Signing my life away to reality television

As I mentioned in earlier posts, the Drive Around the World expedition is being filmed by a three-man video team, and will eventually show up on the airwaves as a Travel Channel-style adventure series. Countless details of this arrangement have yet to be finalized (including where the show will air, and even what kind of adventures we’ll actually have), but as an expedition participant, I am required to sign a legal waiver granting my image to be used in the production. This is mainly a legal matter that ensures I won’t get cold feet about my participation if I do something stupid on camera, but some details of the waiver make me wonder just what I am getting myself into.

For example, the rights I grant to the video producer can be used "in any manner and by any means, whether now known or unknown, and whether factually or with such portrayal, impersonation, simulation and/or imitation or other modification, in whole or in part, as producer determines in its sole discretion." I take this to mean that I won’t get any royalties if my expedition experiences are recreated for, say, a Broadway musical, a children’s cartoon series, or the Ice Capades ("‘Drive Around the World on Ice’, starring Brian Boitano as the travel writer guy").

The waiver also states that the producer can "exercise its rights hereunder in a way that is embarrassing to me or others, or places me or others in a false light, and I agree that any claim I may have here relating thereto will be released pursuant to the release provisions of paragraph 12 hereof" – which would be seem to infer that the footage can be edited together to incorrectly make me come off as, say, a sweetly retarded shrimp boat captain, or a wandering sadist who gets his jollies by clubbing baby seals.

In the end, however, I trust the judgment and goodwill of Adam Burgess, our video producer, and I’m confident the end result will be a nice account of what happens to us on the road over the next several months. Whatever the case, I’ve signed a document that says I give permission for the camera to be in my face at any moment, 24 hours a day, for the next several months.

Knowing the realities of long-term travel, I can almost promise that a haggard, inarticulate, and completely clueless version of Rolf Potts will soon be appearing on a TV near you.