MICHAEL HOFF'S 'OOOH-WHEE' TV
Bay Area-based producer specializes in 'don't touch that dial' programming
Contra Costa Times
February 23, 2004

Take a quick stroll -- if you dare -- through the Emeryville headquarters of Hoff Productions and you just might come to believe you've stumbled upon a strange little enclave that the authorities should know about.

Call it the Land of the Bizarre.

The archival film vaults are teeming with footage of cannibals and grisly murders and killer bees and shark-feeding frenzies. In the conference room, the memo board contains conceptual ideas along the lines of "robots getting bitten by crocodiles or hyenas." And if you happened to eavesdrop on a phone conversation in Hoff's office, you might hear the producer trying to pitch a cable special called "Set Yourself on Fire."

Just what the heck is going on around here?

"Sex, death and weirdness are the critical elements of any good television show," Hoff explains with a sly smile. "If you've got all three, man, you've got a hit."

He should know. The 47-year-old Berkeley resident towers over his competition not only because he stands 6-foot-7, but because he heads one of the largest production companies in Northern California and is among the country's leading providers of non-fiction television programming. Clients include Discovery Channel, CourtTV, Travel Channel, HGTV, National Geographic, TBS and Animal Planet.

If you've spent any measurable amount of time channel-surfing through the vast ocean that is basic cable, chances are you've seen something with Hoff's stamp on it. His prolific company produces programs that deal with a wide array of subjects, including, among others, the paranormal (Real Ghostbusters), death rituals (Extreme Funerals), scary animals (Top 10 Creepy Creatures, When Snakes Bite), freaky happenings (Hit by Lightning) and true crime (Deadly Duels). It also is responsible for one of CourtTV's most popular weekly series, the interactive sleuth show, I, Detective.

Welcome to reality TV, Michael Hoff style -- sometimes a little out there, but never ever boring.

"Yes, Michael does have a knack for edgy and bizarre, and to many of us it is the strangest thing because he's such a normal, mild-mannered person," says Chris Leavell, a producer on Are We Cannibals?, an upcoming Hoff special for the National Geographic Channel that examines the circumstances that drove people and cultures to cannibalism. "But he has an unquenchable fascination for the world and humankind. I think viewers share his fascination, but perhaps on a more sub-conscious level. When you come across these shows, it's hard to turn them off."

Hoff's don't-touch-that-dial appeal has enabled him to not only stay alive, but thrive in a dog-eat-dog (cannibal-eat-cannibal?) world. As cable TV continues its incredible growth spurt, niche channels are ceaselessly hungry for new product and he gives 'em what they want.

"When we go out and do a documentary--whether it's on crocodiles or whatever, we're looking for good stories--compelling conflict, resolution and all that stuff. That's what makes good TV," he says. "In some cases our titles may be a bit sensational, as with Cannibals, but that's just a way of getting people in the door. What I hope they take away is some information that is useful and affirmative."

Hoff honed his Barnum-like skills for pleasing audiences during the 1980s at KPIX as a producer on Mac and Mutley and the original Evening Magazine. For the latter, he and his staff typically booked 20-plus highly promotable feature stories a week and always were on the lookout for those lead-piece "grabbers." Over time, he developed a good sense for the kind of programming that best seduced the viewers.

After leaving KPIX in 1990, Hoff worked as a freelancer, producing documentaries out of his Berkeley home and occasionally living on the brink of financial calamity.

"There was no staff to speak of back then," he recalls. "If I sold a project, I'd have to staff up and go out and make it. But while you're out making stuff, you're not selling stuff. I used to watch the bank account get smaller and smaller and really freak out."

But in 1997, things began to pick up with two advice shows: Fix-It Line on Discovery and PetLine on Animal Planet featured viewers' videos of their home-repair or pet problems. Those programs boosted Hoff's operation from "feast-or-famine" mode to a profitable venture that allowed him to hire his first full-time employee.

Now his team consists of 30-plus employees who work out of a new 6,500 square-foot office teeming with state-of-the-art production equipment. This year, projected revenues hover in the $5 to $10 million range.

"We're very fortunate," Hoff says. "When you look at the way we've grown, it looks downright easy, but the amount of risk is extraordinary. Like a baseball player, you have to believe you're going to get some hits here and there. But on the other hand, every time you get up to bat, you can strike out. You just don't know in this business."

And so Hoff and his cohorts keep taking their whacks. They come up with the 60-some show ideas a year, hoping they have what it takes to entice TV programmers. And though he still enjoys "noodling in the production process," Hoff often finds himself in the role of salesman, jetting all over the country and overseas to pitch his company's wares.

"There's a lot of pressure (in selling) because it's like job hunting and you're representing the hopes of 30-something people back home," he says. "So you never want (TV execs) to see you sweat. You want them to feel that it would be nice if they'd work with you, but that you couldn't really care less. It's like: 'Just get in line, buddy!'"

Having a production company based in the Bay Area can have its pitfalls, including, among other things, high travel costs. Most television programmers, of course, are located in Los Angeles or back east. On the other hand, the weather is relatively good all year and there are plenty of different environs in which to shoot.

"Being here kind of gives us a little different spin," Hoff says. "If you're a company in L.A., well, you're kind of a dime-a-dozen. But if you can make it here, it essentially says you're unique and special."

And shamelessly bizarre.