Brand new topical social experiment format to launch at MIPTV

Independent international distribution company Lineup Industries is boosting its slate of compelling, powerful social experiment formats bringing a competitive, probing new show to MIPTV that compares the skills of a native and a comparable overseas workforce pitted against each other in a battle of pertinent tasks.

Airing in Denmark on TV 2 and provoking wide debate and high viewing figures, the original format Denmark vs Eastern Europe was produced by STV Production with support from the National Danish Film Institute. Lineup Industries has global rights to the format (excl. Nordics) which will launch at MIPTV 2017.

Who is better – home-grown or foreign labour? And who would you choose for your next building project? In this brand new social experiment, a local native and a foreign firm are pitched against each other to perform the exact same tasks for a real customer. 

The workers know that they are in a social experiment. What they don’t know is that another team is also doing the same task…and that it is native and foreign workers who are being compared.

When the teams have completed their building task, two construction experts perform a “blind” assessment of the work and give it a grade. The show also compares the teams on: efficiency; price; best work environment; and customer satisfaction. 

To further test the workers’ skills, secret obstructions are put in place: wrong materials are delivered; unexpected customer requests occur; and annoying neighbours visit. How do the workers resolve the unexpected problems? And how will they react, when the truth of the experiment is revealed?  

The show uses fixed-rigged cameras to capture the workers’ behavior as naturally and unobtrusively as possible so that they forget while working that their every move is being captured. All interviews are done before and after work-hours. 

What do you get for your money when you choose native or foreign labour? What kind of labour market do you want in our country? And which group are the better craftsmen, factory workers, health workers, farm workers, mechanics, cleaners or drivers?

Ed Louwerse, co-founder at Lineup Industries says: “Similarly to our format The Bully Project, this show is a way of creating a discussion amongst our viewers and show participants. It puts prejudices about immigrant vs local labour under the microscope, and giving audiences a chance to see the real challenges of being a provider in these sectors from both points of view – as local companies trying to work in their own community, and as immigrant labourers trying to contribute to and be included in the economy of their new cities. This debate is something which we increasingly see reflected in all spheres as we collectively become a more global society – and one which warrants exploring.”

Distributed by Lineup Industries and created by Dutch producer Skyhigh TV, The Bully Project is bold, pioneering hidden camera format that seeks a revolutionary restorative approach to tackling bullying in the lives of young people. Originally airing to critical and audience acclaim in the Netherlands, the latest international adaptation is set to launch on Australia’s ABC on March 14^th hosted by Australian sporting legend Ian Thorpe.