TV show to help 'chronically unemployed'

Sundance Channel says it has green-lit "Get to Work," a San Diego-set non-fiction series about a program created to help the "chronically unemployed." The cable network said Wednesday it has ordered eight episodes of the hourlong docu-series. Currently in production and slated to premiere in August, "'Get to Work' takes viewers inside a groundbreaking back-to-work program in San Diego, a hardcore boot camp that gives hope to the chronically unemployed: those who have no jobs, no direction, and seemingly no chance," a synopsis said. "'Get to Work' examines one of the country's most urgent challenges, joblessness, with a portrayal that is sometimes painful but often deeply affecting," Sarah Barnett, Sundance Channel's general manager, said in a statement. "We see individuals that many might have given up on transform before our eyes. It is powerful and intense to watch as these students try to overcome incredible odds to build a future. We're excited to provide our viewers with a gripping, intimate look at this important issue." The docu-series focuses on a real-life program called STRIVE that has affiliates throughout the United States. The series was shot at Second Chance in San Diego, a non-profit organization that has been offering STRIVE training for the past 14 years. "In today's economy, people without refined workplace skills, experience and self-esteem are hard-pressed to find opportunity, but STRIVE provides hope and turns lives around," said Philip Weinberg, chief executive officer of STRIVE.