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Thom Beers loves telling the story of the hard-living everyman, and he's probably done more to make it part of the reality series landscape than just about anyone.

As Original Prods. founder, CEO and executive producer, Beers has been the driving force behind programs like "Deadliest Catch," "Ice Road Truckers," "Monster Garage" and "Ax Men." In the 10 years since the company was founded, these shows have become part of a catalog of more than 40 programs broadcast on cable networks like Discovery, History, WeTV, Spike TV, the National Geographic Channel and TLC. Next, Beers will develop scripted programming based on true stories.

Ask Beers -- who confesses to a major case of wanderlust -- what keeps him glued to a TV screen when he watches a show, and he's quick to answer: "It has to be fun, and I have to be learning something I didn't expect, because really I'm just a student like any viewer."