電視真人秀的公益

One of my business partners has a dilemma: should he agree to our company appearing on a reality television show?
我的一位生意夥伴面臨着一道難題：他是否應該同意讓我們的公司出現在電視真人秀上？
I did it twice, more than 10 years ago. The first time was fine, although the programme disappeared without trace. The second occasion was rather – ahem – less successful and afterwards I deeply regretted my moment of TV vanity.
十餘年前，我參加過兩次真人秀節目。第一次還不錯，儘管那檔節目後來就消失得無影無蹤了。第二次，呃，就沒有那麼成功了，而且我之後對這種上電視的虛榮心感到十分後悔。
So my initial advice was: “Don’t give in to your ego – tell the producers to forget it.”
因此，我最初給出的建議是：“不要屈從於你的虛榮心——告訴製片人，忘了這事吧。”
But the power of TV to influence is undeniable – and the temptation to promote one’s brand can be overwhelming. Whether the audience is watching via a TV set, laptop or mobile, the impact of a primetime slot remains – for good and ill.
然而，電視的影響力無可否認，借之宣傳自身品牌的誘惑也極其強烈。無論觀衆是通過電視機、筆記本電腦或是移動設備收看電視節目，黃金時段的影響力依然存在，不管這種影響是積極還是消極的。
And in recent years, entrepreneurs have appeared much more often on the major channels, even inspiring a new book, The Television Entrepreneurs, by the academics Raymond Boyle and Lisa Kelly.
最近幾年，企業家在主流電視頻道上的露面次數大大增加，學者雷蒙德•博伊爾(Raymond Boyle)和莉薩•凱利(Lisa Kelly)甚至就這一現象專門撰寫了一本名爲《電視上的企業家》(The Television Entrepreneurs)的新書。
The format that achieves highest ratings is the reality/entertainment broadcast. These programmes are widespread because they are popular, and cheap and quick to make. When I was chairman of Channel 4 we pioneered a number of these features, and for a time they were a crucial part of our schedule.
收視率最高的當屬集真人秀和娛樂性於一體的節目。這些節目之所以大量涌現，原因就在於它們廣受歡迎，而且製作成本低、製作週期短。在我擔任第四頻道(Channel 4)董事長期間，我們率先推出了大量這類節目，有一段時間，它們在我們的節目表中佔據了相當重要的位置。
One variation is the show where the entrepreneur is a presenter or troubleshooter – classics being Mary Queen of Shops, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares or Property Ladder.
在這類節目中，有一種是邀請企業家以主持人或調解人的身份參與節目，代表節目包括《瑪麗•波塔斯商店女皇》(Mary Queen of Shops)、《拉姆齊廚房噩夢》(Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares)以及《房產階梯》(Property Ladder)。
Then there are shows in which the protagonist/entrepreneur acts as a judge or an investor – the two giants of the business reality genre, The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den, both fall into this category.
在另一類節目中，企業家則作爲主要人物，充當評審或是投資者角色，擁有超高人氣的兩檔商業類真人秀節目《學徒》(The Apprentice)和《龍穴》(Dragons' Den)均屬此類。
A third category includes shows where the entrepreneurs disguise themselves to discover the truth anonymously – Undercover Boss and The Secret Millionaire are typical examples.
還有第三種，企業家以隱姓埋名的方式發現真相，典型代表有《臥底老闆》(Undercover Boss)和《神祕的百萬富翁》(The Secret Millionaire)。
American Chopper represents another theme – the family-run, custom motorcycle manufacturer is portrayed as a real-life soap opera, including on-air lawsuits.
《美國機車》(American Chopper)則代表了另外一類——一家制造定製摩托車的家族企業被打造成一出現實版的肥皂劇，包括對法律訴訟進行現場直播。
To an extent, all such productions, even though they are unscripted, will stage material in order to dramatise it. Such contrivances are probably necessary in order to achieve high ratings and get commissioned by the networks. Mass audiences have a limited interest in entrepreneurship in itself – human issues such as conflict, humour and redemption are naturally more appealing.
從某種程度上說，所有這類節目，儘管事先沒有劇本，但爲了烘托效果，還是會安排一些噱頭。這些設計或許是提高收視率、得到網絡傳播所必須具備的因素。多數觀衆對企業家精神本身並沒有太大興趣，衝突、幽默和救贖等涉及人性的問題自然更具吸引力。
But if it takes the The Apprentice and Dragons’ Den to provide role models for tomorrow’s managers, investors and inventors, then they provide a service to the economy of sorts.
然而，如果《學徒》和《龍穴》能夠爲未來的經理人、投資者和創新者提供某種榜樣，那麼它們也算是對經濟有所助益了。
Less mainstream, but more realistic and informative, are genuine documentaries – an excellent example of which is The Man Who Wanted to Furnish the World, about Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea. What makes this film remarkable is how revealing it is about such a secretive man, a retail titan who changed the way we buy furniture. Many know that Mr Kamprad is one of the richest men on the planet – but what he also admits is how he has suffered from low self-esteem, alcohol problems and a difficult family life.
另一種不那麼主流、但卻更加寫實也更具啓迪性的節目是真正的紀錄片。這類節目的優秀代表要數《那個想要爲全世界佈置傢俱的人》(The Man Who Wanted to Furnish the World)。它講述了關於宜家(Ikea)創始人英瓦爾•坎普拉德(Ingvar Kamprad)的故事。這部影片之所以不同尋常，就在於它揭祕了一個如此神祕的人，正是這個零售業巨頭改變了我們購買傢俱的方式。很多人都知道坎普拉德是世界上最富有的人之一——可他也承認，自卑心理、酒精以及不和睦的家庭生活是如何折磨着自己。
The rise of business reality TV has been instrumental in producing a new sort of tycoon in Britain – the celebrity entrepreneur. The US has always appreciated capitalists more, so its culture has created more rock ’n’ roll millionaires – of which Steve Jobs was perhaps the most famous. Even now, coach loads of admirers make pilgrimages to the late Apple founder’s house in California.
商業類電視真人秀的走紅在英國催生出一類新的極具影響力的人羣——企業家名人。美國總是更欣賞資本家，因此它的文化培養出更多狂放不羈的百萬富豪，其中，名聲最大的或許要數史蒂夫•喬布斯(Steve Jobs)。即便是現在，仍有大批擁躉前往這位已故蘋果(Apple)創始人位於加州的住所朝聖。
Much better that business and its protagonists are household names than clandestine figures. If wealth creators are admired rather than vilified, it will surely inspire the next generation of founders.
企業以及它們的領導者能夠成爲家喻戶曉的名字，這比給他們披上神祕的外衣要好得多。如果財富的創造者能受到人們的崇敬而不是詆譭，這無疑將激勵下一代企業創始人。
So, while I dislike the caricature of business that most reality shows project, it is likely that they have encouraged many younger people to consider starting an enterprise. Such factual transmissions dressed up as entertainment have formed perceptions of the world of commerce – some of them positive. If this delivers more new businesses, innovation and jobs, it can only be applauded.
因此，儘管我不喜歡大部分真人秀節目所表現出的那種並不太真實的商業場景，但它們似乎已促使許多年輕人開始考慮自己創業。這種表面看上去好似娛樂節目的紀實類節目讓人們形成了對商業世界的認識，其中有些認識是正面而積極的。假若這能帶來更多的新企業、創新活動和就業機會，我們理應爲它們鼓掌叫好。
In a sense, this could genuinely be called public service television. Of course TV is edited, and distorts the experience and challenges that entrepreneurs face. But if it helps, in Reithian manner, to “educate, inform and entertain” the public about risk-taking, then the more the better.
從某種意義上說，它們完全可以被稱爲公益性電視節目。當然，電視節目是經過編輯的，會扭曲企業家的經歷和他們所面臨的挑戰。但如果它們能以里斯（John Reith，BBC創始人——譯者注）所倡導的方式，在冒險這一問題上起到“爲大衆提供教育、資訊和娛樂”的作用，那麼這類節目多多益善。
The writer runs Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm, and is chairman of the Royal Society of Arts
本文作者管理着私人股本公司Risk Capital Partners，並擔任英國皇家藝術學會(Royal Society of Arts)主席。

譯者:薛磊