Fantomworks cancelled

Discussion in 'The Bench' started by CJay, Jan 17, 2019.

  1. 1972Mach1

    1972Mach1 Just some M.M.O.G. guy.....

    One of my favorites.
     
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  2. Luxus

    Luxus Gold Level Contributor

    I for one was a fan of the show and I'll be sorry to see it go. Though I completely understand if it was a pain to do it, why he quit. It was one of the better ones IMHO. Way better than something like Counting Cars/Garage Monkey - here's the car we are doing, 20 minutes of employee shennanigans and now its done.
     
  3. 69GS400s

    69GS400s ...my own amusement ride!

    I'd like to hear more about this - does he mean the TV production or the restoration production ?

    If its the TV production, he's not too smart and should have pulled the plug sooner .. or had a better $$ arrangement with network/production Co.

    .. and if its the restoration side, well .. we've all seen that show here in living color before

    Personally, it was one of the car shows that didn't annoy me as much as some of the others. I hate the side drama roles they try to get the workers to "act". I do remember several times cringing at the fact that he left some detail that was blatantly visible unattended to .. though specifics escape me now

    Being in the business of TV commercial advertising .. its the show's ratings (how many eyeballs .. and those eyeballs' age/sex/demographics..) that drive whether it is successful, and whether or not advertisers want to buy commercial time during a show. Ever watch a cable show and ALL of the commercial spots are only for the network's other shows .. with no "Paid for" commercials played ? It wont be on long ..

    which gets back to the $$ .. and 1 mil in the hole. Maybe his arrangement with the network/prod. Co. was on a sliding scale based on ratings, and the show always missed the mark.

    .. The show's exposure certainly had to drive restoration business to him though. I wonder if he's monitizing that into his math or keeping revenue streams in separate pockets

    Will I miss it ? a bit, but not hugely .. it was one of the ones I would pause to watch for a bit (if not the whole episode) while channel surfing. I do wish him a bright future though because I did like his personality as opposed to some of the self-pumped-up arses.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2019
  4. jay3000

    jay3000 RIP 1-16-21

    I walk on the treadmill in the morning. If they lay on the hood and masturbate, I'm ok with that.
     
  5. Luxus

    Luxus Gold Level Contributor

    You would be looking for the Penthouse channel sir.
     
    Topcat likes this.
  6. 71stagegs

    71stagegs bpg member #1417

    pass time yea that's the ticket!
     
    sriley531 likes this.
  7. TexasT

    TexasT Texas, where are you from

    I've never even heard of most of these shows. Who has the time to sit and watch them? I hit the YouTube and watch some how to things. I like mustie1 as he does a bunch of welding and metal/rust repair/replacement. And some small engine stuff. Thirty/forty minutes and I'm ready to head to the garage and do something.
     
    TimR and GSX 554 like this.
  8. Mike B in SC

    Mike B in SC Well-Known Member

    Iron Resurrection is my favorite car show. I hope it hangs around a while.
     
    1973gs likes this.
  9. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    They ALL suck
     
    GranSportSedan likes this.
  10. gstewart

    gstewart Well-Known Member

    Right on Jason. I loved that show!!
     
  11. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    I liked the show, but if he's restoring 65 to 98 cars at about $100 per hour, I wouldn't worry about Dan's financial situation.
     
  12. richopp

    richopp Well-Known Member

    No, they don't.

    Some are better than others. Some that are in constant rerun are fine--watching Foose work is both entertaining and a learning experience. Maybe you imagine, design, draw, cut, weld, smooth, sand, custom paint, and so forth in your shop/garage so it is nothing to you. Foose is a pretty talented guy. Show was cancelled, according to him, because sponsors had no idea cars cost 6-figures+ to restore. Imagine that!

    The show from Canada was interesting even if you were not in love with the business people who were in it. They run a BUSINESS, not a TV show, but were asked to do one and they did for a while. Same with the auction show where they drove the cars and then talked to the owners about them right before they were auctioned. Again, you may not love the people on camera, but the content was interesting and timely if you are interested in that part of the hobby.

    Watching the Barrett-Jackson or Mecum may not interest you personally; it does me and probably some others who enjoy watching people with untold millions snag up our cars and other great rides while marvelling at their good fortune(s).

    These shows are managed by people who believe they have the formula for TV shows that are interesting to the demographic their advertisers tell them to target. Mostly, they are not interested in people out of the 18-39 age group, which is probably a mistake since people that age typically don't buy million-dollar car restorations, but one that stats will eventually expose through ratings reports.

    Finally, evidently simply doing the work and explaining it is something that these network executives and decision-makers believe does not sell, so they interject both manufactured "drama" and some "personalities" to the mix. Clearly, there is information that shows this works or they would do something else. So, while I do find most of these created situations both boring and juvenile, I am not in the target audience, so I accept the stupidity sometimes displayed as part of the price of admission just like with any entertainment product.

    This is an opportunity to grow the hobby through exposure and to show how talented many craftspeople are around the world when it comes to cars.

    I say it is a win regardless of a few less-than-well-done efforts; the hobby needs it and the advertisers that bring us all the stuff we buy need the exposure. Perfect seldom happens in life based on my time around so far. I say give it a chance and see what happens; may get better, may get worse, but either way, the hobby is exposed to lots of potential participants.

    Cheers,

    Richard
     
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  13. GSX 554

    GSX 554 Gold Level Contributor

    OK Richard . I stand corrected . Only 95 % of those shows suck . And as far as Barrett Jackson and Mecum auctions They have done nothing for the Hobby except to put most of these cars out of reach to the regular Joe out there . That does not help the hobby for someone with some money to buy a car and stick it away hoping he will make more money when he goes to sell it at the next auction. Having a $1,000,000 Hemi in the garage does nothing except give bragging rights to the owner . What a waste to have a car that is never driven and enjoyed .

    But then we all have opinions .
     
  14. BYoung

    BYoung Stage me

    I enjoy Bitchin’ Rides. Dave Kindig is an artist. And Iron Resurrection is a good watch.
     
  15. Joe65SkylarkGS

    Joe65SkylarkGS 462 ina 65 Lark / GN

    Top bad bout fsnton works

    Bruce Dern was great on the sat night drive in they used to run. I'm totally with ya.
     
  16. Joe B

    Joe B Well-Known Member

    I’m not going to miss Fantom Works at all. I get tired of all of the drama, the mechanic of the season who seems to be the only mechanic in the shop (where did Bobby come from and where did he go?), Dan’s continuous cussing just because he can, the very high prices with books of invoices, the 3-2-1 brake tests, his pomposity, his ridiculous parts shopping for exorbitant prices (remember the $2000 N-25 bumper?), his deciding that a client does not deserve his car, need I go on? He’s been around far too long for my money.

    Iron Ressurection is a little too high school at times. I personally do not get the cars guys wearing their hats with their ears tucked into them. The best of all of the shows is Bitchin’ Rides. They turn out quality vehicles and seem to have the best group of workers around, although I still haven’t figured out Kev Dog’s function, other than comic relief (see ears tucked in hats, above).
     
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  17. richopp

    richopp Well-Known Member

    Yes, people with tons of $$ seem to want to start their own museums; rare cars that are preserved so people can "see" them (The Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, right?) are interesting to see but should probably be driven some. That is its own conundrum, I believe, and since I have been through that already, as have many on the board, I am now devoted to driving my car every day if I need to go out (not to pick up pool chemicals or big loads from Home Depot, however--no room!). I can see both ways of looking at it.

    Since I bought my 4 Buicks new in the day by going to the dealer and ordering them and then, as they were my only cars, driving them every day, I was surprised how crazy I became after keeping and refreshing the '72 (http://www.stage1registry.com/BuickGS/richogs.jpg) regarding driving it anywhere but the VP station and shows. When divorce forced me to finally sell it, I felt bad for a while but then realized that seeing that covered bulk in the garage all those years was affording me little fun but lots of admiration 3 times a year at big shows.

    Being an old you-know-what now, I see that as a part of my life that is now over but was enjoyable at the time. Since I don't have a billion to invest in perfect cars or even in resto-mods or whatever they build on these shows, I enjoy watching people who do get what they want. As for "museum" cars that sit in people's garages, I suppose they are a bit of a waste. I would like to see them on the road, but since it isn't my $$, I don't get a say. I just drive my own around and let people see what real designers can do when a jellybean is not the design point for a new vehicle.

    I also play with trains, which have gone from being toys to being nuts--engines run over $2000.00 today, and buyers COUNT THE RIVETS on the boilers of these models to see if they are the correct number--thay have become crazier than car people! That hobby is priced in a way today that only lets people with lots of disposable income play and they wonder why young people are not interested any more! How often do any of you ride a train today, or go down and watch the trains go by? Mostly, we curse at them because we have to wait at the crossing for them to pass.

    Muscle cars like ours no longer appeal as much to young people as they did not pine for them when they were teens like we did, or drive them when we could buy our own cars back then. Some young people appreciate our cars, and clearly from watching the last two auctions, there are many people with tons of $$ who can still buy them. However, if you look at the buyers, they are mostly gray-haired. Sure, sports stars and other new-age billionaires are buying, but they are limited by interest or funds. My point remains that we need to excite more young people to the hobby to keep it going so that our cars do NOT become only museum pieces. This network, whether by accident or not, helps. We can only hope it improves over time.

    Cheers,

    Richard
     
  18. John Codman

    John Codman Platinum Level Contributor

    All "reality" shows add drama. "Engineering Catastrophes" took about 20 minutes to tell us that the reason that a rail line betwen France and Spain didn't work is that France uses the standard 4' 8 1/2" gauge that is predominant around the world. Spain uses 5' 5". All trains had to be unloaded and reloaded at the border. Duh!
     
  19. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    Exactly right John. I doubt Fantomworks is really like how its portrayed. How about a real reality show? Its about a guy that works all day, comes home, pays a bunch of bills then falls asleep in front of the TV. Only for it to start all over again. Only problem is no one would tune in
     
    Paul Stewart likes this.
  20. bignastyGS

    bignastyGS Maggot pilot

    I'd rather watch Hockey anyways...
     
    Mike Jones likes this.

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