National Geographic Dares to Think Outside the (Yellow) Box With Valley of the Boom

Network's scripted series channels dot-com's 1990s heyday

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Matthew Carnahan cannot be accused of false advertising.

The creator of Valley of the Boom, premiering Jan. 13 on Nat Geo, pitched the genre-bending scripted-and-documentary hybrid as a project that would elasticize and perhaps even traumatize the storied cable network.

“I told them I was going to blow up their perfect gold box,” Carnahan says, referring to the iconic yellow border that serves as a stylistic and brand template. “I used almost those exact words.”

His plan may have sounded like madness, but there was a method to it, Carnahan promised the channel’s execs.

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This story first appeared in the Jan. 7, 2019, issue of Brandweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.