The New America Dream
Role:
Creator
Producer

Series Treatment
written by Julie Livingston

We need to take the lead in redesigning and reinventing what living like us (Americans)
means – what constitutes the “American Way” in energy and resource consumption terms.
– Thomas Friedman

It’s Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs meets This American Life meets Bill Nye the Science Guy.  It’s
kind of a make over show, but it doesn’t redecorate living rooms or shed unwanted pounds.
The New American Dream is about transforming the work we do and how we do it. It’s about
big ideas, small steps and the way they work together to create a new reality.

The New American Dream is a celebration of work and the rewards it brings in a broad
sense. It’s not just about making money – although we don’t want to ignore that part
(it’s important to be clear: these people are trying to make a living, not start a charity
or pursue a hobby) – it’s about the drive to innovate, the increasing desire to integrate
our values into our jobs (from blue to white to green) and the satisfaction of doing work
that sustains more than just a mortgage and a bank account.

The New American Dream is about the evolution of the American Dream and a new, emerging
breed of entrepreneurs – men and women on the front lines of change. The people showcased
in each episode are dreamers, but they are also doers. They have a vision for the future
(for themselves, their communities and the planet), but they are not sitting around
waiting for someday. They are not waiting for someone to give them permission or offer a
leg up. They are translating dreams into actions right now – taking the risks and hoping
to reap the rewards.

The structure of The New American Dream is simple. Fast paced 3 to 5 minute episodes rely primarily on engaging personalities and good old fashioned story telling. Authentic and uncluttered, The New American Dream is a conversation, not a “how to” or a “prescriptive.”
In each episode, the host accompanies viewers on a journey of discovery that explores the life, mind and business of one next generation entrepreneur and the way he or she has transformed his or her life and some aspect of the current marketplace as a result of
thinking – and acting -- different.

The New American Dream will:
*Explore the evolving definition(s) of what it means to “make it” in America
*Inspire people to care about the green movement and sustainable living
*Illustrate that there is a middle ground somewhere between doing nothing and making a 180 degree shift in their lives
*Educate people about sustainable business practices
*Inspire people to pursue their own dreams – whatever they are

Elements
*Interviews with Innovators
*Firsthand look into their creative process, the twists and turns along the path from
inception to realization and the impact their product or service has made on the
environment and the economy.
*Stand ups with the host – set context, fill in back story, ask the right questions and interpret information to make it relevant to viewers who don’t yet know they care.
*B-roll of interviewees in action doing whatever it is they do.
*B-roll of relevant information (ie. show the way something used to be done, the condition
a place was in before our innovator arrived, etc.)
*Graphic Bumpers