Our Mission and How We Got Here
“A few years ago I was introduced to an amazing group of people who would become my closest friends. The community they’ve developed in their neighborhood is something I’ve never experienced anywhere else, and likely never will again. What they’ve built there is something truly unique. They celebrate together, they cry together, they live in each other’s lives comfortably together. They are what “Reality TV” wishes it could accomplish. The “Hood,” as it is referred, is a separate reality, a new dimension of time and space where the laws of sobriety mean nothing and the idea of family is never lost. They embrace life with a passion and energy everyone the world over should emulate. They have the same issues of differences as everyone else but they don’t let those interfere with their affections for each other. They often talked about how a reality show needed to be developed but, true to fashion, they also recognized how doing that very thing would destroy everything beautiful about their lives together, so the idea was always just that, a drunken thing to laugh about. Talk to hood about pictures from past parties. Email with the heading, Party Pics About a year and a half ago, I woke up at 5 a.m. with the opening sequence for a sitcom based on the neighborhood running clearly in my head. I made coffee, took care of the dogs, got on my computer and wrote it out. About 6:30 a.m. I sent it to my buddy who introduced me to this neighborhood of his. At 7:30 a.m. he responded that he thought it was a really solid concept. I sent it to several other residents to get their feedback. Three days later, we’re having a meeting in the Hood to discuss the show’s production. This is because of three pages of rough notes on the opening sequence. Three pages. That’s how I knew we were on to something. Not two weeks after this meeting, everything in our lives go blown apart by Hurricane Ida. Get aftermath pictures and videos from hurricane from hood. Email with the heading IDA pics. Covington, Louisiana felt the full wrath of Hurricane Ida. The neighborhood was inundated with more than twelve feet of water, at least one F3 tornado, inline winds in excess of 115 mph, we were all sinners in the hands of angry god that night. I was on the outer bands and remained relatively untouched by hurricane standards. The Hood was not so fortunate. Hundred year old trees, the majestic guardians for generations, lay felled everywhere, hundreds of cars destroyed, homes leveled, the water so high the only modes of transportation were flat bottom boats and canoes. It felt post-apocalyptic. Luckily, by fate, fortune or divinity, no one was hurt. And together, they immediately went to work rebuilding, stopping first to celebrate that they were all still with each other, all the members of the family accounted for. Homes can be rebuilt, cars replaced, but the family you find in life is irreplaceable and they never forget that. From the show’s perspective, it was a necessary slowing down period. Things were moving really quickly and I was forcing the storyline. Once I could take a breadth and think things out, the show found its true voice. A year later, I presented the draft of “Riverhood’s” pilot script to everyone. The response was stronger than I could have possibly hoped and here we are now, setting everything into place to start shooting in July. “Riverhood” isn’t just being developed here, it is here. It is the embodiment of the New Orleans’ spirit, capturing her true identity like nothing that’s come before it. We’re only using local actors and musicians because there’s an attitude and understanding of New Orleans you can only get by living here that cannot be faked by even the most talented actor. It’s a strange duality of being both inured to certain insanities while still be amazed by others. It’s hard to explain, which is also why it can’t be faked. “Riverhood” was designed to integrate into the existing fabric of the city like a natural thread through its design, as a part of it. We want the city to feel as if the show belongs to her. We’re about to give the world something completely different. “Riverhood” is unique, because the people and the location upon which it’s based are unique. On behalf of everybody on the team, we really appreciate you taking this journey with us! We love your involvement, and we’ll make sure to give you something you can be proud of. Laissez les bon temps roulette!
Travis Harrison