Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Tune in Tonight to Watch the Premiere Episode of the New Reality Show, "The Briefcase" on CBS at 8PM EST #TheBriefcase

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network. All opinions are 100% my own. 



What would you do if you were given a briefcase filled with $101,000, and you have three options to choose from - keep all the money, split it with others in need, or not take it at all?  With only 72 hours to decide what to do with the money, would you be able to make a decision that both you and your family can agree on, even if you found yourself in hard times and really could use the money?  Well, this is the premise for a new CBS series, "The Briefcase," which premieres tonight, Wednesday, May 27  at 8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.  If you haven't seen the commercial for this new series, here is a preview...


My husband and I had the opportunity to watch tonight's episode in advance, and I have to stay I really like this show.  It really gets you thinking about what you would do if you were in the position of the two families, who are surprised with a suitcase filled with money at their door.  You may think it is an easy answer, and to keep all the money, but then throughout the 72 hour journey, the show's co-producers share information about another family with their own hardships.  This gets you thinking about how there are others in worse off situations and how by you sharing some or all the money that you can help a family who really needs it.  

I loved being able to watch the families go through the 72 hr. journey and how both spouses are each given an opportunity to visit the bank to put however much they want to keep in their bank account, and leave the money they want to give away in the briefcase.  Then, they meet up with their spouse and let them see how much they are giving away of the $100,000.  Each of these trips to the banks and the hours leading up to the bank visit have so many emotions and discussions going on.  

With this first episode airing tonight, you will meet the Bergin family, who have 3 teenage girls, and another family and live in Matthews, N.C., and the Bronson family who live in Manchester, NH, who have a young son with another baby on the way.  

The Bergin Family

The Bronson Family

As the episode plays out you learn more and more about the families and how this money could really help change their life and help them recover from financial hardships they have been dealing with.  The couple with the 3 teenage girls has debt of over $100,000 (including their mortgage) and only the mom working part time and pulling in $300 a week.  The husband, Joe, suffered a stroke and then hurt himself leaving him unable to work the family ice cream truck business, which was proving more headaches and debt due to trucks being broke and seasonal lulls.  

If that doesn't get you thinking to give the money to this family, then you learn more about the Bronson family.  The husband, Dave, is a veteran who fought in Iraq and lost his leg.  After 33 surgeries and constant pain, he is unable to work and stays home to care for the family's young son.  The wife is an overnight shift nurse who is pregnant and having to carry the worry and burden of finances, while watching her husband deal with daily pain and having to climb three flights of stairs to get to their 1 bedroom apartment, which is bursting at the seams.  There is no elevator in the building and it is not wheelchair accessible, making it a struggle for the family.  They are in the process of building a wheelchair accessible house through a VA grant, but still need funds to buy the house and make the necessary accommodation for the husband, as they expect him to be in a wheelchair in a few years.

Just hearing about each family and watching them struggle to decide what do with the money, really gets you thinking about what you would do.  You wish that they would split the money so that they could each benefit from the briefcases and help relieve them of some of these burdens they are facing.  But, with different personalities and viewpoints it is hard for the couples to agree on what to do.  

Each trip to the bank sees money coming and going, until they have only a few hours left to decide.  With any show like this, there is a twist in the end, and that twist is when the two couples are flown to the other family's home, where they are able to walk through the other family's home and see how they really live.  This is really an eye opening moment for both families and they start double thinking their decision on what they want to do with the money.  

Viewers will find out what the two families decide when they come face to face with each other in Los Angeles.  Don't worry, I will not spoil the ending -- you'll just have to tune in tonight to find out for yourself what the The Bergin and Bronson families decide to do with their briefcases filled with $100,000.  My husband and I are hooked on this show and will definitely be tuning in each week to see what other families decide to do with the money.  Will they realize that money doesn't fix everything and that love is more valuable?  Or, will they struggle to agree and stir up financial debates with their spouse over what to do with the money in such a short time frame?

With many shows going on summer hiatus, why not add "The Briefcase" to your DVR if you can't tune in and watch when it airs.  I know you will love this show just as much as my husband and I have, and that you will find yourself thinking about what you would do with the money if you heard a knock at the door and saw the briefcase full of money.  I have to say that while we could use the money, this would definitely be a hard decision to make.  Is there a right and wrong decision?  How will it affect your family and your relationship with your spouse?  These and so many other questions will be cross the minds of the family's on their 72-hour $100,000 briefcase journey.

-- "The Briefcase" Premiere Twitter Party Tonight! -- 

If you love twitter parties, I hope you will join me and others tonight during the premiere episode, as we will be talking about the show with viewers, as well as executive director, Dave Broome and Jill Schlesinger, a CBS News Money expert.   Make sure you follow the following twitter handles to participate in this fun twitter chat:

@broome88 (Dave Broom)
@TheBriefcaseCBS
@CBSTweet
@RoleMommy
@JillonMoney

During the Twitter event,  $250  in prizes will be given away to twitter attendees in attendance.  Those who win these prizes will have to make a decision similar to the show on what they want to do with the prize won -- keep it, share it or give it all away. What would you do?

Here is more about the Twitter party:

Time: 8-9PM EST
Date:  Tonight, May 27th.
Prizes:  $250 in prizes will be given out throughout the hour so don't miss the show or the excitement on Twitter!  

To join in on the fun, make sure you follow @rolemommy, @CBSTweet and use the hashtags #TheBriefcase.
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Don't forget to follow "The Briefcase" on Facebook and Twitter and CBS to keep up to date on all the chatter about this new series, which will have you thinking about how much you would share if you were in a similar situation.

Social Media Channels:

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More about "The Briefcase":

HOW MUCH WOULD YOU SHARE?

CBS ANNOUNCES THE NEW REALITY SERIES
“THE BRIEFCASE,” PREMIERING WEDNESDAY, MAY 27
 “The Briefcase” Features Families Experiencing Financial Setbacks 
Who Are Given a Large Sum of Money and
Told to Make a Potentially Life-Altering Decision

"CBS announces the new reality show THE BRIEFCASE, featuring hard-working American families experiencing financial setbacks who are presented with a briefcase containing a large sum of money and a potentially life-altering decision: they can keep all of the money for themselves, or give all or part of it to another family in need. The series premieres Wednesday, May 27 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
“THE BRIEFCASE is an eye-opening look into what matters most in people’s lives, taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster ride with a shocking ending each week,” said THE BRIEFCASE Creator and Executive Producer Dave Broome. “I've been incredibly impressed by just how generous Americans are, even with shrinking paychecks and rising debt, when there’s little left to give.”
Each week, two families have 72 hours to learn details about each other’s challenging circumstances and make the weighty decision of what to do with $101,000.  However, what they don’t know is that the family with whom they are considering sharing this financial windfall received an identical briefcase with the same instructions. Throughout their journeys, relationships within both families will be tested and beliefs questioned as they find out what really matters most in their lives, and how much importance they place on values such as love, generosity, compassion and faith.
THE BRIEFCASE is produced by 25/7 Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. Dave Broome (Creator and Executive Producer, THE BIGGEST LOSER) and Faye Stapleton are executive producers."

The following families will be participating in tonight's premiere episode of THE BRIEFCASE:

Bergin Family

Joe: Ice Cream Truck Owner     
Kim: Part-Time Event Planner   
Three children, ages 15, 13 and 12
Matthews, N.C.
After Joe was laid off from his corporate job 10 years ago, he and his wife, Kim, started an ice cream truck business which is struggling.     

Bronson Family

Dave: Injured Retired Iraq Vet
Cara: Nurse
One child, age 3, with another on the way
Manchester, N.H.
Dave is an American hero whose Humvee exploded when he was in Iraq and he lost his leg. He and his wife, Cara, are expecting their second child this summer. Living on one income with a growing family has put a significant amount of stress on the Bronson's.


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About Dave Broome, the Executive Director of "The Briefcase":



New York native Dave Broome received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from New York’s Hofstra University.  In 1986, the die-hard East Coaster moved West to host a radio sports-talk show on XTRA-FM, broadcast in Los Angeles and San Diego.


He eventually segued into television, producing live music specials and award shows for Clear Channel Communications. These included Ryan Seacrest’s American Top 40 Awards, Fox’s Jingle Ball Rock, and NBC’s Radio Music Awards.

In 2003, Broome established his own 25/7 Productions, helming projects such as NBC’s Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, a worldwide benefit held for theTsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which he co-produced with George Clooney. 

In 2004, Broome created NBC’s longstanding hit, The Biggest Loser. Now in its 17th season, the show is an international brand and is seen in over 90 countries worldwide. Broome continues to be active as Executive Producer for the show. 

Over the last 15 years, Broome has created and produced hundreds of hours of primetime network and cable series, including competition formats, docu-series, music specials, award shows and live television events for networks such as NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, CW, MTV, SPIKE, A&E, DISCOVERY, TURNER, LIFETIME, ABC Family, and many more. 

Broome's current show, The Briefcase, which follows American families who are going through financial hardships and given a briefcase of $101,000 but with a life altering decision to make, will be premiering on CBS on May 27. 

He is currently casting for S.T.R.O.N.G. (Start to Realize Our Natural Greatness), a fitness-centric reality competition for NBC which takes a group of people who are looking to go through a mind-blowing physical and mental transformation and team them up with the world’s elite trainers to help them realize their full potential. The series has a 10-episode order and will be airing early next year.

He has also taken 25/7 Productions into the Hispanic marketplace, forming a partnership with Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s production company, Estefan Enterprises, together producing the all-Spanish docu-series Dale Con Ganas for Univision. 

In addition to producing unscripted television, Broome has created scripted projects for HBO, DreamWorks and the USA Network as well as producing for NETFLIX the critically acclaimed sports documentary feature, Two Days In April.  He has also created and produced several web series including AOL’s Jocks & Jills, a co-production with Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment company and Startomorrow, an online music competition series with David Foster that aired on NBC.com.   

In 2014, Broome and 25/7 Productions, signed an exclusive overall deal with Sony Pictures Television.  

In a nutshell, Broome is a hands on producer who loves to create & develop projects that he is passionate about and that can make an impact in a profound and thought-provoking way.

Outside of the office, his passion carries over to his love of fitness, fine wine, and music, often composing both for himself and for various 25/7 projects. 

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer’s Network. All opinions are 100% my own. 

1 comment :

  1. I had not heard of this show until I read your post. I am curious and now I have to check this one out it sounds like one that will make me cry.
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    ReplyDelete