Jenny Feterovich, right, and her wife, Raisa, with their sons on the beach. The two women are the producer/director team behind Start Up (Courtesy photo)

TV producer Jenny Feterovich talks filming the new season of ‘Start Up’ here in DFW with her wife

RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com

The five-time Emmy-nominated series Start Up premieres its 12th season Saturday, Sept. 28. But this time out, the show has some Big D flair.

The show profiles area entrepreneurs with compelling stories who have reshaped or created industries and, in doing so, have had an impact on their communities. Other seasons have been spread across large areas like the West Coast, but for season 12, it’s all Dallas-Fort Worth.

“Choosing to produce an entire season in one location is a decision we don’t take lightly, and when it came to selecting Dallas-Fort Worth, the choice was clear,” producer Jenny Feterovich said in the season announcement.

“The region offers a unique blend of big-city resources and a strong sense of community, which is exactly the kind of environment we want to highlight on Start Up,” she said. “DFW’s rich tapestry of cultures, industries and people makes it the perfect backdrop for sharing diverse business journeys. Whether it’s a cutting-edge startup or a family-owned business with deep roots in the area, DFW has it all.”

As the show took shape here in North Texas, Feterovich and the Start Up team discovered they had an embarrassment of riches. To focus on one area turned out to be the right decision. The producer said she found it easy to see why DFW is in a boomtown way.

“The amount of entrepreneurs here made it hard to choose. The city has attracted a lot of that, and we found a wealth of quality stories here,” she said. “So we decided to dive in. I could film two seasons here easily if I could.”

The show travels across the country to highlight diverse stories of entrepreneurs who are building their businesses from scratch. But the show isn’t just a showcase of those people.Start Upp has become something far bigger in its tenure.

The show, for instance, has become an educational tool in schools, universities and prisons.

“Our mission is to inspire and educate the next generation of entrepreneurs who are starting a business,” Feterovich said. “Our stories are about representation. If you decide to do anything from watching our show, we’ve done our job.

“I want viewers to walk away seeing themselves a bit and to follow those dreams,” she continued. “But they see the show and see the steps people take to make those dreams happen. Everything is attainable and reverse-engineerable.”

Feterovich adds that during the pandemic, with both access to and an increase in information, people reflected on what they were doing and what they wanted to do. People also looked at business differently.

She remembers that applications for small businesses after the pandemic numbered in the millions.

No queer-owned businesses made the cut this season, but Feterovich was happy that in episode three, the owner of Just Elope — which specializes in intimate, creative micro weddings — discussed her first wedding, which was for a same-sex couple.

“She talked about it in such a beautiful way,” Feterovich said. “In our very first episode of the show, we had a same-sex couple featured. I want to represent as many different people as possible.”

Start Up is also a family affair for Feterovich. While she serves as producer, her wife Raisa is the show’s director.

In the beginning, it wasn’t the easiest situation to navigate. Feterovich owns up to that.

“Working with her is great now, but it was quite hard in the beginning,” she said. “We had a rocky start, and I had to recognize I was not the best during all that.”

Feterovich said she learned to trust the process. She grew to recognize the strengths Raisa brought to the show and to give the director her on lane.

It’s an approach Feterovich says has worked well not just with her wife, but the team as a whole.

“That taught me a lot and it’s been wonderful ever since. Plus, I stay in Detroit with our three children to work while she’s on the road, so we’ve got it figured out.”

The two celebrated 10 years this year. And now they are starting the 12th season of Start Up.

“We’re very lucky to do this for a living as an independent show and inspire people. And we’re always transparent about who we are, and we’ve been able to accomplish so much.”

Start Up will air locally on KERA at 6 p.m. beginning Sept. 28.