodes I'm working on:

  • John Wilkes Booth: Did John Wilkes really die two weeks after assassinating Lincoln, or did he survive for another 40 years under assumed identities around the world? Was the man killed in Garrett's Barn a patsy?
  • Rebel Gold: Where did the missing Confederate treasury disappear to after it was raided by night time raiders in Georgia in 1865?
  • D.B. Cooper The only unsolved skyjacking case in American History. Who was this famous airline hijacker, and did he survive his 1971 jump from the back of a Boeing 727 with $200,000 in cash?

  • The White House Cornerstone: The very first piece of the White House was laid in 1792 in a secret Freemason ceremony, and it has since disappeared. What happened to the cornerstone, and did the Freemasons have something to do with it?

All in all, it is a really fun job, even if though it's a lot of work. The series is set to premiere on December 2nd on the History Channel, so be sure to tune in!

DECODED is produced by Go Go Luckey Entertainment.

-Pete

Reality Rush, LLC officially launches!

March 24, 2010

Today, my event planning company Reality Rush officially launched! We specialize in running team building adventures based on Reality TV game shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race and Big Brother. Although we have been running events for nearly two years, we became official in September, 2009 when we trademarked our name and filed the paperwork to become an LLC. Today, we have launched our new website and are announcing our company!

Reality Rush, LLC

Our grand premiere event, Urban Hunt: Los Angeles takes place on April 10th. This is an exciting scavenger hunt around Los Angeles, where teams of two solve puzzles, compete in various tasks, and explore their city. (Think of it as an afternoon version of The Amazing Race.) It's a whole heck of a lot of fun, and I encourage everyone to sign up.

We're very excited to expand our business and run many more events over the coming years. If you know any groups who are interested in having an unforgettable adventure, be sure to contact Reality Rush!

-Pete

The Lazy Environmentalist

November 15, 2009

In September, I started a new job -- I am now an Associate Producer on The Lazy Environmentalist. TLE is an environmental TV series on The Sundance Channel, about easy and cost-effective ways of going green. The host, Josh Dorfman, helps people in various walks of life find ways to be more eco-friendly without bending over backward or making huge sacrifices. The idea is that going green doesn't have to be hard.

We are now in the thick of production on episodes covering everything from interior decorators to surfers to funeral directors. As an AP, I do huge amounts of research, find experts to appear on the show, help write the scripts, and then produce, produce, produce.

I now know more about biofoam surfboards and biodegradable caskets than I ever dreamed I would know. I've also been doing a lot of shooting for our various segments. Just last week, I found myself riding along with an exterminator for the day, while he tried out eco-friendly pesticides on all sorts of cockroach, spider and rodent infestations. It has been an interesting and educational experience to say the least!

You can check out the Sundance Channel's websites to see some clips from the show. Enjoy!

-Pete

Pizza Party Weekend

September 15, 2009

A few months ago, some friends and I started a sketch comedy group called Pizza Party Weekend, and I've discovered a new passion for writing and performing live comedy! We started out making comedy videos for the web and performing the occasional one-off sketch at comedy variety shows, but we apparently made an impression, because we got offered our own hour long sketch show at the Theater Asylum in Hollywood.

So far, we have written and performed two hour-long sketch comedy shows as PPW -- one in May and one in July. Our comedy is similar to the offbeat /underground style of the Upright Citizens Brigade theater (in fact, one of our aims is to eventually get a show at UCB).

That said, all five of the members have very different voices, and I feel like we complement each other well. We've done sketches about our "Evil Selves," kids arguing over the name for their (videogame) Rock Band, creepy high school teachers with crushes on their students, the Community Chest from Monopoly, a twisted summer camp, and a whole lot more.

Pizza Party Weekend's next show is coming up next week (Sept. 23rd), so if you're in Hollywood, check us out. Details and links to some of our videos are available here.

-Pete

Reality Rush's Races

June 15, 2009

Reality Rush, the adventure planning company that I co-founded with my friend Justin Walter, is gaining a lot of momentum! Reality Rush runs weekend team-building events based on reality shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Mole and Big Brother. And in the past two weeks, we have produced two (Amazing) Races!

The Race, produced by Reality Rush. Players at the starting line.

Both Races went incredibly well, and all the contestants had a great time. One of these races was for our first client, the staff of E! Live Events, and we are already scheduling upcoming events for groups including Teach For America and various colleges.

Our contestants have also given us rave reviews! Here are some quotes from post-Race surveys:

  • "The closest you can get to being on the real show!" - Shaun Smith, 30
  • "An unforgettable team-building experience that challenges every fiber of your being." - Jennifer Stewart, 25
  • "Truly one of the best adventures I’ve undertaken in a long time!" - Gerry Johnston, 47

If you or your group would like to participate in one of our Reality TV inspired games, visit our website!

-Pete

Back (and busy) in LA!

April 16, 2009

I finally returned to Los Angeles last month after nine months of traveling! While I look for a new full-time job, I am doing various freelance web design and videography work, and have resumed development on my business Reality Rush.

I am heavily involved with Last Lantern Productions, a new L.A.-based production company launched by former Ithaca College professor Changhee Chun. I am one of the founding members, and we will be producing various video, web, multimedia and print productions for a variety of clients. If your business is in need of a production team, please visit our website.

I am also now freelancing for New Horizons Pictures, where I am a Web Producer. Our team is responsible for launching a new multimedia and e-commerce website to market legendary filmmaker Roger Corman's library of over 400 classic films. Other freelance web development projects I've taken on recently include the site for the documentary Craigslist Joe; student television station Rollins College TV; and dress wholesaler PolyUSA. I have also launched one more website of my own: Power Hour HQ, a directory of video drinking games for the college crowd!

-Pete

Stories told in just six words

January 8, 2009

Can you tell a story in just six words?

Ernest Hemingway was challenged to do just that in the 1920s, and it resulted in what he considered to be his best work: "For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn."

I was inspired by Hemingway's challenge, and thought that a website all about super short stories would be pretty cool - so I made one! Six Word Stories is a daily-updated collection of the best six word stories -- written by famous authors, amateurs from around the world, and submitted by fans of the site. It also has its own Twitter Feed.

This site launched just a week ago, and it's already a big success! Over 500 stories have been submitted, and it's had 50,000 unique visitors in the past two days. Check out Six Word Stories and let me know what you think.

-Pete

Happy New Year

January 1, 2009

Happy 2009, everybody!

I returned from my trip through Asia a few weeks ago, and it's great to be home in America! When I left at the beginning of July, I had just my backpack and a hunger for adventure. In all, I saw Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Olympics, China, Tibet, Nepal and India. The trip was absolutely incredible -- but it's hard to sum it all up here, so check out my travel blog for a more detailed account. One thing's for sure: I caught the travel bug, and I will be going on another long trip as soon as I have the chance.

I am now home in New York for the holidays, but I will be returning to Los Angeles in a few weeks. I hope to resume all the projects I left behind this summer, and try some new and exciting things as well.

I will also be seeking a new job when I return to LA; if you have any job opportunities, send me an email at pberg1@gmail.com!

-Pete

Bootstrappin' in Asia

October 22, 2008

Greetings from Nepal!

I am now in month four of my backpacking trip across Asia, and I'm having an absolutely amazing, life-changing time. I have climbed Mt. Fuji; slept on the beach in Okinawa; driven a moped up Taiwan's treacherous Taroko Gorge; marvelled at the Hong Kong skyline; watched America win gold at the Beijing Olympics; fed bamboo to giant pandas; herded yaks in Tibet; slept at the base of Mt. Everest; trekked through the Nepalese Himalayas; bungee jumped from the world's second highest freefall; made lots of friends; and learned so much. And that's just the beginning...

Along the way, I have been blogging occasionally at my travel blog, Bootstrappin', so I thought I would share it here.

Bootstrappin.com

I've posted hundreds of photos from my trip on this blog, and post whenever I find something interesting to talk about. I hope you enjoy reading about my discoveries and adventures!

-Pete

Traveling around the world!

July 8, 2008

I've always had a huge interest in travel, exploration and adventure, and I decided a long time ago that I wanted to see the world while I'm still young. Now, I am getting my chance!

Tomorrow, I am taking a one-way flight to Tokyo, and for the next six months, I will be backpacking around Asia -- starting in Japan, and heading west (and anywhere else the winds will take me). I've planned nothing in advance, so it should be very exciting trip. If all goes well, and my money lasts, I'm going to continue heading all the way around the world.

For the time being, I will be putting all of my television and Los Angeles-based projects on hold, and I have just wrapped my job at Actual Reality Pictures. I'm still going to update all of my websites while I travel, as best as I can, though I'm sure they'll also slow down a bit while I'm busy sightseeing and exploring.

I'm really excited for this trip, and I'll be sure to share my adventures with all of you as I go!

-Pete

Presenting: Reality Rush Adventures

May 23, 2008

Recently, a friend and I have been working to start an event-planning company called Reality Rush Adventures. Reality Rush runs weekend events based on Reality TV shows like Survivor, The Mole and The Amazing Race for parties, corporate retreats and team-building exercises.

In April, we ran our first game -- a three day Survivor event for 16 people in Leo Carrillo State Park outside of Malibu. You can watch a short trailer of it here:

Unlike conventional event planning companies, our events are much more elaborate and intense than the typical trust falls and ropes courses. We create an authentic Reality TV game, with all of the tribal councils, pitstops, twists and intricacies of the competitive reality shows on television. The only difference is that there's no cameras, and they take place over a weekend rather than a month.

We will be launching the official Reality Rush Adventures website soon at www.realityrush.com, and next month, we will be running two events: Sabotage: Los Feliz (based on The Mole), and The Race: City of Angels (based on The Amazing Race). Stay tuned to Reality Rush Adventures for the latest news on our company!

-Pete

Career Update

May 1, 2008

A quick update on what I've been doing career-wise.

In March, I took a job as a swing Associate Producer at Actual Reality Pictures, where I worked on Flip That House season 4 for TLC, and Greenovate for the Discovery Home network.

I am currently a Segment Producer for a new show on TLC called Should I Stay or Should I Go?, also produced by Actual Reality. It's a home renovation show about the American mortgage crisis, where we help families in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure fix up their house, thus allowing them to refinance. I spend most of my days out in the field, shooting, conducting interviews and field-producing. It's a fun job where I get a lot of creative input, and I'm having a great time working on this show.

I have also recently become a member of a Reality TV think tank called The G Group. The G Group is a company headed by executive producer Brian Gadinsky (American Idol, America's Most Wanted, American Gladiators), and its primary function is to come up with new Reality TV concepts -- and then sell them to networks. As a member of the think tank, I attend weekly meetings where we come up with original reality show ideas, and then develop them. If we manage to sell an idea, everyone in the group gets a cut, as well as a job on the show (if we want it). I'm very excited about this opportunity!

-Pete

The Race featured on Fox Reality Channel's Reality Remix and in IC View

April 16, 2008

It's been nearly a year since I graduated from Ithaca College, and The Race is still getting national press! A few days ago, I was interviewed by the Fox Reality Channel for their show Reality Remix. The Race will be featured on a special upcoming episode, due to air in June. (I will try to post a clip from the show here once it airs.)

The Race was also featured in the latest issue of IC View, Ithaca College's alumni magazine. The article gives a great look at how The Race came about, and how we were able to pull everything off. You can read the article online, or download the scanned version!

-Pete

My new video blog: Pie Heaven

March 15, 2008

Yesterday, I launched a new video blog called Pie Heaven!

One of my favorite hobbies is watching online viral videos, and I've always wished there were a site I could go to that would take the very best of the day's viral videos and put them in one place for me to watch.

That's the idea behind Pie Heaven -- it's a daily-updated website where my friends and I post the best and funniest viral videos that we find online. Granted, there are already several other websites already doing the same thing, but our goal is to post new and undiscovered videos, rather than re-posting ultra-popular videos that everyone has already seen. Hopefully Pie Heaven will grow and become a popular diversion for people all over the Internet.

You can visit the site at: www.pieheaven.net

-Pete

The Race 2 wins two PEGASYS Awards

March 7, 2008

Last week, The Race 2 was awarded two PEGASYS Awards for excellence in public access television. The show won in the category for "Best Documentary," and was also the highest-rated overall program in the competition, thus receiving the award of "Best Educational Access." As one of the four top-rated programs, PEGASYS will be sending The Race 2 to represent Tompkins County in a national access television competition, the Hometown Awards, to be held in July by the Alliance for Community Media.

This is the second year in a row that The Race was honored at the PEGASYS awards (the first season won the same two categories in February 2007). Not only that -- this was the fourth year in a row that one of my productions received an award. Unicorn Boy won "Best Comedy" and "Best Educational Access" in 2006, and The Solarium with Professor Smedley Drake won "Best Educational Access" in 2005.

-Pete

Demo Reel updated

February 26, 2008

I have done a bit of an update to my reel -- most notably increasing the quality of the video significantly, by pulling clips from the original master tapes rather than already compressed clips. Take a look:



I have made DVDs of this as well. If you'd like a copy, please email me at pberg1@gmail.com!

-Pete

New Blog Launched: Bandergrove.com

February 12, 2008

On Sunday, I launched a new blog: Bandergrove.com, which I plan to update on a regular basis. I'll be writing general interest articles about topics I find interesting, and things that I've done.

My first post has already generated thousands of hits, and was featured on LAist.com, the front page of Current.com, and at G4TV.com. My latest article was about Hiking to the Hollywood Sign.

Be sure to check it out!

Also, I recently released another issue of my QuickBasic / Freebasic programming magazine, QB Express, which has a following of several thousand people. Since 2004, I have released twenty-six issues (and counting) of this magazine, and have published hundreds of articles and programming tutorials in QB Express.

-Pete

The Race 2 hits it big on the Internet

October 24, 2007

The Race 2 has generated quite a bit of a stir online, and is currently being viewed by several thousand fans every week at ICTV.org. Not only that, but the show is actively being discussed on dozens of message forums, people are writing play-by-play recaps of episodes to keep the Internet fans up-to-date, and we were even mentioned on MSNBC.com:

[The Race] doesn't circle the globe, but its challenges, drama, cast and editing are reminiscent of the series that inspired it — so much so that you'll quickly forget you're watching something that doesn't have a multi-million dollar budget.

You can find recaps of Race 2 episodes at DingoRue.com and at The Reality Fan Forum. Also, an article on Online Media Cultist predicts that there will be a big online reality tv hit in the next 6 - 9 months, and cites The Race as an example of a stellar web-based show. As the author says, "we're set for a paradigm shift in how 'television' is thought of, funded, covered, and viewed." I couldn't agree more. I am currently planning to shoot a brand new, low-budget, web based reality show in the next few months in Los Angeles -- so maybe that big reality hit will be my next project.

Today, I will be uploading the final Race 2 episode to ICTV.org, so be sure to check it out!

-Pete

The Race Featured on Reality Blurred

August 28, 2007

The Race was featured today on Reality Blurred, the web's most popular reality tv weblog, which is edited by television reporter Andy Dehnart. He gave us a rave review, calling the show "equally amazing" compared to the real Amazing Race, and encouraged his readers to watch it as a substitute to the CBS version, which will not be airing this fall.

This is a big complement, because if anyone is an expert on reality tv, it is Andy Dehnart. I have been a long-time fan of Reality Blurred, and was very honored to have my show featured. Check out the article here!

-Pete

Fuse Magazine's article on The Race!

August 20, 2007

Fuse Magazine recently ran a fantastic article on The Race, the reality show that I produced for Ithaca College Television during my last two semesters. The article is entitled "The Fantasy of Reality TV Comes to Life" and was written by Brian Roth.

Since the airing of season one, The Race has quickly become ICTV’s most popular show, drawing the most viewers of any on-air production.

Click here to read the article in its web-version, or download a scanned version of the print publication.

The Race has won several awards and was featured in many newspapers and local newscasts. Hopefully it will help convince some incoming freshman to go to Ithaca College as well!

-Pete

Check out my "Featured Projects"

August 1, 2007

I added a sidebar to this main page to feature some of my best work in several categories:

  • The Race (documentary / video editing)
  • QB Express (online magazine / writing)
  • Unicorn Boy (animation)
  • ICTV.org (multimedia website)
  • Thunderbird Atlatl (business website)

I also hope to compile two Demo Reels of my best video and my best animation work in the coming weeks, so be sure to check back.

-Pete

Welcome

July 20, 2007

Hello, and welcome to my new portfolio website!

My name is Pete Berg, and I am a 2007 graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in Television and Radio. I will soon be relocating to Los Angeles, and seeking employment in the television, film or multimedia industry. I decided to create this website to show off some of my best work (and also to practice my web programming skills).

I have a very strong background in non-fiction and documentary, as well as animation, web design and writing. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at pberg1@gmail.com. And be sure to keep checking back -- I plan to add new content here on a regular basis, and I'm always busy with one project or another!

-Pete

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