There are still people doing that exact same thing. A few years back there were a couple of guys that I met on an Elk hunt in Colorado. They did not have a sponsored show. They put up a bunch of money to go on a few trips that fall with the hopes of picking up sponsors. If they didn't get the sponsors, they were planning on paying other shows (like $2,500 or so) to air their hunts. They then planned on using these aired shows to built up a good portfolio. These people were by no means rich and were self-funded. Never did see them on TV.