Seven strangers, lots of questions

Photo credit: Urbanite

Will "The Real World: Brooklyn's" roommates be party people like Vegas'? (Getty)

So, "The Real World" is heading to Brooklyn. How great! (That can be read sarcastically or straight -- your choice).

Jim Johnston, executive producer of "The Real World," answered our questions:

Why Brooklyn?

Brooklyn right now is this vibrant, diverse community. It’s fun to live in. It’s close to manhattan. It’s been affordable as opposed to manhattan. So young people can pursue a career in manhattan and live in Brooklyn. There are fabulous neighborhoods.

Do you have an exact location nailed down? If so, which neighborhood?

No we don’t. We’ve looked mostly at the neighborhoods that are close to Manhattan: Greenpoint, Williamsubrg, DUMBO, Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook. We even got as far as Coney Island.

So is Coney Island a real possibility?

We don’t know. We haven't locked anything down.

What's the process of working with NYC on a production like this?

In new york, you’ve got the mayor’s office and governor’s office. It's great with working with them. When we finally do settle on a place, one of the things you do is meet with the neighbors. You tell them what the process will be like and try to address concerns.

What's the timeline?

We're going to get it on the air January 2009. Casting, we're working on it. We're really close but haven't selected the final individuals. The process takes about 3-4 months.

How will you deal with neighborhood restaurants, bars and stores, some of whom might not be so happy to have cameras around?

We’ll want to go to all those places. In advance of a camera ever going in there, [we get an] agreement signed to shoot the establishment. We'll eventually send people out in the neighborhoods and get those clearances.

Some Brooklyn residents are wary of "The Real World" coming to the borough. How do you respond?

We understand it. We see it every place we go. We’ve done 20 productions of this. Our approach is that it's like a documentary. It's not like you hear directors screaming. It's very low-key. Our goal is going to be as anonymous as possible.

Partying and drinking have become a big part of "The Real World" in recent seasons, garnering some criticism. Will it continue to be a focus?

That age group will always do that. We will always follow that. Really what they do with their time is up to them.

Will the roommates have a job?

We don’t know if they’re going to have a job. We want them to follow their career paths, much like we’re doing in the Hollywood. It brings the show back to its roots.

— Julie Gordon

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