I had a great opportunity to spend some time with Mike Holmes of ‘Holmes on Homes‘ (#1 show on HGTV Canada for several years) and I was able to spend a little time on his show (24 seconds to be exact!). Take a look:
The show continues to be shown and it has received millions of audience impressions. If you are not familiar with the show, here is a brief summary of its footprint and specifically of the show I was on. It has been pretty cool getting calls from friends across the continent saying they saw me on TV. The show seems to air every month or so, so my I still get calls on my extended ’15 seconds’ of fame!
He may come across as a bit over the top on the show, but it is merely a by-product of his passion to do things right and his frustration on those that don’t share that same core belief. This man definitely has his heart in the right place. He was very generous with his time, both with me and others around the job site.
All of us were donating product or time (or both) to help out this young family in need, so it really was an honor to be a part of the project. I was very impressed how he spoke to every contractor and worker on the site, from the film crew to the guy sweeping the floor. He treated them, and me, as an equal. I never got the feeling that he felt he was above anyone else.
The episode was a big first for him. It was his first double episode (2 hours) and his first show ever filmed outside of Canada, shot on location in California. The show is called “Pasadena 911″. BuildDirect was involved because we heard the story of this family that had fallen on tough times due to a contractor that had not delivered as promised. They had a live reveal on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Here is an excerpt from an article written about the show.
Meeting Mike was cool. He’s a real genuine guy. I was on set for approx 3 hours and we spent a lot of that time together. He was exactly like he appears on the show: sincere, genuine and passionate.
Related posts:
TV works..Interesting to hear you say people keep calling you. i had a TV ad Years ago, and years after I stopped People would still stop me in Safeway and say we saw you on TV last Night..Of course I called the TV station and they swore up and down they never ran an old ad. Your TV Picture is worth a thousand calls ?
Sounds great Fred… love to hear from other TV personalities!!
how does mike or his show pick the people in need? I would think that alot of people have these problems with their home……
also does mike and his family wife and children still live in Canada?
As a contractor, I at first found Holmes’ show to be somewhat entertaining and informative. However, after watching a multitude of episodes, I find his constant bashing of his own field as a little disconcerting. I did a little research on the show. He principally flits about here and there (in Canada) and comes across the exception more than what the contracting field actually provides its customers. Any of us has come across previously poor contracting work and poor homeowner effort. But, I gotta ask, his constant invictive attitude about his own trade?! There is no balance in this show. Too, if you watch enough, you will see Holmes either sell the homeowner, or use his show to purchase, items, processes, or techniques that are either unnecessary or overkill. He also subs out nearly 95 percent of his work. Anyone can sub out work. And, anyone can pick up a sledgehammer or use 230 pounds of his own weight to bring down a bulkhead. Frequently, his solution to a problem is to completely tear it out. And, the reasons? Because he doesn’t like it? Where is the contractor rationale in half of his tear outs?!
If you want balance and shows that might teach you more, I would recommend stalwart shows like Hometime and This Old House. At least they aren’t bashing their own profession. My DVR doesn’t have room for Holmes anymore. To me, he is just another contractor with an excuse to make more money. In this case, is for ratings and the income generated from this show, or is it truly from his trade as a contractor? You be the judge.
I have been watching Holmes’ productions on HGTV in St. Paul for a couple years. As soon as I figured out what Holmes is about I started looking for blogs,etc. on the internet to look for the inevitable blow-back from the home construction/inspection/sales cartel. Sure enough, many people in the industry are a bit sensitive to criticism and the comments tend to be almost painfully defensive. Holmes is often attacked with cheap shots and juvenile cracks by people who seem to be professionals but “methinks they to protest too much”. In another blog I saw a comment by a builder that such good work such as by Holmes was “not affordable”. From not only the Holmes shows but newspaper reports and personal stories from home owners and my own personal experiences, a large segment of the home building/improvement/real estate industry is not far from organized crime supported by a legal system rigged to protect the industry from their own wronged clients.
I am fairly certain I have seen the same comment by Harry C. Turner from October 9, 2011 at least twice before in the last year almost word for word. Comments are made about “balance” and cites This Old House and Hometime as good examples, but those shows are renovations or new construction. Holmes has to find the cause of sloppy and often dangerous construction that is endangering the health or safety of home owners. Builders often walk away from an unfinished project with most of the money leaving a home unlivable. Inspectors gloss over conditions that make their reports nothing but jokes. One example was a basement wall that bulged almost a foot and was on the verge of collapsing the whole structure and the report had no mention. Whether or not it offends the sensibilities of builders or inspectors that he is going to do a proper job is not Holmes’ concern.