Could Bre Pettis Be the Web's First TV Star? Pilot to Air on History Channel.

Michael Buckley just got a development deal with HBO.  Lisa Nova was on four episodes of Mad TV.  Jessica Lee Rose appeared in a terrible Lindsay Lohan movie (was that redundant? Ha!) and in the ABC Family series, Greek.  The Ask a Ninja guys are writing and directing the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes redux. 

There are the above plus a handful of other instances where cewebrities have crossed over (or have a good opportunity to cross over) to the small screen from the smaller one.  But none have been able to make it big on TV.  Bre Pettis could be the first. 

His pilot – History Hacker – will air on the History Channel on Friday, September 26 at 9PM.  Here’s Bre on what the show’s all about:

Over the course of the show I learn about the inventors and inventions of the past and then hack the inventions together out of stuff in my closet.

The first pilot episode is all about Nikola Tesla who is an amazing character. He’s the man responsible for the current that comes out of your wall sockets. He battled Thomas Edison in the war of currents and won.  He had over 300 patents and besides figuring out AC power, he came up with radio control and mucked about with electricity more than anybody.

Great concept, and Bre’s the perfect host.

He’s a MacGuyver plus “Mr. Rogers, Mr. Wizard, and Bill Nye ‘The Science Guy’ rolled into one,” who formerly showcased his science and how-to savvy as host of Make’s Weekend Projects – where he DIYed things like messenger bags and theremins – and currently showcases it as a producer for online marketplace, Etsy and founder of hacker collective, NYC Resistor.

Knowledgeable, but accessible.  Informal, yet informative. Geeky and easily likable. 

Be sure to mark your calendars and set your Tivos and DVRs to check out History Hackers when it airs on TV.  If Neilsen thinks enough of you watch, Bre will get to make a whole season and become the web’s first personality to make a sustained, successful transition to television and eventual mainstream superstardom.

Okay, maybe not superstardom, but at least a Bill Nye / Josh Bernstein stratum of celebrity.

Photo by Bre Pettis.