TV Show Fulfills Creators’ Fantasy : Television: Scott and Kerri Friedland of Huntington Beach produce NBC series that also makes teens’ wishes come true.

One teen-age boy attended NASA Space Camp; one girl went to training camp for the FBI. An aspiring Broadway star matched steps with Gregory Hines, while a hopeful young ballerina worked out with dancers from the Joffrey Ballet.

A “City Slickers”-style cattle drive? Kick boxing with Jean-Claude Van Damme? Teens from across the nation are getting the chance to indulge their fantasies on network TV as part of “Name Your Adventure,” a Saturday morning series that premieres today on NBC.

The debut presents a fantasy come true for the show’s producers, Scott and Kerri Friedland of Huntington Beach. Scott, joined later by Kerri, has been producing promos for TV shows and networks for 10 years, creating spots and campaigns for series including “Murphy Brown,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and, in its syndicated run, “Roseanne.”

Making the switch from that “very niched” field to producing television shows is “a very hard transition,” said Scott Friedland in an interview in his Burbank office. “It’s really hard to make the break.”

The Friedlands came up with the idea for “Name Your Adventure” (originally titled “Kidquest”) about three years ago. Fantasy-fulfillment shows have been around almost since the dawn of television, but the twist this time was to aim the show at teens and give it an informational slant.

Trying to attract interest in the show has been an ego-bruising experience for the Friedlands, who logged more than 100 pitch meetings before selling it. “People said, ‘Forget it; it’ll never happen,’ ” Kerri said.

“You have to have a passion for what you’re doing and a belief in yourself, because it can be very discouraging,” Scott said. “I don’t know what the odds are, but they’re not very good.”

The Friedlands got their first break when a friend in promotion at NBC helped get them a 13-week assignment to produce “interstitial” Saturday programming--short between-show bits that maintain a story line while introducing the next program.

That gave them an opening with daytime programming at NBC. Then, when NBC decided to ditch its Saturday morning cartoons in favor of live-action shows targeted at teens, “Name Your Adventure” got its chance. It is the only one of three new shows debuting today that was not produced in-house at NBC.

For a program with no track record, Scott Friedland said, “Name Your Adventure” has gotten a lot of cooperation from celebrities in arranging to fulfill the fantasies of youngsters chosen through a nationwide mail-in campaign.

Other participants have included Henry Winkler (for a film-directing segment), ice skater Brian Boitano, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jim Everett and Vice President Dan Quayle.

The show airs at 5 a.m. today and Sunday in Los Angeles because of a scheduling conflict (KNBC Channel 4 has been conducting a “set your VCR” campaign), but next week will settle into its regular 11 a.m. Saturday slot. Today’s debut features a running bit about an old-fashioned cattle drive, which wraps around a segment with dancer Gregory Hines and another bit featuring a young environmental activist who visits a recycling center.

“Name Your Adventure” sports a youth-oriented look and feel that separates it from more sedate magazine programs for adults. All segments incorporate music; the camera never stops moving, and there is no narration. Adventurers are joined by show hosts Mario Lopez or Jordan Brady.

“It’s an MTV-style show with content,” says Scott Friedland. “We wanted to create a show that was informational, educational and entertaining.” The show is NBC’s qualifier under the new Children’s Television Act, which calls on broadcasters to provide at least 30 minutes of informational/educational programming.

So far, Kerri Friedland said, kids chosen for the program have been enthusiastic and fun to work with. When teens are informed they’ve been selected, Friedland said, “there have been some pretty emotional responses on the other end of the phone, from crying to screaming to yelling.”

Scott Friedland has been spending less time at Imagine One Productions, the company he founded to produce promotional spots, and more time at Big Daddy Productions, the company he and Kerri formed in February to produce “Name Your Adventure” and other television shows.

Big Daddy is developing several projects, including a talk show for teens and some reality-based shows for adults that will have more of a positive slant than some of the fare now on TV, he said.

The Friedlands continue to make the commute from their home in Huntington Beach. Kerri grew up in Anaheim, Scott in Westminster. They keep a part-time residence near their Burbank office but consider Huntington Beach home.

“Here (in Burbank) everything sort of revolves around the industry,” said Kerri Friedland. “Orange County is like a hit of reality.”

“Name Your Adventure” airs today and Sunday at 5 a.m. on KNBC-TV Channel 4. The show moves to its regular time slot of 11 a.m. beginning Sept. 19.