by Gina Scarpa

This summer, America’s Got Talent returned to NBC for its 4th season with Nick Cannon as their newest host.  The show has become famous for featuring diverse acts, from singers to dance crews to contortionists to illusionists.  Often times, clips from the show are found on AOL’s top clips of the day and featured on E!’s The Soup.  Contestants go from being average people to household names and winners of America’s Got Talent can go on to things beyond their wildest dreams.  Today, RealityWanted got an inside look at the hit show by talking to executive producer, Jason Raff.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you first become involved with America’s Got Talent?
A. Jason: I have been with the show since the beginning.  Four years ago, I sat down with Simon Cowell and he told me about the show.  I loved the idea of it and the variety of it.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you have any kind of background in performing – singing or dancing perhaps?
A. Jason: No, I wasn’t quite the singing and dancing type but I did do a lot of magic growing up.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: I’ve seen all kinds of bizarre acts over the years on America’s Got Talent.  Where do you find these people?
A. Jason: Well, they find us, actually.  They go to castings or send us videos through the site.  Thankfully, we get to see lots of talent, all kinds of talent.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Has there ever been an act that really stood to you are being the most original or the weirdest?
A. Jason: No because it’s all a little bit of a blur.  It’s a great question and I always want to have a great answer.  There’s just so much diversity, though.  That’s the best thing about the show.  There are no rules.  If you think you’ve got talent, we want to see you.  There’s no age limit either. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Yes, I was actually wondering about that because I’ve seen a lot of kids perform on the show.  Does America’s Got Talent try to handle children differently than adult performers, especially in terms of delivering the voting results?
A. Jason: As a parent, you’re always looking out for the young kids but it’s up to America.  They can vote with their hearts.  We had this girl on recently, Eleisha Miller.  If an adult sang what she did, they wouldn’t have made it.  She had this stage presence, though, that was amazing.  She was so precocious in a good way.  In the end, America voted and she didn’t move on.  She took it well.  We have people on hand to support the contestants through this process because it can be very stressful.  They go from being an average person to a household name.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Speaking of people who become a household name, how surprised were you with all of the attention that Susan Boyle, of Britain’s Got Talent, received? 
A. Jason: I think Susan Boyle surprised everyone.  I talked to the producers of the show and even they were surprised.  It turned into this moment.  I mean, look at Terry Fator, the ventriloquist that won America’s Got Talent season 2.  I was like, “Oh my God, is he singing?!”  He was a professional, but by his own admission, some of his shows only had a dozen people.  Now, he’s the most successful reality show contestant.  He has a $100 million dollar contract in Vegas. 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How are the other winners of the show doing?
A. Jason: Bianca Ryan still travels around singing.  She’s been mostly doing the Disney tours, that younger tween category that I don’t really follow that much.  Neil Boyd was a guy who sold insurance and came in singing opera.  He’s got an album out now and is touring.  They’ve all done well but Terry has just gone ballistic.  They’re not all gonna get $100 million dollar contracts but they’re lives are gonna change for sure.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Well, here at RealityWanted, we have a ton of people who I’m sure would love to get on America’s Got Talent.  What are you looking for when you’re casting an act for the show?
A. Jason: My advice is to think it through and be prepared.  Come in with something that is original.  If you’re singing, don’t sing something we’ve heard a million times, like Whitney Houston.  If you’re a girl, maybe sing a John Mayer song.  You need to make an impression.


America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 9pm ET on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)

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