Entertainmentopia - Interview: Josh Bernstein

Entertainmentopia recently had the chance to sit down with Digging for the Truth host Josh Bernstein and ask him a few questions about the show, its increased popularity, and a recent appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Entertainmentopia	Obviously you have so much material for each of the show’s episodes, how do you determine what gets included in a 43 minute program?
Josh Bernstein	We recognize that 43 minutes is not really enough time to do justice to many complex archaeological mysteries, so we come into the program-design process with the intention of delivering something that will appeal to as many people as possible. As you’ve noticed, the goal typically is to introduce the broader aspects of an archaeological mystery and its components to the public rather than deliver the issues being debated at the PhD level. With that in mind, we do the following: Before a show is even in the field filming, the producers guess what aspects of the story might be most interesting or relevant to our viewers. Then, as we’re filming, we have a pretty good sense of what’s working and what’s not and use that to focus on the good stuff. And then, finally, during the editing process, the producers and editors use the very best material possible: the best interviews, the best insights, the best beauty shots, the best jokes. Eventually, it all comes together into 43-minutes of what we hope is entertaining and educational.
Entopia	The episode on The Da Vinci Code Bloodlines is easily one of the most popular episodes of Digging for the Truth, but what has been your favorite place to visit during the course of the show?
JB	During the course of the DaVinci Code episode, I was most excited to visit the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa. Even across the whole series, that was a very special opportunity for me and the crew.

Entopia	Do you ever feel as though you’ll run out of mysteries and truths to explore? How do you keep things fresh and exciting?
JB	I suppose it is possible that one day the DFT well may run dry, but I don’t that’s going to happen very soon. DFT still has many untapped countries to explore like India, China, New Zealand, and Russia. And our “return” destinations like the Middle East and South America have many new discoveries every year. So things seem to be okay for a 4th and 5th season. Beyond that, we’ll just have to see. But I know that everyone wants to keep the format of the show as fresh and exciting as possible.

Entopia	What’s it like working on the show? How does the day-to-day production go?
JB	A typical day starts before sunrise, or shortly thereafter, when we drive to our location and start filming with me and an expert. We may stay there for 2 or 3 hours to shoot a scene before relocating to a second location with either the same or a different expert. Then there’s a lunch break for 30 minutes to an hour. After lunch, we film a third location and perhaps an activity until sunset, when we wrap. At least, that’s how a day might be created on paper. In the real world, there are the inevitable challenges of television documentary production to face. If you want a more detailed sense of a day, a week or a year, I suggest you read my book, Digging for the Truth: One Man’s Epic Adventure Exploring the World’s Greatest Archaeological Mysteries. I take readers through the first two seasons of the series.

Entopia	Being a part of the highest-rated show on The History Channel must be a great experience; do you feel as though it has afforded you greater opportunities to explore “truths” that might otherwise be shrouded in secrecy?
JB	To be honest, I think our first season offered me pretty incredible opportunities to explore “truths” and we had absolutely no ratings success to support us back then. After all, “The History Channel” name tends to open a lot of doors. But yes, now that DFT has gained a strong following, it has become easier and more doors have opened for us. In terms of production, it’s been especially helpful when it comes to getting hotel, airfare and equipment deals for each episode – the discounts given are tremendously important with our limited budget. After all, we’re making documentary television, not Hollywood features and every dollar saved in the field means we can put that money on the screen to make the show even better. So it’s a win-win: we get better access and better production deals, and the viewer gets a better show!

Entopia	Finally, we recently saw you on an episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, how was that experience and how do you think it will help out Digging for the Truth in the long run bringing you into such a popular program for the younger demographics?
JB	So many people saw me on that, it’s amazing. It was a lot of fun. The hardest part was not laughing too much at Jon’s jokes. I think it was a great opportunity for two worlds to collide – The History Channel and Comedy Central – and to hopefully let their viewers know that history is interesting, entertaining and incredibly relevant to the world we live in. I’m honored that Digging for the Truth and I could come over and join Jon and The Daily Show in the fun. And if DFT ends up with a few younger fans as a result, I think we all feel that’s great.

Entertainmentopia would like to thank Josh for taking time away from production of the show to answer these questions for us. As avid fans of entertainment and history its nice to see them blended so well together in such a high quality presentation. Digging for the Truth can be seen on The History Channel currently airing Mondays at 9/8c, check your local listings for more details.