Today I received a review copy of the upcoming episode of Dianne Buckner's Fortune Hunters that airs this weekend on CBC Newsworld. I'm always happy and willing to receive movies, TV shows, books, and other media, and I promise to be both honest and relatively prompt with my review.

While I was not able to watch the first and debut episode of Fortune Hunters that aired last Saturday, I enjoyed watching the second quite a bit. Of course I do have some criticism to share, which I will detail below, however the overall production and content of the show was great, creating an entertaining and informative half hour.

The stated mission of the show is to focus on the hottest trends, with a focus on how to capitalize and make money off of them, hence the title, Fortune Hunters. Each episode has a theme, and this second installment is about the "web".

The first thing that threw me off however was the language host Dianne Buckner was using to define the landscape of Internet start-ups. When she said the words "social networking phenomena" or "e-business" and "e-commerce" there was a noted hesitancy in her voice that suggested a level of uncertainty when it comes to how these phrases were used. It's not the words themselves, but the way they were used. If this was just an aside it would be inconsequential, however since it was part of setting the frame for the show, it left me unsettled. As if the context was not properly or accurately defined.

Following the intro, or perhaps as an extension of it, a few businesses are quickly profiled, including eco-handbags.ca and monthlysocks.com. I really liked both of these, and would have liked to have heard more about them, especially as part of defining the context of Internet start-ups.

The main focus of this episode is a venture called chickadvisor.com, which is a social networking site founded by the "Bank of Alex and Ali". I loved this feature, and thought it was brilliant not so much because it was about someone seeking a fortune, but rather showed the perseverance and vision necessary to keep at it, even when the going is slow. Ali is an excellent example of the student entrepreneur who works hard to start something, yet retains a level of humility and honesty that is endearing.

Unfortunately this brings us to a feature of the show that I really don't like. After featuring an aspiring entrepreneur, the second segment of the show is an expert panel that offers commentary on the chances of the start-up that was just profiled. Personally I don't feel experts have much to offer in this case, and I say this as an expert who regularly appears on TV to give my opinion.

Instead I'd rather see potential customers and consumers on a panel discussing what they think about the product. That's the point after all isn't it? When you start a business all that matters is whether consumers will dig what you have to offer. In fact often the most successful companies were started in the face of critics and experts like me saying they were doomed.

With that said the panel features one aspect of the show that I thought was cool: clever use of chyron! Chyron is a term used to describe the bar that is always on the lower half of the screen, above the crawl, but below the talking head so that if you're flipping channels you know who they are and what they're talking about. Well, the clever folk at Fortune Hunters are using this space to support the conversation. They've even got a little sound effect to draw your attention to it. Though that chime could be a little funkier.

After the panel there's a feature called "Hit or Miss" which is fun, and is a much better example of where experts can be used. In this case you need experts, as the pace is fast, and you're asking for quick opinions on things that only an expert who follows the field can answer. The format, mixed with their website, also allows viewers at home to find out about interesting projects in a relatively rapid manner. I did find it weird however that the intro music to the "Hit or Miss" segment is also the theme song for the trashy British show Footballers Wives (which I suppose MVP is based on).

The final segment on the show is another feature, but instead of someone hunting for their fortune, it's about someone who has already made it. In this episode the subject is local Internet entrepreneur Albert Lai. Unfortunately I didn't learn anything new about Albert in this piece, and I'd much prefer to hear about more hunters than people who have already made it but won't talk about their current projects which are in "stealth" mode. If you've never heard or read about Albert you might enjoy this segment, it is well done, I just feel there should have been something new revealed rather than vague references to secret plans.

In the piece Albert kind of comes across as just another geek boy who loves his toys, and I've been told by others that he's much more than that. While I assume he is, I'm quite frankly disappointed that someone with his success is not more active in community engagement, and philanthropy. The piece indicates he's mentoring a bunch of people, but I feel that with wealth and power comes responsibility, and I'm not sure Mr. Lai is doing enough in that regard.

Anyhow, as for the show, I enjoyed it, and will tune in to future episodes. Some of the themes that will be covered in upcoming shows include food, health, fashion, home renovation, and of course everyone's favourite aging market the Baby Boomers.

Fortune Hunters is on CBC Newsworld Saturdays at 6:30pm and Sundays at 1:30pm and 4:30pm.