by Gina Scarpa

It's hard to believe it but it's been 15 years since Mark Long first popped up on our television screens on the very first season of Road Rules. He's one of the few who has managed to make a career out of reality television, showing that a strong work ethic and a passion for the industry will take you a long way. Today, we spoke to our friend Mark in an exclusive interview, where he filled us in on his latest project, Nakid Reality, bringing fans raw, uncut footage they can't see anywhere else!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did the idea for Nakid Reality come about?
A. Mark: Reality television evolves and grows every few years. My partner David Graham and I developed Nakid Reality to be an important tool in its evolution. So much content is viral these days and fans want immediate access to footage. So we thought, "Why not go back to the roots of reality and create a channel that is as real and as raw as possible?" We had previously created a national tour called Reality Bar Crawl, which toured from 2003 to 2006, and then we produced 21 segments with Fox Reality Channel's "Reality Remix". In 2008, we co-produced a web version of "Wild On VIP" with E! Entertainment. We also had shot every personal appearance event from 2005 to 2009 and all that footage was just laying around. We wanted to do two things - create a brand name, which is Nakid Reality, and involve other cast members in order to cross-promote our channels. We have 7 people we're cross-promoting under Nakid Reality and we hope to have more very soon.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What will fans get out of subscribing to the Nakid Reality You Tube channel that they won't get out of watching their favorite reality shows?
A. Mark: Nakid Reality is going to provide you with video that you can't see on TV. Our videos are very much like what Reality Bar Crawl was about, back when it was touring. We had every major storyline on the Real World/Road Rules Challenge on our footage because we had the cast members touring with us when they weren't shooting a challenge. They only shoot a challenge 8-12 weeks a year, so we had them the other 40+ weeks. We've grown so much since then and now we interact with almost every reality show and their cast members. We attended the Vegas Bash and interviewed most of the Big Brother 12 cast and a couple of their family members. We really want to provide video clips that they can't find anywhere else.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The Jersey Shore video is by far the most popular. How did you guys get your hands on a video of Pauly D, Ronnie, and Vinny dancing around on a webcam?
A. Mark: We are actually getting people submitting video to us and some people are directing us to their Facebook or website, asking us to post this video on our NakidReality Channel. A random person had contacted me and told me that they had this footage on their Facebook page. So we uploaded it to our channel.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did your years on MTV and Fox Reality help you make Naked Reality work?
A. Mark: Although melting ice with my butt in speedos on MTV comes in handy every so often in my life, I have really grown into a seasoned vet of "any and all things" reality. A lot of younger MTV cast members joke with me and call me the Godfather since my original reality show aired in 1995. Since then, I have seen its growth, have grown with it, and with 3 years under my belt as the professional "reality insider" on Reality Remix, I feel I have my finger on the pulse of reality television and its future, which in my opinion is viral.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: So many reality stars hope to turn their 15 minutes of fame into a lifelong career in tv. You are one of the few who has actually done it. What sets you apart from the majority of reality stars ?
A. Mark: I just try to think outside the box and be proactive. I have never been the kind of guy to sit around and wait for the phone to ring or wait for things to happen. I believe in life, you can create your own destiny and you don't have to sit back and rely on others. I treat my title as "Reality Star" with the utmost respect and don't see it as a gag, or as a just a phase in my life. I am still as excited about reality television, as I was the day I got the call from Bunim/Murray Productions asking if I would like to do MTV's Road Rules.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What's in the future for Nakid Reality?
A. Mark: The future of Nakid Reality is to continue to gain subscribers, market ourselves to the YouTube community, to continue creating channels for other well-known reality TV cast members, and to produce great content. We have a relationship with a company that hires us to produce student marketing events. We have two this month and five in October. We are going to be shooting 10-20 videos every event (the events are hosted by reality TV show cast members). We want to grow Nakid Reality into a brand, hopefully help people get cast on reality TV shows from it, and with a bit of luck, spin off our own reality tv show from it.

Follow Mark at twitter.com/marklongmtv and Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa