INTERVIEW: Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn are back to see who is ‘Making the Cut’
Photo: Making the Cut stars Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum. Photo courtesy of Kristy Sparow / Provided by Amazon Prime with permission.
Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, alumni of the hugely successful and influential Project Runway, are back on the TV circuit with an all-new fashion competition series. This time, they are looking to see which up-and-coming designers are “making the cut,” and helping them make the decision are Naomi Campbell, Nicole Richie, Joseph Altuzarra, Carine Roitfeld and Chiara Ferragni, according to press notes.
Making the Cut’s inaugural season, consisting of 10 episodes, premieres Friday, March 27 on Amazon Prime. Each week two new installments of the series will be released, culminating in the winner be crowned during the April 24 episode.
For the new series, which is executive produced by Sara Rea, the fashion entrepreneurs head to New York City, Tokyo and Paris with 12 designers, who are tasked with developing clothes that are trendy, beautiful, forward-thinking and shoppable. Each week, one of the designers will not make the cut, and the last person standing will receive the hefty sum of $1 million, in addition to some serious exposure in a highly difficult industry.
“I was super-excited to jump into a show with Heidi and Tom that we could develop,” Rea said in a recent phone interview. “Design is such a huge business, and so for the viewer [the series] allows them the 360 experience.”
That 360-degree experience means viewers will have the chance to see not only the fashion skills of each designer, but also their business skills and personalities. Gunn and Klum, as their shepherds, are looking for the full package, and they are determined to showcase diversity while taking this journey.
“It was very important for us to make sure that … people competing have what it takes to make it in the real world,” the executive producer said. “If we’re going to give somebody $1 million, are they going to be able to manage that money, make the most of it and build a brand? So it was important for us, throughout the process, to manage that and test them on that, but also stay true to what we know people like to watch, which is the process of making clothes. So that was the balance that we had to approach developing the show.”
Making the Cut had an open application process, and then a group of candidates went through a series of one-on-one phone calls and in-person interviews. The creative team kept narrowing down the field until they landed on a dozen candidates.
“So it’s an open call initially, and then from their work, and all their material, and their background, and their habits and conversations, we go through a process of narrowing it down until we get to our final 12,” Rea said. “I think during the casting process we want to make sure we’re representing a diverse group of people, and that’s from every element, from their personal background, their ethnicity, their points of view on life, their clothes, everything that they’re doing to find diversity. It’s just a more interesting show when everyone is coming from different points of view.”
Rea added: “I think diversity and design and personality and all of the above is probably one of the biggest factors when compiling the cast, but as an individual, it’s important to make sure that they’ve got the talent, that they can handle — or we think they can handle, you never know until they get in there — the pressures that are going to be in front of them. We really think at the end of the day that they could be victorious. We really believe in everyone we put on the show. We really believe there’s something very special there.”
Rea said that both Gunn and Klum are truly dedicated to the series and making sure these designers get an honest chance at winning and making a name for themselves in the industry. The TV personalities are also a hoot to work with.
“They are the same people you see on camera off camera, which means they don’t take themselves too seriously,” she said. “They like to have fun, and they are so dedicated to this show. I mean, as a producer, it’s a dream come true. Like, I have partners in them, in Heidi and Tim. We work together. … They’re just very invested. … That’s who they are. They are those people whether the cameras are rolling or not.”
For Rea, being an executive producer on a reality show presents many challenges, perhaps none more difficult than trying to get 80 to 100 people around the world to the three shooting locations. Other than that, she loves every minute of her job.
“I just love every step of the way of the creative process,” Rea said. “I have the best job in the world. I’m so lucky. I love it. I love this genre — the competition genre, but also the fashion genre — because at the beginning of every episode, we kind of watch it like the viewer. Oh my gosh, are they going to succeed? Are they going to fail? … It can be a nail-biter for us, too, but they always do deliver. “
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Making the Cut, executive produced by Sara Rea and featuring Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, premieres Friday, March 27 on Amazon Prime. Click here for more information.
