The REAL Real World: How Pedro Zamora used MTV to save lives – includes new interview with Judd Winick

It’s the mid 90s and reality TV is in its infancy with The Real World. At first, many critics dismiss the show as trash — along with everything else about MTV. But one young man has a crazy dream … of getting on the show so he can use it for something nobody had ever tried. Saving lives. There’s just one problem — he might have a very limited time to do it because he is HIV-positive. And when he DOES get on the show, he realizes his mission is even harder than he thought. This is the story of Pedro Zamora … and the year that transformed reality TV, and an epidemic.

The year was 1994 and the third season of The Real World set in San Francisco. I watched each and every episode at the time and multiple times since and fell in love with Pedro and his closest friends in the house Judd Winick and Pam Ling

This first-rate video by Matt Baume tells the story of Pedro and The Real World and the huge impact it had on the world and the understanding of HIV/AIDS. The end of the video left me feeling devastated because Matt highlights the horrifying plans of the Trump administration when it comes to HIV/AIDS – a stunning series of setbacks. What would Pedro do? Judd says in an interview that he would not disengage – he would fight for what is right.

Here is a link to my 2009 interview with Judd and Pam: Judd Winick and Pam Ling talk about their friend Pedro Zamora and the new movie on his life

The Pedro Zamora Scholarship: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/pedro-za… Donate to the National AIDS Memorial and the scholarship: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/donate-now