Perhaps it’s fitting that just as hi-def television network MOJO HD debuts their “MOJO Money Night”, a collection of three half-hour documentaries; Wall Street Warriors, Bobby G and Start-Up Junkies, which will be the first prime time slot dedicated to the finance industry when they debut this Thursday, January 24th, worldwide financial markets are crashing, providing the latest example of the infamous magazine cover contrary indicator. TV shows aren’t exactly magazine covers, but the point is that when the press gets to a story, it’s usually time to sell.
The good news for viewers is that these three shows aren’t meant to be bought or sold, they are meant to be enjoyed. And that they will be. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some advance screeners of each show’s first few episodes and I have to say; you won’t find a more realistic portrait of the finance industry unless you’re already in it! Best of all, none of the shows ever sink down to the dumbed down levels that most “documentaries” are guilty of.
Wall Street Warriors: The show that examines the lives of six Wall Streeters returns for a second season, introducing all new characters (sadly for me). The diversity—the show follows a wannabe day trader, a private equity fund manager, a floor trader and two brokers—makes this an exceptionally well rounded introduction to the jobs in the finance industry. This year, the graphics and editing are better and show producers Scott Gill and Sean Skelton have learned to make subtle points about the industry in nearly every scene. And, similar to the first season, no character’s personality is sugarcoated, so it’s rather obvious that some are going to fail—especially when the two brokers say they their futures are dependent on one stock. Since we’re given the stock price at which these guys bought, I couldn’t help but pull up its latest stock quote. Ouch, it’s like watching a car wreck, difficult to turn away.
Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist: New this year, this show follows around a big time fund manager who buys into distressed companies with the goal of turning them around. Viewers might recognize one of his latest buys—the beverage maker Clearly Canadian. It should be very interesting to see how the story unfolds as the star of the show, Bobby Genovese of BG Capital, seems like a pretty cool guy, endlessly cracking jokes and really seeming to enjoy his success. If I had to guess, I’d say he manages a few hundred million, so he’s definitely big time. Like a hip Donald Trump, this guy is definitely the boss, so as nice as he seems when he’s making money, I’m sure he won’t be so cool if and when he loses. Unlike Wall Street Warriors, Bobby G’s investments are private, so we’ll just have to wait and see if he can continue to be successful in turning these companies around.
Start-Up Junkies: Surprisingly, my favorite of these three shows (sorry WSW!), viewers are introduced to Ron Weiner, a self-confessed serial entrepreneur, who’s trying to grow his latest project, Earth Class Mail—a company that scans the mail of customers and delivers it to them via email so they can check it from anywhere. The show really benefits from how cool an idea this is because everyone involved really seems to believe in the company, so we might be witnessing the birth of a billion dollar company. The company finds immediate success in hiring top talent and raising capital and the characters here are much more open about their roles, aspirations and lifestyles and it helps that CEO Ron is a truly likable guy. Also, show producers ingeniously have little pop up bubbles with definitions of industry lingo, making it the most understandable of all shows. I don’t know if Earth Class Mail will take off or even if the show will focus solely on this company, but from what I’ve seen in the first episode, I feel confident in predicting this show to be a big, big hit with audiences everywhere.