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Rick Davis reality TV: Gold and diamond guru signs a multimillion-dollar deal for syndicated show
Rick Davis is taking his jewelry-based reality TV show to national syndication, and he has Judy O'Neal to thank for it.
O'Neal is the owner of UCTV-TV 265, a small cable-access station in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. A few years ago, she convinced Davis, who ran ads for his Brainerd Road store, Rick Davis Gold and Diamonds, to appear on the station to talk about precious metals, gems and jewelry.
"He had sort of like an infomercial with us, and he was very informative as to the value of something," O'Neal remembers. "He'd tell you how to tell a real diamond from a fake one and the value of gold and things like that."
Davis says he had no intention of becoming a TV personality, but even for a man who is used to bartering with people, he couldn't stave off O'Neal.
"Judy is very persistent," Davis says with a chuckle.
He first appeared on "Night Talk" with her, then on "Swap Shop."
"I did all of them," he says. "We got a tremendous response the next day at the store every time. Everybody listens to her down there," Davis says of O'Neal's popularity.
A one-time visit led to more appearances and eventually to his own show, "Talking Gold," which has aired weekly for almost four years on UCTV.
Jim Lindsey, a producer with a 34-year history of producing and syndicating television programming, saw the show and realized there wasn't a national reality TV show about buying and selling gold and jewelry. He was impressed with Davis' knowledge and believed combining that with the stories of customers in the shop would make for a hit.
Lindsey lives in Boca Raton, Fla, but is from Walker County and keeps a home in the area. During a stay here, he watched the show for three straight weeks.
"Rick is so knowledgeable about this subject," Lindsey says, pointing out that Davis has been in the business for 41 years.
"His show is as much educational as it is about helping people who need cash to pay bills. It's about real people learning the value of what they have. A lot of people have no clue."
Davis says, for example, that people tend to think their old class rings are worth $40 or $50.
"Because of the price of gold, it's more like $350 to $400," Davis says.
"We get people from some of these rural pawn shops who bring in 2-gallon buckets full of them. They have no idea what they are worth."
Lindsey pitched Davis and his show to CJM Productions of Nashville, and owner Jeff Mosley loved the idea.
"Rick's knowledge and warm personality comes across so naturally," Mosley says. "He's just built for television."
CJM Productions signed Davis to a multimillion-dollar production and media contract and will produce a new show called "America's Jeweler." Lindsey is the executive producer. The show will be syndicated across the U.S. and in Canada. It should begin airing next month.
Davis says the show will air locally on UCTV, WTVC and the CW, though the day of the week and time have not yet been determined.
CJM's resume includes producing and syndicating such shows as "Nashville Insider: Inside Music Row," "Country Fox," "Bluegrass Ridge" and "Reflections." Crews have been in Chattanooga filming for the last couple of weeks and plan to wrap up shooting the first 22 to 26 episodes by the end of the month.
The show centers on real customers who come into the store looking to buy or sell. Like the experts on shows such as History Channel's "Pawn Stars," Davis will evaluate a piece and make an offer if warranted. He'll also explain what it is, how it was made, what it was worth new and what it is worth today.
"Almost every person that walks up is pleasantly surprised," Davis says. "I've had them break down because they are going to get enough to make a house payment or pay some other bill."
He's also had some find out that what they thought was valuable was not. Like the woman who was getting divorced and wanted to sell her two-carat diamond ring, only to be told it was cubic zirconia.
The woman was not surprised, Davis says. "Because everything else about him was fake," she told him.
Customers with interesting pieces or stories will be given the chance to appear on camera. One segment will feature a man that Davis hired for a few dollars a day to help clean up around the shop. Over the last three decades, the man created his own small business picking up and delivering pieces to be repaired at Davis' shop.
Davis says producers are still figuring out if other staff members or regular customers might be featured on the show in the future.
"We're still shooting and trying to see what comes of it," he says.
Another component of the show will be commercials featuring a local call center allowing viewers to buy items they see on the show or sell things they own. Sellers who call in will be asked if they are buying or selling and then will be directed to a website where they will answer a few questions.
Buyers can design a new piece, for example. Sellers will describe the item, choose whether to buy insurance and be given a label to print for shipping the item. Once received and verified, Davis says, a check will be cut and in the mail with 24 hours.
Davis says he has built a reputation around the country over the years for paying top dollar, quickly.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.