SHEAR SELLOUT

March 19, 2006 - New York Post

Reality TV has been hijacked again, this time by a savvy hairdresser who has transformed the narcissistic genre into a giant money-making ad.

Jonathan Antin, a celebrity hairdresser, has used his Bravo show, "Blow Out," to create, launch and promote a new hair care line.

It's certainly not the first time reality TV appeared as a transparent shill for its cash-paying corporate sponsors. "American Idol" and "The Apprentice" have raised that to an art form - and a cash-spouting art form, at that.

Brand incubators Tina Hedges and Beth Ann Catalano, who helped develop the show and Antin's Jonathan product line, admit they intended to push the reality TV envelope.

"Everyone is trying to navigate branded entertainment, but no [ad] agency has been able to offer what we've done for Jonathan," said Hedges. "It's a groundbreaking marketing and retail strategy." That's for sure.

"Blow Out" makes the product-placement form of TV advertising so last season.

"This is a new way [to sell a product]," Catalano adds. "It's no longer about product placement. Viewers are more savvy than that. It's really a story about Jonathan's life."

"There's a compelling quality about offering a product wrapped within an emotional story," Hedges added. "['Blow Out'] is about how a small, entrepreneurial guy learned to fulfill his dream by creating a successful start-up line - with all the emotional highs and lows that come with it."