MTV wants more

Trendy clothes, designer hair cuts, plenty of money, not a care in the world. That describes your typical coastal Orange County high school student, if you believe the seemingly endless outpouring of TV shows centering on the beach community.

Spurred on by the immense popularity of the landmark blockbuster “The OC,” big networks started churning out shows focusing on the high school-age demographic in Newport Beach and similar areas including “Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County” and “Laguna Beach.”

MTV is looking to add another to the list, and the production company responsible for it filmed the pilot at about a dozen Newport-Mesa locations over the weekend.

The as-yet untitled reality show will focus on Tommy Bradley Gatewood, a recent Mater Dei High School graduate and Newport Beach resident, and his well-primped, brazenly fashion-conscious posse.

“We’re all good guys with great-looking bodies and we’re just fresh,” Gatewood said, with more than a normal dose of self-confidence.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday they rolled around Newport Beach and Costa Mesa with two vans full of camera crews, hitting local restaurants and retail shops. One of their first stops Friday afternoon was the Crew Salon, a hip hair styling venue at The Lab mall (or “anti-mall” as the proprietors like to call it) off of Bristol Street.

That’s where the guys, in groups of three or four, go to get their “faux hawks,” a tamer, more debonair cousin of the mohawk that doesn’t have the stark, rebellious contrast between baldness on the outside and tall hair in the middle.

The boys have frequented the salon religiously for years now, according to their stylist Shanna Bernstein. So religiously, in fact, that they have a name for what she does to their hair: They call it getting shawn-a-fied.

“I’m not sure what makes him so special to have a TV series about him,” said fellow hairstylist Lindsay Morrissette.

They do have distinguishing characteristics, though. Many of the guys have piercings and tattoos, they all wear Affliction brand clothing, and they walk around with a distinctive swagger.

“I make fun of them a lot because they just go to community colleges, spend mommy’s money and go to raves,” Bernstein said. She made a special point of saying they are all “nice guys,” and just have a “huge lack of direction.”

Before getting their hair styled, Gatewood went to English Ink tattoo parlor, also in Costa Mesa.

Tattoo artist Tim Nasario drew a couple of roses on his chest as he and his girlfriend talked.

“She’s super nice and he is very…uh…Orange County,” Nasario said, adding that Gatewood isn’t the typical blue-collar guy he usually gets in the shop.

So how does an “ordinary” yet distinctive kid get to star in his own reality series?

“It just fell into my lap,” Gatewood said.

A talent agent spotted him and his crew and noticed their “[expletive]-it life style,” according to Gatewood.

The film crew drew permits from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach to film at a handful of other locations around town including Ten Asian Bistro, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Star Nails, according to officials from both cities. Filming for the show has so far been small-scale and mild compared with other dramas that have requested permits in Newport Beach, said city film liaison Joe Cleary.

“We’re done with production for the pilot. I’ve been wrapping up for a couple of days,” said Derek Mihalik, one of the show’s producers with the El Segundo-based company State Penn Productions.

The show still needs to go through two to three months of editing and then must pass muster with MTV executives before it is put on the air, Mihalik said. He could not release any more details about the show because of contract agreements with the network.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at [email protected].