I think more information would help say who might be a great fit, unless the primary goal is really just anyone who will do this for free and more or less repeat what you want them to say (that will probably isolate a lot of potential audience members on this forum, FYI). On this forum we have users, hardcore users, hardcore collectors, knife makers from companies all over the world, knife testers, company CEOs, and more, all in one place as a giant knowledge tap (and many members fill multiple of those statuses.) If I was flipping through the channels and stumbled upon the program at that introduction phase, or I read a 1 sentence teaser, what would make me stop dead in my tracks and tune-in would be the name "Sal Glesser".
If you browse around on the forum a little, you will find there are quite a few members who have been here for a decade+ who have done EXTENSIVE work on things like testing steels, edge geometry, design rationales, reviews, etc. These individuals are highly respected experts on the topics of cutting tools, and many have been doing their thing long before the Internet was commonly used to discuss edged tools. Depending on what your guy does, and what you plan to do with the show, someone may really fit your role like a glove (for example, if this is going to be forged damascus, a big damascus collector could pair well). As a collector, I would be more interested in your show if one of those many well-known individuals on this forum was involved, and even more interested if they were allowed to collaborate to some degree on the design.
There are also some of the biggest & greatest names in knife-making on this forum, ranging from smaller-scale full-blown custom makers to some of the largest makers in the world. One example that I mentioned above, Sal Glesser (the founder of Spyderco), is known for
personally posting to this forum frequently, and with direct and personalized responses (how many CEOs of a company the size of Spyderco do THAT!?!?!?!). If Sal showed up on a Skype chat, that in itself would attract a ton of attention because he is one of the most respected individuals in the business and, despite being one of the top experts in the entire world when it comes to cutting tools and being THE individual that has most defined what we today refer to as a "'one-handed opening' folding knife", he is as friendly, modest, and as approachable as they come. Plus he has built a company that defines the word, "Integrity," and when he speaks, I listen.
And while I cannot tell you if this is something he would consider, his involvement in the knife community goes far, far beyond profit-only, and he is frequently involved in things that are more for the sake of the hobby than for the sake of any real financial gain.
I also think many people here will be curious as to the direction you are moving at with the show...and when I say "many people", I mean that verbatim given this forum gives a huge audience of people who like knives and BladeForums is the top Google hit for most phrases involving "knives" and another keyword regarding discussion, usage, or collecting.
Sometimes shows go a little overly mainstream and sometimes shows highlight what many "knife nuts" like to see. What many members in this community will likely want to hear about could be:
- the production methods,
- the steel along with the heat treatment (LOT of detail preferred),
- discussion of steel topics (for example, the evolution of iron knives up to today's powder metallurgy [PM] steels)
- geometry in the design,
- discussion of other materials used,
- the locales of raw and finished materials,
- background information on the maker, and
- background information on the kind of knife with a historical perspective (for example, discuss the evolution of Kissaki tip [often called tanto blade], as it fascinates almost everyone.)
While it may not interest you and this is nothing more than a suggestion from my own opinion, I think a forum like this is a powerful tool for feedback via field tests/trials. Standard focus groups are great, but if you also want the input of people who are more interested in the technical side, the "poll" feature of this forum could give you very valuable input and reach a target/key demographic group whom would otherwise be less interested. (I am much better at marketing, product, and media research & fielding than I am knife collecting!) YMMV.
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