Six years ago, Eric Baltazar was watching “50 First Dates” when he heard a song that would change the trajectory of his career.

The song was a cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and the man singing it was a Hawaiian named Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwoʻole.

“He had this unbelievably beautiful voice, and he was playing the ukulele,” said Baltazar, a New York City native who now lives in Greenville.

He wanted to hear more. Soon, he was on YouTube, clicking on video after video of young musicians playing genre-bending songs on the ukulele.

“Kids hear a song on Monday, learn how to play it on Tuesday and post it on YouTube on Wednesday. And it’s happening all over the world,” Baltazar said. “That’s really what got me.”

At the time, Baltazar was traveling around the country looking for different reality show concepts to produce.

He was drawn to dynamic characters with a unique story to tell. At one point he was scouting around in the Bronx and came across a man who had a successful concrete and asphalt business.

“He was this amazing over-the-top hilarious character,” Baltazar said.

He began filming what would become “Cement Heads,” a 10-episode series on A&E about the misadventures of a family-run business.

In addition to “Cement Heads,” Baltazar has produced 11 reality TV concepts over the course of his career. He’s worked with A&E, MTV Viacom, Metador, True Entertainment and other networks and found a measure of success in the entertainment business.

But he was also ready to try something new.

From reality TV to documentary

“Dancing Flea: The Ukulele Craze” has been Baltazar’s passion project these last four years.

The exploratory documentary follows Baltazar as he tries to understand what’s behind the ukulele’s appeal and why so many young people are turning to it as their musical instrument of choice.

He started local. He interviewed City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming, who said the ukulele is one of the first instruments children learn to play in Greenville County Schools because of its diminutive size.

It’s also easy to learn, as Baltazar found out when he met Sarah Wilson, the owner of Stella’s Music Emporium on Augusta Street.

“She said she could teach anybody to play the ukulele in five minutes. And you know, she was right,” Baltazar said with a laugh. “She had me playing ukulele, and we were singing The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pat Benatar.”

And wherever he went, Baltazar found people playing the ukulele.

He traveled to England, home of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, and to Phoenix, Arizona, where he visited Alice Cooper Solid Rock, a music foundation dedicated to helping troubled youth.

“They’re literally saving kids’ lives with the ukulele. Kids go in, they’re having a tough time, and they save them with music,” Baltazar said.

He wound up interviewing a number of musicians for “Dancing Flea,” including 12-year-old Grace VanderWaal, who won the 11th season of “America’s Got Talent;” country artist Benton Blount, an “America’s Got Talent” finalist who hails from Greenville; and Jason Shimabukuro, the ukulele virtuoso who became internationally famous when a video of his cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube.

Baltazar hinted that an A-list actor is also attached to the project but said he can’t reveal who.

“In the process of filming this documentary, I met with some of the most generous, beautiful, kind people that I’ve ever met in my life,” Baltazar said. “There’s something really, really special about the community.”

Shimabukuro, whom Baltazar now considers a good friend, called it “the aloha spirit.”

“It’s almost intangible, but you know it when you feel it,” Baltazar said.

“Dancing Flea” is about an hour and 20 minutes long and is now in post-production, Baltazar said.

He’s taking his time to work toward a theatrical release before taking the film to Netflix, HBO or some other streaming service.

In the meantime, Baltazar is working on a new reality TV concept — think “Desperate Housewives” but based in Greenville — and, of course, playing his ukulele.

Visit dancingflea.com for more information.

Five things you didn’t know about the ukulele

• The ukulele, instantly recognizable by its four strings, short neck and diminutive size, was first introduced to Hawaii in 1879 by Portuguese immigrants.
• According to the Smithsonian Institution, Hawaiians were so impressed by one Portuguese musician’s fingerwork that they started calling the instrument “ukulele,” which translates to “jumping flea.”
• Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole’s ukulele rendition of “Over the Rainbow” was featured on the television show “ER” and on a number of movie soundtracks, including “50 First Dates,” the romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.
• A video of 20-year-old Jake Shimabakuro playing George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” on the ukulele was one of the first YouTube videos to go viral, according to the BBC. The video currently has more than 16.7 million views and 13,700 comments.
• The ukulele is enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity. The National Association of Music Merchants reported 1.8 million ukulele sales in 2017, the last figures available, up from 501,000 in 2009.

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