14A BUSINESS OBSERVER | MARCH 21 MARCH 27, 2014BusinessObserverFL.com

Im going to throw naked peo-ple out there, says Chuck Ardez-zone, who will film their survival tactics in the swamp and shop it to the television networks.

Welcome to the world of real-ity television, where filmmakers like Ardezzone find intriguing characters, film them and gam-ble that the television networks will turn them into a money-making hit.

While Naked in the Glades is a work in progress, another real-ity show produced by his com-pany, Naples-based ITZ Media Group (the initials stand for In Trouble Zone), will air later this year on Country Music Televi-sion. In five one-hour episodes, Tobacco Wars will follow two fifth-generation tobacco men who toil in remote Kentucky.

If Tobacco Wars or any of 20 reality shows Ardezzone has already created hit it big, the payoff could be huge. Consider that Duck Dynasty, the show featuring a Louisiana swamp family that makes duck calls, has generated $400 million in

merchandise sales alone. The entrepreneur who found them sold his production company for $40 million.

Ardezzone, an actor with ap-pearances in numerous films and TV shows, also has pro-duced a movie called Hybrids, a comedy starring Paul Sorvino. If it does $5 million we do well, he says.

But all this production costs money. Ardezzone estimates hes spent $1 million on reality television shows and film pro-duction over the last 18 months. Were creative and we want to do things that are fun, Ardez-zone says.

To fund the reality television and film production, Ardezzone built a successful business in Naples shooting television com-mercials for clients ranging from auto dealers to restaurants and real estate firms. The commer-cials have been our bread and butter, says Ardezzone.

But Ardezzone and business partner Frank Monti say theyre looking for investors to share in the expenses and potential pay-outs of a big hit. With Tobacco Wars and three pilots sold to telev ision networks, Ardez-zone is hoping that will attract the $1.1 million he estimates he

needs to create another 20 real-ity television shows.

REALITY HITSBorn and raised on Long Is-

land, Ardezzone has appeared in numerous films and televi-sion shows in supporting roles. Those ranged from a fight scene with actor Ryan Gosling in The Believer to appearances on TV shows Law & Order, Third Watch and Hope & Faith.

Ardezzone, who carries an iPhone case in the shape of a knuckleduster, has played tough guys like cops, thugs and con-struction workers. Im not your leading man, he laughs.

In 2001, Ardezzone visited his parents at the Pelican Bay de-velopment in Naples and met a woman who would become his wife, Heather. He moved to Na-ples in 2004 and started a small production company. I was a broke actor, he says.

Ardezzone had starred in a reality show that year called Average Joe, in which a dozen ordinary men try to win over a supermodel. Although he didnt win, he says the six weeks he spent shooting the show in Los Angeles taught him what hap-pens behind the scenes. Im going to do a reality show, he

decided.But to fund the shows, Ardez-

zone had to make money shoot-ing commercials. One of his first clients in Southwest Florida was auto dealer John Marazzi, who at the time was running Fort Myers Toyota. I had this crazy idea that we wanted to break the world record on pre-owned sales for one month, Marazzi says.

Toget her, A rdez zone a nd Marazzi created a reality show where they filmed the sales at Fort Myers Toyota and bought television time on the local NBC affiliate to air it. The show was a success as people lined up to buy cars and be featured on the show. Marazzi sold a record 719 used cars in one month, beating the world record that he says was 600.

Marazzi says Ardezzone has the twin skills of creativity and business acumen. Normally creative people are so out there that the ideas dont work and theyre not applicable to busi-ness, Marazzi says. He has that innate ability to come up with creative ideas that make good business sense.

When Marazzi became a part-ner in the Nissan dealership in Naples, he invited Ardezzone to build out a production studio

ENTREPRENEURS BY JEAN GRUSS | EDITOR/LEE-COLLIER

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYCompany. ITZ Media Group Industry. Television and film production Key. Financing television shows and films can be costly, but the payo can be big.

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Reality television shows are hot, and Chuck Ardezzone hopes his pilots will hit it big. The payo could be huge.

PHOTOS BY VANESSA ROGERSCHUCK ARDEZZONE, the CEO of ITZ Media Group, recently moved into a new production facility in Naples.

Naked in the Glades promises to be ex-actly what it sounds like.

15AMARCH 21 MARCH 27, 2014 | BUSINESS OBSERVER BusinessObserverFL.com

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in empty space in the dealerships second floor. I got free space, and he wins because hes got us 24/7, Ardezzone says.

Normally an automotive deal-ership would do one spot and run it for 90 days, Marazzi says. We had three or four spots running every week. What it allowed us to do is move at the speed of light. The result was the Nissan dealer-ship broke sales records, as a new commercial would hit the airwaves every three days. My Nissan store ended up outselling the Fort Myers store, Marazzi says.

REALITY SHOWSWith a full production studio es-

tablished in Marazzis dealership, Ardezzones commercial client list grew. ITZ shot more 100 television commercials for the Seminole ca-sino in Immokalee, Shulas Steak House and the Diamond District jewelry store.

But Ardezzones passion re-mained in reality TV shows and films. He started producing sizzle reels, which in television lingo is a five-minute film that reveals what the show is about.

With 20 sizzle reels, he and busi-ness partner Frank Monti shopped the shows to the various networks and cable television companies. If a sizzle reel captures the fancy of a network, it may agree to buy a single episode called a pilot to test with its audience.

So far, ITZ has sold three pilots to Discovery, A&E and TBS (you

can view them online at in-troublezone.com.), includ-ing a reality show called V8 Muscle Bikes that pits two competing garages installing car engines on motorcycles.

If a pilot is successful, a net-work will buy a season, which usually consists of eight half-hour episodes. For example, CMT bought a season of To-bacco Wars, which will air as five one-hour episodes later this year.

Ardezzones success so far has garnered him favorable press in the trade journals such as Holly wood Re-porter and Variety maga-zine. Now, every network is taking my calls, he says, noting that being in Naples is an advantage because peo-ple remember that hes not in New York or Los Angeles. Were the guys in Florida, he says. In L.A., theyre a dime a dozen.

Networks are particularly keen to feature family-owned businesses, where tension and conflict often erupt. Theyre not crazy about hillbillies anymore, he says.

ITZ recently held a party for in-vestors at its new production stu-dio in an industrial area of Naples near the airport. To do 20 more we need more money, Ardezzone says. It can cost $50,000 for a sizzle reel and as much as $500,000 for a half-hour episode of a pilot.

Ardezzone says one hit could eas-

ily pay for 10 episodes that dont make the cut. In a first season, you can double your money. Subse-quent seasons and merchandise sales could be a windfall for every-one, including the talent that nego-tiates a percentage of sales, he says.

Movies are riskier because of the higher expense, but the pay-off could be even bigger. The film Hybrids is due out later this year, but it could be a $5 million payoff,

he says.Investors could buy into one

reality show or 10. Im open to both right now, Ardezzone says. Typically, investors get their money back and split any profits.

Despite the long hours of shoot-ing and editing, you can sense the excitement at the ITZ studios that something big is going to happen. I like to have fun at work, Ardez-zone smiles.

Inside ITZ Media Group studio in Naples.