Dan and Laura Dotson have advice for Proper TV and OLN as they cast Storage Wars Canada as a reality TV series: find real storage unit buyers, not cookie-cutter copies of the American TV characters.

“That’s what the other shows have tried to do, copy the legitimate buyers that are already there. If they aren’t legitimate buyers, you can imitate it, but you can’t emulate it,” Laura Dotson, who runs the auctions on A&E’s popular Storage Wars series with husband Dan, told Playback.

Proper Television will produce a local version of the popular A&E reality series based on a format acquired from FremantleMedia, whose Original Productions produces the original American franchise.

Dan Dotson insisted Storage Wars is more character than plot-driven.

And he added Canada is full of eccentric storage unit buyers, auctioneers and appraisers likely to break through with local TV audiences as characters on Storage Wars Canada.

“Canada is full of characters, just like anywhere else, and it’s just a matter of sifting them out and saying, okay, here’s a really good guy. He knows what’s he’s doing,” Dan Dotson said.

“They’re not going to beat him up because he’s got the pocketbook, he’s got the knowledge, he’s got the machine to get rid of the stuff,” he added of a mogul character that echoes former Storage Wars star David Hester.

Proper TV will start shooting 36 half-hour episodes in May, mainly in and around southern Ontario.

The Dotsons also stressed the importance of choosing skilled buyers, auctioneers and appraisers to shine on screen.

“A smart buyer will look at ten to 15 units before they do a bid. They don’t have to get rich, to retire on a unit. They may just get their gas money back on the day, and learn how to stand before a storage unit, size up the other buyers, buy stuff, haul it out and get rid of it,” Dan Dotson argued.

Storage Wars Canada is the latest original series from Rogers Media after Package Deal, Seed and Mother Up!

The Storage Wars franchise currently airs on OLN weeknights at 8 p.m.