Seeking Family for Honest Look at Unemployment

Our production company is seeking a family to profile on a national news network documentary program in an episode about long-term unemployment. We are looking for a family with at least one parent unemployed or underemployed for an extended period due to layoffs or downsizing. If the family has educated, grown children who are also experiencing the effects of a tough job market, that would allow us to present a fuller perspective of this pressing social issue.

Our program host would be spending a few days, up to a week, with the family, ideally actually staying in the home during filming. This would be the primary story of the episode, with an in-depth exploration of the hardships faced on a daily basis, as well as a look at the community, government, and re-employment resources available, and how the family interacts with and utilizes those services. We don't have a particular outcome or closing message in mind - just an honest look at how families with long-term displaced workers are coping with the situation. The family’s story would be supported with related, peripheral stories to explore the issue on a broader, national scale.

As far as on-screen identification goes, that would be up to the family eventually selected. We could use only first names if desired. To meet our production deadline for an April 2013 broadcast, we need to shoot this story no later than December. We are particularly interested in covering cities that have an unemployment rate higher than the national average.

We wish to provide an accurate representation of the unique challenges the long-term unemployed, especially older displaced workers, face in getting back into the full-time workforce. If you feel like your family has an important story to tell in order to help America understand the plight of the marginalized job seeker, please email me.
craigscott.wp@gmail.com