DFX on Fox's Does Someone Have To Go?
Written by Christiane Elin
Twitter: @CMESFV & @Red_Glean
June 13, 2013- Tonight we find out the outcome of the next employee takeover on Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX Sports and Fitness, premiere manufacturer of the popular and innovative Powerball Gyroscope hand held exercise ball was featured on last week’s June 6th episode. Now this week is the time for the CEO of DFX, Farren Matale to listen to her employee’s recommendations.
SciFi Vision spoke with Farren Matale about her experience on Does Someone Have To Go?
Red Glean's Christiane Elin for SciFi Vision: Are you ready for the show?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yes, I’m nervous but I’m ready.
SciFi Vision: A little bit about your company.
DFX’s Farren Matale: We are a manufacturer and distributor in Anaheim, CA. We manufacture the DFX Powerball, it’s a handheld, wrist, and forearm exerciser. It’s a really unique product and we’ve had great success with it. We are in a lot of major sporting good and fitness stores.
SciFi Vision: How did DFX come apart of Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I can’t remember. This had actually been in the works for quite awhile. We were approached by the production company. We do a lot of media and advertising. We write up an approach and maybe interviewed and depending on whether or not anyone thought we were interesting or not then it became part of the show.
SciFi Vision: Did you watch the premiere episode with the VMS company?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yes. I actually watched that to see what was in store for us.
SciFi Vision: How did you feel about their process? Your company has been done filming months ago.
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yeah, it’s been done filming for quite awhile. VMS was the first one to show. I wasn’t here for most of the shooting. I was just here on a Friday and a Monday. Everybody kind of got together on the weekend. I only heard from the employees what was happening. So I was really anxious to watch the VMS episode, do see what I had in store for me. I didn’t think VMS’ wasn’t that bad. I’m glad that I saw it the way that it was.
SciFi Vision: Do you feel like when watching the VMS episode there were any kind of similarities to what your company went through?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yeah because just like VMS I do have a lot of family members that work with me. And that was when I was first like oh, here we go they have all of their family working with them too, the mother, because I have my father working here. So there’s a lot similarities to the type of business relations, in the office, I could in fact relate to a lot. I kind of started thinking if that was what the main problem is, the family.
SciFi Vision: Have you had a chance to see it or will you be watching with all of us?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I’ll be watching it with all of you guys.
SciFi Vision: Going through the process of shooting, is there anything revealing being show? Anything that surprised you while going through shooting Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I was definitely surprised by how much drama happened while I wasn’t here. There’s always been drama in my office but I didn’t know it was going to be like I heard it was when I wasn’t here. I didn’t know it was going to be so emotional. I definitely wasn’t prepared for the emotional aspects of this whole show. I think everybody went into as we know it’s going to be a show, you kind of have to have your game face on but that’s not so. They definitely have a way to making the realness come out.
SciFi Vision: When shooting was going on for Does Someone Have To Go? did you only have to dedicate company time to shooting the show?
DFX’s Farren Matale: It was hard to actually get work done while they were shooting here at the office. They were here a couple days before they actually shot the show trying to get some B roll. It was awkward. You see these huge cameras walking around the office and to remember to not look at them. I’m a really humorous person. I bust jokes all of the time so I was trying not to bust jokes to the camera guy. It was awkward. We weren’t as productive as we should have been during the shooting of the show.
SciFi Vision: Are getting any attention from being on the show? The show focuses on the workers but is it bringing any attention to your product and your business?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Well that’s one of the reasons besides hoping to fix the issues in the office as a business owner we decided to do it. We can’t financially afford $100,000 for 30 second spot on national television. We hoped that it would bring more product knowledge to what we offer the Powerballs. We have seen somewhat of an increase of our retailers, our major retailers and our buyers. We’ve shown them clips everywhere on the internet and they are really interested in it. It’s funny because they can feel where we are coming from because when we’ve shown them clips. Our buyers are the most important to us, that’s where we make our money is our larger retailers. They are very interested in it and have remarked that I wish they would have done that show at my place. They are kind of in the same situation that I think all of us are when there’s dysfunction in the office and there’s really no way of fixing it when there not given a voice like big companies like Dicks, REI and Big 5. So it’s not just a little company like me that has these issues. It kind of felt good that my larger customers were kind of like oh, I wish they would do that in my office. It was nice that they were interested in it too.
SciFi Vision: Now that you are away from the filming. I know that you can’t give anything away. But how do you feel about your company. Did things get resolved and it’s moving on and it’s in a better place.
DFX’s Farren Matale: I do think we are in a better place. We’ve been at this for twenty years and even after the employees come and go and have new employees, we always seem to have the same management issues and problems that arise. As a business owner it’s never in the back of your mind to ever at anytime to let your employee try to help you give suggestions on fixing it. It’s beyond them and that’s kind of what I’ve always been raised to think they are only here for a paycheck. I’m sure there are a lot of business owners out there that have that assumption of their employees because they never give them the opportunity to make changes. I am thankful that the show was able to do that because I don’t think in a normal situation that I would’ve have ever done that. I’m really proud of all the decisions that they all made. I think they made good decisions but I think it also gave my employees the chance to see how hard it is be a boss. They only had to this for two days. And for the two days, my employees, the fifteen of them to make a decision on the three people that could possibly be fired, there was crying, there was anger there was all this stuff just for two days. And I think it gave them the opportunity to see how hard it is to make these decisions for twenty years. It not only gave me a sense of new respect of my employees but I feel it gave them respect for what I do and my job. We work together better than we ever have. Our sales are up and I believe it’s because they’re happy and they really want to make me happy now. They actually care how I feel. I was always in the position where I felt that they didn’t really care if I was happy or not so why do I care if they are happy. It’s so not that way anymore. They’re happy to be at work. I actually had someone say well I know if it ever was to go back to how it use to be I don’t if I could ever work here. That’s how much they like it now.
Does Someone Have to Go? airs on Thursdays on FOX.
Does Someone Have to Go? on Twitter: @DSHTGonFOX
Twitter: @CMESFV & @Red_Glean
June 13, 2013- Tonight we find out the outcome of the next employee takeover on Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX Sports and Fitness, premiere manufacturer of the popular and innovative Powerball Gyroscope hand held exercise ball was featured on last week’s June 6th episode. Now this week is the time for the CEO of DFX, Farren Matale to listen to her employee’s recommendations.
SciFi Vision spoke with Farren Matale about her experience on Does Someone Have To Go?
Red Glean's Christiane Elin for SciFi Vision: Are you ready for the show?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yes, I’m nervous but I’m ready.
SciFi Vision: A little bit about your company.
DFX’s Farren Matale: We are a manufacturer and distributor in Anaheim, CA. We manufacture the DFX Powerball, it’s a handheld, wrist, and forearm exerciser. It’s a really unique product and we’ve had great success with it. We are in a lot of major sporting good and fitness stores.
SciFi Vision: How did DFX come apart of Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I can’t remember. This had actually been in the works for quite awhile. We were approached by the production company. We do a lot of media and advertising. We write up an approach and maybe interviewed and depending on whether or not anyone thought we were interesting or not then it became part of the show.
SciFi Vision: Did you watch the premiere episode with the VMS company?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yes. I actually watched that to see what was in store for us.
SciFi Vision: How did you feel about their process? Your company has been done filming months ago.
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yeah, it’s been done filming for quite awhile. VMS was the first one to show. I wasn’t here for most of the shooting. I was just here on a Friday and a Monday. Everybody kind of got together on the weekend. I only heard from the employees what was happening. So I was really anxious to watch the VMS episode, do see what I had in store for me. I didn’t think VMS’ wasn’t that bad. I’m glad that I saw it the way that it was.
SciFi Vision: Do you feel like when watching the VMS episode there were any kind of similarities to what your company went through?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Yeah because just like VMS I do have a lot of family members that work with me. And that was when I was first like oh, here we go they have all of their family working with them too, the mother, because I have my father working here. So there’s a lot similarities to the type of business relations, in the office, I could in fact relate to a lot. I kind of started thinking if that was what the main problem is, the family.
SciFi Vision: Have you had a chance to see it or will you be watching with all of us?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I’ll be watching it with all of you guys.
SciFi Vision: Going through the process of shooting, is there anything revealing being show? Anything that surprised you while going through shooting Does Someone Have To Go?
DFX’s Farren Matale: I was definitely surprised by how much drama happened while I wasn’t here. There’s always been drama in my office but I didn’t know it was going to be like I heard it was when I wasn’t here. I didn’t know it was going to be so emotional. I definitely wasn’t prepared for the emotional aspects of this whole show. I think everybody went into as we know it’s going to be a show, you kind of have to have your game face on but that’s not so. They definitely have a way to making the realness come out.
SciFi Vision: When shooting was going on for Does Someone Have To Go? did you only have to dedicate company time to shooting the show?
DFX’s Farren Matale: It was hard to actually get work done while they were shooting here at the office. They were here a couple days before they actually shot the show trying to get some B roll. It was awkward. You see these huge cameras walking around the office and to remember to not look at them. I’m a really humorous person. I bust jokes all of the time so I was trying not to bust jokes to the camera guy. It was awkward. We weren’t as productive as we should have been during the shooting of the show.
SciFi Vision: Are getting any attention from being on the show? The show focuses on the workers but is it bringing any attention to your product and your business?
DFX’s Farren Matale: Well that’s one of the reasons besides hoping to fix the issues in the office as a business owner we decided to do it. We can’t financially afford $100,000 for 30 second spot on national television. We hoped that it would bring more product knowledge to what we offer the Powerballs. We have seen somewhat of an increase of our retailers, our major retailers and our buyers. We’ve shown them clips everywhere on the internet and they are really interested in it. It’s funny because they can feel where we are coming from because when we’ve shown them clips. Our buyers are the most important to us, that’s where we make our money is our larger retailers. They are very interested in it and have remarked that I wish they would have done that show at my place. They are kind of in the same situation that I think all of us are when there’s dysfunction in the office and there’s really no way of fixing it when there not given a voice like big companies like Dicks, REI and Big 5. So it’s not just a little company like me that has these issues. It kind of felt good that my larger customers were kind of like oh, I wish they would do that in my office. It was nice that they were interested in it too.
SciFi Vision: Now that you are away from the filming. I know that you can’t give anything away. But how do you feel about your company. Did things get resolved and it’s moving on and it’s in a better place.
DFX’s Farren Matale: I do think we are in a better place. We’ve been at this for twenty years and even after the employees come and go and have new employees, we always seem to have the same management issues and problems that arise. As a business owner it’s never in the back of your mind to ever at anytime to let your employee try to help you give suggestions on fixing it. It’s beyond them and that’s kind of what I’ve always been raised to think they are only here for a paycheck. I’m sure there are a lot of business owners out there that have that assumption of their employees because they never give them the opportunity to make changes. I am thankful that the show was able to do that because I don’t think in a normal situation that I would’ve have ever done that. I’m really proud of all the decisions that they all made. I think they made good decisions but I think it also gave my employees the chance to see how hard it is be a boss. They only had to this for two days. And for the two days, my employees, the fifteen of them to make a decision on the three people that could possibly be fired, there was crying, there was anger there was all this stuff just for two days. And I think it gave them the opportunity to see how hard it is to make these decisions for twenty years. It not only gave me a sense of new respect of my employees but I feel it gave them respect for what I do and my job. We work together better than we ever have. Our sales are up and I believe it’s because they’re happy and they really want to make me happy now. They actually care how I feel. I was always in the position where I felt that they didn’t really care if I was happy or not so why do I care if they are happy. It’s so not that way anymore. They’re happy to be at work. I actually had someone say well I know if it ever was to go back to how it use to be I don’t if I could ever work here. That’s how much they like it now.
Does Someone Have to Go? airs on Thursdays on FOX.
Does Someone Have to Go? on Twitter: @DSHTGonFOX
Does Someone Have To Go? Lands on Fox
Written by Christiane Elin
Twitter: @CMESFV & @Red_Glean
May 23, 2013- Fox brings us a new spin on the workplace reality show with Does Someone Have To Go? In this 12 episode series featuring six different businesses the business owners hand over the company to their employees. Each business is featured for two episodes leaving the first episode with a dramatic cliffhanger.
The employees are given the difficult task to choose three employees to be put on the chopping block. Like most reality shows there’s a twist. The employees, while sitting in the same room, must endure watching video clips of their fellow co-workers giving their opinions about them. After hearing the no holds barred comments made by their co-workers, the next piece of information is revealed. Each person’s salary is shown one-by-one on the TV screen. With these less than trivial pieces of information, it’s then time for the workers to make a decision about which three should be put up for possible termination. After some debating between employees, it’s time for them to vote for the bottom three. At the end of the first episode, the bottom three are revealed.
The second episode is devoted to the bottom three employees pleading their case. After the impassioned bottom three give their perspective as to why they are an asset to the company the co-workers deliberate. Terminate, salary cut, probation or demotion are some of the possible decisions they will make.
There are many uncomfortable moments in Does Someone Have To Go?. The salary reveal and the micro-analyzing of each employee stand out most. Not sure why knowing someone else’s salary seems like such a personal violation. Does Someone Have To Go? is an interesting social experiment. Can you imagine if your job was put in the spotlight? Do you think that you’re doing the best in your current position? Would you do a better job if your job was put under a microscope? Time to step up or the next thing you know, Does Someone Have To Go? just might turn up at your workplace.
Does Someone Have To Go? airs on Thursdays on FOX.
Does Someone Have To Go? on Twitter: @DSHTGonFOX
Twitter: @CMESFV & @Red_Glean
May 23, 2013- Fox brings us a new spin on the workplace reality show with Does Someone Have To Go? In this 12 episode series featuring six different businesses the business owners hand over the company to their employees. Each business is featured for two episodes leaving the first episode with a dramatic cliffhanger.
The employees are given the difficult task to choose three employees to be put on the chopping block. Like most reality shows there’s a twist. The employees, while sitting in the same room, must endure watching video clips of their fellow co-workers giving their opinions about them. After hearing the no holds barred comments made by their co-workers, the next piece of information is revealed. Each person’s salary is shown one-by-one on the TV screen. With these less than trivial pieces of information, it’s then time for the workers to make a decision about which three should be put up for possible termination. After some debating between employees, it’s time for them to vote for the bottom three. At the end of the first episode, the bottom three are revealed.
The second episode is devoted to the bottom three employees pleading their case. After the impassioned bottom three give their perspective as to why they are an asset to the company the co-workers deliberate. Terminate, salary cut, probation or demotion are some of the possible decisions they will make.
There are many uncomfortable moments in Does Someone Have To Go?. The salary reveal and the micro-analyzing of each employee stand out most. Not sure why knowing someone else’s salary seems like such a personal violation. Does Someone Have To Go? is an interesting social experiment. Can you imagine if your job was put in the spotlight? Do you think that you’re doing the best in your current position? Would you do a better job if your job was put under a microscope? Time to step up or the next thing you know, Does Someone Have To Go? just might turn up at your workplace.
Does Someone Have To Go? airs on Thursdays on FOX.
Does Someone Have To Go? on Twitter: @DSHTGonFOX