Where's the Beef? Coming to National TV, Brought to You by a Scotts Valley Company

He and "Big" Tom Buchanan stayed friends after the show was aired in 2001. Kelly brought home tales of their family vacations to the Buchanan farm that were equal parts hilarious and fascinating and with her idea of wanting to turn them into a television show she turned to her friend and producer Regan Eymann about making a reality series.

Eymann's company, Tam Communications is best known in Santa Cruz for producing TV commercials for the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Roaring Camp Railroad. It also aired years of TV shows about the Coast Guard and dangerous rescues and overboard vacations.

"Every network is looking for its version of Duck Dynasty," said Eymann, a 33-year-old UCSC grad and roller derby player who skates under the name Shamrock N. Roller. She and Kelly skated together and Lex was an announcer at the live games.

"I won't say that's what we are emulating, but that's the feeling we give. It's a big boisterous family held together with a lot of love through a lot of hard times."

The show has a serious side -- the threats to the family farm by big agribusiness -- and a comedic one, when Tom shows off his homespun heartiness.

Eymann and Tam are nervous. The National Geographic network contracted for only two shows, which will both be aired Wednesday at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Only if they draw a lot of viewers will there be a full season.

They are planning a Twitter event during the broadcast, linking viewers to the stars during the shows. Watch Patch for an address coming soon.

Although not credited as such the van den Berghes are both co-creators of the show along with the Tam team. Both have been fixtures around Santa Cruz for years. She has been a skater; he played drums in the band Frontier Wives and now performs also with Greg Camp, of Smashmouth, as The Maids of Honor.

If the show's Facebook Page is an indication, there is a hit brewing. It's had 6,211 Likes in two weeks. 

Tam Communications was founded in Milpitas and moved to San Jose before settling in Scotts Valley in 2001. Founders Tam O’Connor Fraser and Susan O’Connor Fraser, created a spinoff for entertainment programming called TuffCubby Entertainment, which is named for the two lions Tam's father, George Fraser, performed with in the circus, Tuffy and Cubby. 

The family has been in entertainment for generations. For this series TuffCubby has teamed up with Authentic Entertainment in Los Angeles, the company responsible for hits including "Honey Boo Boo" and "Ace of Cakes."

Eymann, who lives in Santa Cruz, was raised in Scotts Valley and went to Harbor High School before getting a degree in sociology at UCSC, said people around Hollywood are shocked when they meet the Tam crew and find they are based in Scotts Valley.

"People are amazed we don't do business from LA," said Eymann,33. "But I want to do entertainment projects and stay where I am. I love it here. My kids are here. If it comes down to it and I can't make it from here, I'll find something else to do."