Dave Severson

Among those cheering for a safe landing was producer Dave Severson of Screaming Flea Productions, a Seattle-based television production company looking to capture the stunt for its new A&E reality show, Kaptain Knievel.Screaming Flea, easily the largest producer of non-fiction television in the Northwest, has nearly 20 series under its belt and more in the pipeline, leading a growing trend for locally produced programs in the white-hot genre of reality television.

Ironically, the folks at Flea aren't comfortable with the whole "reality TV" label."That doesn't always have a great connotation," laughs Severson, who helped start the company in 1999."It gets into that whole Survivor -type feeling, which is really heavily produced and not reality anyway."

Still, Severson admits, most of Flea's programming fits the genre at least by definition.The company's current slate includes home improvement offerings like Sell This House on A&E, the female-friendly Toolbelt Diva on Discovery Home & Leisure, and the more cerebral Tech Effect for the History Channel, which examines history from a technological standpoint.

But it's Kaptain Knievel, offering a fast-paced glimpse into the everyday adventures of the Sequim-based Knievel, that Severson thinks best meets and feeds the insatiable appetite for shock value reality TV.

Matt Chan and Dave Severson are Executive Producers.

Dave Severson Screaming Flea Productions

Screaming Flea: About Us
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Dave Severson - VP / Executive Producer Dave Severson graduated from San Jose State University in 1984. He began his career at KMST in Monterey, California as a photojournalist. In 1987 he joined KVOA in Tuscon, Arizona where he received his first Emmy award.

In 1989, he joined KXTV in Sacramento, California. While there, he worked on several award-winning programs as photographer, editor, and producer under the guidance of Matt Chan. In 1995, Dave began producing GARDENING BY THE YARD for the Home and Garden Television Network (HGTV). Dave has overseen the delivery of over 300 programs as part of Screaming Flea Productions, Inc.
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Dave Severson

Dave Severson

But, as Screaming Flea's Dave Severson explained, that's the entire point of Sell This House.