An Oregon producer, a prominent music promoter and a musician who was part of the British Invasion in the early 1960s will gather in Eugene Friday to film a pilot for a TV show.
The concept for the TV show started with the show’s director, Paul Petock, who lives 55 miles east of Eugene in McKenzie Bridge.
While filming concerts in the 1970s, Petock conceived what he thought was the perfect idea for a TV show. It would showcase new music acts performing live, he said.
But then came along shows like “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent.” He said he never got the idea off the ground because he didn’t have the money or connections.
That’s where Pete Bennett came in. The music promoter helped shape the music industry in the 1960s and 70s and helped sell the records of the Rolling Stones, Elvis, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, among others.
Petock said Bennett’s connections will help sell “The Pete Bennett Show” to a network and will add to the flavor of the show. They met when Petock searched for his own name on the Internet out of curiosity about a year ago. He came across a friend’s Web site that featured him and Pete.
“I started reading up on Pete and getting familiar with his bio. I was familiar with his name somewhat being in the business,” Petock recalled. “And I said, ‘It seems like the time and place to put this together.’”
“He’s the perfect guy because he’s ‘Mr. Showbusiness.’ He’s the most connected person in the industry. A lot of his stuff
is in the past, but the people he’s worked with are in key
positions in the film and record industry.”
Petock contacted Bennett with the idea, and since then, they’ve been planning the show.
They searched Portland for music talent and heard hundreds of auditions, Petock said. The Sugar Beets of Eugene came out on top, impressing Petock and Bennett. The shooting location was later moved from Portland to Eugene in part because of the band’s location, but also because of the look of the McDonald Theatre.
Petock wanted to re-create the atmosphere at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, where Terry Sylvester – also playing Friday – stood on stage. Sylvester was a member of The Hollies.
Bennett, who lives in Connecticut and will be visiting Eugene for the first time this week, believes his past will help set the show apart from other music talent shows.
“I brought the music to the world,” Bennett said. “If it weren’t for me, any human being around the world wouldn’t know the Rolling Stones or their songs without me.”
The original show concept has been altered because Petock said cable TV is saturated with music talent shows like “America’s Got Talent.”
“The Pete Bennett Show” will showcase live music from a “new talent” – the first will be The Sugar Beets – and feature Bennett talking about his past experiences with celebrities and possibly interviewing them.
“You can fill a show alone with some of the interesting stories he has,” Petock said.
The goal of the show is to entertain, Petock said, but he hopes viewers also become educated on music history. Petock, who has helped create films on political topics such as Mexican-American labor leader Cesar Chavez, believes the show will appeal to a wide audience.
The upcoming segment will also showcase Portland and Eugene. Petock was filming campus, the view from Spencer’s Butte and Saturday Market last week. Earlier, he filmed pans of the Portland skyline over the Willamette River.
After filming the show in Eugene on Friday, the crew will film its next segment in Branson, Mo. Creators hope the episodes are shot and sold to a major network by winter.
Bennett said he’s confident a major network will pick up the show and said most “wanted to wait and see.”
“I would say we have a good shot at ABC,” Bennett said. He added that VH1, MTV and E! Entertainment are
all possibilities.
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