By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
Love-seekers take note – Carrboro is in the running to become the setting for a new reality dating show, and castings around town this week could provide singles with a shot at love – and an opportunity to get on the small screen.
The show, Lovetown USA, produced by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and the BBC, seeks to guide singles on the quest for love over a 30-day period, while examining the effects it can have on an American community. Producers are looking for a storybook, picturesque town with a population of about 15,000 and a strong sense of community to serve as the setting for the show, and Carrboro is among the finalists under consideration.
Filming kicked off Tuesday at Glasshalfull and Open Eye Cafe, in the midst of Election Day, and continued Wednesday at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market and Southern Rail.
Richard Jaimeyfield, owner of Dogwood Productions, a local production company, said producers contacted him and asked him to produce a film about Carrboro including applicants to the show. Jaimeyfield said he jumped at the opportunity, though he doesn’t consider himself to be “pro-reality TV†in general.
“If we get Oprah here to do something like this, it shows what a great town Carrboro is,†Jaimeyfield said, noting how the show could expand opportunities for artistic growth in the community.
Jaimeyfield said he hopes to illustrate in the demo Carrboro’s unique character; he plans to ask Billy Sugarfix to perform his famous “It’s Carrboro†song for the film.
“We have to show who we are,†he said. “I want to show the beautiful freak flags that we have here.â€
Sara Campbell, a graduate student at UNC, said she applied to be on the show in order to explore a more creative way to find love.
“[In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area,] I feel like we’re all kind of in our own little social circles,†she said, adding that she feels like it’s difficult for her to meet people outside of the med-school clique.
“I think it might be interesting to get an outsider’s perspective,†she said.
Campbell said she believes Carrboro would be a great place to film the show.
“I think that small towns kind of get stereotyped as kind of bumbling, and we’re not that way,†she said.
Casting calls will continue Friday at Jessee’s Coffee & Bar and The ArtsCenter, and Jaimeyfield said he plans to send the film to producers on Monday.
This would be a wonderful thing for Carrboro and to confirm how cool this place is the resident canines must be protected from being chained-up 24/7, like the other towns in Orange County.