Miami-based Reality Show Mixes Glamour, Job Advice From Top Recruiters
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – "Top Recruiter: The Competition", a reality show based in Miami, has its finger on the pulse of Miami's struggles: joblessness.
With unemployment in the Magic City near late 2008 levels (about 9.5%), Executive Producer Chris LaVoie saw an opportunity to work a little magic himself in 2011.
He created LaVoie Entertainment and "Top Recruiter" was born. The series' goal: providing unemployed and underemployed Americans insight into how they can lift themselves out of the downward spiral.
It's not like this is new to him: as a power player in the human resources and recruitment industry, LaVoie has been helping Americans find jobs for 15 years.
In crafting season one, the "Top Recruiter" chief had to do some recruiting of his own. He assembled a team of five executive recruiters, the type of power players that recruit job candidates vying to be Burger King's next global head of marketing.
"These top recruiters were selected to educate us through various entertaining challenges," said LaVoie. "They are here to shed light on what is within our power: to get the job you want and to move up the ladder within your career."
The ten-episode Web show takes place in Miami, one of the most luxurious cities in America. At odds with that honor: the city is also one of those hardest hit by the recession.
Will Smith would be disappointed to find that not too many drive hundred-thousand-dollar cars and keeping up with the Joneses has never been harder. Perhaps "Top Recruiter" will redeem Smith's pride in Miami.
LaVoie plans to shop the show to the major networks – not an easy task in today's age of tablets, DVRs and a bazillion TV channels.
Thanks to the series' unique recipe, he might pull it off.
Miami luxury and beautiful women get viewers watching, while fun challenges and job advice from the recruiting world's brain trust keeps them coming back.
Watch "Top Recruiter: The Competition" on the show's website, TopRecruiter.tv. At the end of each episode, you can vote for your Top Recruiter. Voting is open until Dec. 31st, 2012.
LaVoie intends to move forward with season two in July 2013.
