Local families invited to apply for spot on new ABC game show

Former Agoura resident Allison Kaz, now a Hollywood casting agent, is returning to her hometown to find families that will fit the bill for a new ABC television game show set to air possibly in the fall.

"We are reinventing game night altogether and bringing the family back together in traditional fun," said Kaz, a casting producer for 3Ball Productions in Manhattan Beach.

During the show, the members of a family will work with each other to answer trivia questions ranging from past events to current pop culture.

"It's all things that each family member could or should know," said Kaz.

As participants answer questions correctly, more money is added to their family jackpot. Mom, dad and kids will also have opportunities to win individual prizes.

In an age of computers and text messages, the new show aims to reunite families and bring back the human touch, Kaz said.

Episodes will be taped on the front yard of a different family's home each week. A set will be built on location, and the audience will include relatives, neighbors and friends.

The show's producers are looking for average American families whose lives would be changed if they had the chance to win a big cash prize.

Locations in the Las Virgenes and Conejo valleys as well as East Ventura County would be ideal for the show because the region contains many welcoming neighborhoods, Kaz said.

The game show will feature one family at a time, and the applicants must be close-knit, fun and outgoing. They also must own their own home and have children between the ages of 7 and 21.

Kaz, 32, is an Agoura High graduate who studied journalism in college. She decided to work in casting because the profession allows her to use her interviewing skills to learn everything she can about the subjects she wants to feature on television.

"Everyone has a story to them, and it's my job to find out what that story is," she said.

Individuals appearing on television must have "interactive" personalities and carry the traits that enable the audience to identify with them.

"People want to feel some kind of emotion, they want to watch others succeed," Kaz said.

Casting for the new family game show will continue through July 3.

To audition, visit the website www.3ballproductions.com/casting.