Watching episodes of “LA Ink,” Paul Collurafici thought “why can’t we do that?”
“We did 12,000 tattoos last year,” says the owner of the North Side tattoo and piercing shop The Tattoo Factory. “They’ve got a great program, but where are the tattoos? It’s all about who’s fighting with the counter girl, who’s sleeping with who.
“I want to do a TV show where people get to see the tattoos,” says Collurafici, executive producer of “Tattoo Factory,” a reality show set at his tattoo and piercing shop of the same name.
He’s got six half hour episodes in the can, and he’s purchased the air time to start running them weekly on Ch. 50 beginning in late March or early April.
Collurafici has been running half-hour infomercials since the 1990s and he recently produced the variety show “Tattoo Factory TV.” He says he had false starts with three different producers for the reality show.
“Every one of their answers was ?yes,’ Collurafici says. “?Yes, we can get you on the air. Yes, we can make you famous.’ Kevin was the first guy that told me ?no, you can’t do it for that budget. I got a really good lesson in what it would take to do a TV show.”
That was before a friend referred him to producer Kevin Worthy of Hitsquad Productions.
A native Texan, Worthy has worked with ESPN, HGTV and Big Shoulders Productions. He started the company to produce humanitarian documentary, and expanded to commercial productions to maintain a steadier income.
In its 18 months in business, Hitsquad also has produced an advocacy video for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fundm a video press kit for hip hop cover band Too White Crew, a music video with bank Veiside and a series of five minute documentaries for the Autism Society.
“Right now we are using the people that are getting the tattoos as the driving force behind the show,” Worthy says, “but the hope is to focus more on the tattoo artists and the Tattoo Factory” in future episodes.
They’re looking for sponsors to recoup costs on the first block of shows, and they plan to shop the series for pickup by local or national broadcasters.
Two-time Chicago Emmy winner Beverly Price (“India of K-Town”) is consulting producer for the series. Scott Thiele is DP, gaffer is Ron Leahy (“ER”). Reach Worthy at 630/749-8311 see hitsquadproduction.com. To be considered as a subject for future shows, Email kworthy@hitsquadproduction.com with “tattoo show” in the subject line. The Tattoo Factory is at 4441 N. Broadway. See
