Tag Archives: Big Timber

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Big Timber lumbers into Season 3

Like watching truckers navigate icy road conditions on the West Coast of Canada and Southern Ontario, viewers love to watch people fell trees. From Mud Mountain Haulers to A Cut Above, the genre continues to be popular. Hence Season 3 of Big Timber.

Kicking off on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on History, Big Timber once again tags along behind logger Kevin Wenstob and his team of family and staff as they work deep in the heart of Vancouver Island. As in past seasons, rising costs and debt threaten to derail Kevin and his crew. And, like Season 2, cameras capture Kevin as he takes to the water to collect valuable timber for his mill.

The hook this time? Kevin reacting to the ever-evolving industry by spending $1 million to purchase a huge saw, expand his dock at Hook Bay and experiment with a new way of salvaging logs. And with the price of wood at an all-time high—cedar in particular—you’d think all would be gravy. Not so. Deadlines and weather have a way of ruining Kevin’s day, and there are many moments in Episode 1 where Kevin is unhappy.

As much as I love the time spent at the mill or on the water, my favourite part of Big Timber is up on the claim in the Vancouver Island range, where Coleman, Kevin, Tom (and, in Episode 1, veteran logger Luke) are in their element cutting, sorting and shipping lumber down the hillside. With logs past the point the grappler arm can reach, Coleman and Luke utilize a choker, a thick wire used to haul logs closer to the road. As usual, errant branches, a steep hillside and slippery conditions are a recipe for twisted ankles or broken limbs. It’s dangerous and fun to watch.

Big Timber airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on History.

Image courtesy of Corus.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: History’s Big Timber hits the water in Season 2

Debts and detonations. That’s a key message delivered in Thursday’s Season 2 return of Big Timber on History.

The reality series once again rides alongside logger Kevin Wenstob and his team of family and staff as they work deep in the heart of Vancouver Island. This time the stakes are even higher than before. Aside from pulling down and shipping timber—and the dangers and drama associated with that—mounting debts at the mill, and possible bankruptcy, cause Kevin and his crew to forge into uncharted waters. Literally.

During the last timber season, Kevin purchased a new claim and heads there … with a little help from his mini ‘dozer and grader. With snow too deep to cut much-needed red cedar, Kevin is on the financial ropes, especially after receiving some mail from the government. As with many documentary series of this type, drama is presented via situations like the aforementioned two problems—usually just before a commercial break and often ad nauseam—and I have to bite my tongue and soldier through the storytelling trope to get to the good stuff.

Thankfully, Big Timber is full of good stuff—like Kevin plotting to use a beloved old boat in the timber process—and I’m looking forward to watching the full season.

Big Timber airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.

Image courtesy of Corus Studios.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Jesse Fawcett launches independent production company, Fireworks Media Group

From a media release:

Prolific award-winning television producer Jesse Fawcett has launched Fireworks Media Group, a North American-based production company to develop and produce premium unscripted and scripted content.

Fawcett is well known in the entertainment business as a co-founding partner of global content company Essential Media Group where he helmed North American operations until the company was successfully sold to Kew Media in 2018. In 2020, Fawcett and Greg Quail re-acquired the assets of Essential from Kew and relaunched as EQ Media Group. Now, Fawcett is poised to inaugurate his own venture, Fireworks Media Group, together with a cross-border team of veteran production professionals.

Under the new banner, the company is producing the new original series Pamela Anderson’s Home Reno Project (working title) for HGTV Canada with iconic Baywatch star Pamela Anderson returning to her Canadian roots to rebuild the family home of her dreams. The series is executive produced by Brandon Lee, Fawcett and Firework’s new President of Canada, Robert Hardy. Corus Studios will distribute the series internationally. Pamela Anderson is represented by Chris Smith at ICM Partners. Fireworks Media Group has also secured an exclusive first-look scripted development deal with social media sensation Kris Collins, who has amassed over 32 million followers and 1.4 billion likes.

In addition, Fireworks Media Group is currently in production on sophomore seasons of the real estate unscripted series Selling the Big Easy for HGTV in the US as well as Corus Studios’ Big Timber which airs on HISTORY in Canada and Netflix in the US and internationally. A top performer on HISTORY and Netflix, Big Timber. follows the high-stakes work of logger and sawmill owner Kevin Wenstob as he and his crew go to extremes to keep the family sawmill, and their way of life, alive.

Some of the other successful shows completed during Fawcett’s tenure at EQ Media Group include No Demo Reno which recently launched on HGTV as the #1 cable premiere in the Thursday 8-9pm timeslot, multi-season hit series Restored airing on Discovery+, the paranormal reality series Ghost Loop for Travel Channel and 165 episodes of Texas Flip N’ Move, perennial #1 series on DIY Network.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Corus Entertainment announces 35 greenlights and renewals for its iconic portfolio of specialty networks

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From a media release:

Today, Corus Entertainment announced its slate of premium original content for 2021/22 with 35 impressive greenlights and renewals across its powerful portfolio of specialty networks and streaming platforms.

With over 500 hours of content sold this year, Corus Studios, a leading hit-maker in lifestyle and unscripted series in Canada, broadens its worldwide reach and scale with eight new series and 13 returning shows that will debut across Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, and HISTORY®.

Celebrating 50 years as a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content, Nelvana has greenlit four brand new animated series and one returning fan-favourite with more to be announced soon. Nelvana-produced content is distributed in over 180 countries around the world with fresh new series and seasons landing in Canada on Corus’ leading kids’ networks, YTV and Treehouse, later this year.

Beyond Corus Studios and Nelvana, Corus also proudly announces its first-ever original series for Adult Swim with Psi Cops (26×11), while kid-favourite cartoon Toopy and Binoo has been greenlit to return in 2022 as an animated feature film of the same name (1×80).

Stay tuned for more Corus content announcements in the coming weeks including updates across scripted and new pickups for the 2021/22 season. For the latest updates, visit www.corusent.com.

HGTV Canada

The nation’s destination for home renovation and design, real estate and DIY projects, HGTV Canada introduces four new eye-catching Corus Studios series and six returning favourites.

Vibrant, fresh and fun, Styled (Working Title) (8×60), follows the staging and renovation adventures of dynamic design super-duo and BFF’s Nicole Babb and Caffery VanHorne. Then in Trading Up (10×60), Mandy Rennehan, celebrated builder, motivational speaker, blue-collar hero and proud founder and CEO of the women-owned LGBTQ+ business Freshco.ca, focuses on the trades as she mentors deserving apprentices while renovating three extraordinary properties in her hometown of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

HGTV Canada’s trusted coach and contractor, Sebastian Clovis, returns to the network in Gut Job (8×60) with his biggest mission to date – guiding homeowners through the biggest renovations of their lives. In a new spin-off, Scott McGillivray turns the tables and puts his rules to the test on his waterfront cottage in Scott’s Own Vacation House Rules (4×60). The stunt-series will debut alongside with the renewal of his Top 5* HGTV Canada Original series, Scott’s Vacation House Rules, Season 3 (12×60) set to debut in 2022.

The show that keeps on breaking records, Island of Bryan is back for a fourth season. HGTV Canada’s most-watched series in a decade continues to drive audiences beating its own records season after season, and currently primed to be the #1 specialty program this spring as Season 3 continues its run. Season 4 will play out in two parts in F22 (8×60) and F23 (8×60) with the Baeumler family continuing their tumultuous journey in Bahamas as they build and run their resort, plus add-on a whole new property in Florida to renovate.

This fall, the network sees the return of gorgeous transformations in Making it Home with Kortney & Kenny (10×60). Kortney Wilson brings her extensive flipping and real estate expertise to help desperate homeowners renovate their spaces. With keys and budget in hand, she and contractor Kenny Brain (Big Brother Canada), will transform each unloved house into a show-stopper. The #1 new Canadian show on specialty this spring, Rock Solid Builds (10×60) returns for a second season with the charming Randy Spracklin and his dedicated fun-loving team, as they take on historic renos and jaw-dropping builds in the heart of Newfoundland. Breathing new life into spectacular vintage spaces, siblings Carolyn and Billy come back for another season of Farmhouse Facelift (8×60). Canadian original series with fan-favourite brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott return, transforming houses into lifetime treasures in Property Brothers: Forever Home, Season 2 (17×60).

Food Network Canada

Top 10 specialty network this spring, Food Network Canada welcomes seven new and returning mouth-watering Corus Studios Originals as part of its 2021-2022 schedule.

‘The Wall’ has spoken! The exhilarating competition series, Wall of Chefs (10×60), hosted by Noah Cappe, that sees home cooks face off in front of a group of 12 intimidating and well-respected Canadian chefs, returns for a second season. Continuing the competition fever, Corus Studios introduces a deliciously divine spin-off of the series with Wall of Bakers (10×60). A fresh batch of baking series continue with the renewal of Top 10 program on Food Network Canada last spring, Great Chocolate Showdown (8×60), new episodes of The Big Bake (11×60) continue with spectacular, over-sized Halloween and Holiday-themed cakes, and Project Bakeover (10×60), the series that keeps on giving, as renowned pastry chef and entrepreneur Steve Hodge, alongside designer Tiffany Pratt, transforms struggling bakeries across North America into successful businesses.

Host Dylan Benoit invites pit masters and chefs into the arena for a third season of the fiery competition series Fire Masters (Set A 10×60 – F22, Set B 10×60 – F23). The search for the best eats across North America continues with John Catucci’s Big Food Bucket List (14×30) and out-of-bounds amusement park treats return with Noah Cappe on Carnival Eats (13×30).

HISTORY

HISTORY, the #2 specialty entertainment network this spring, sees four invigorating new and returning Corus Studios Originals added to its schedule. Attracting a massive fan-base for its unique approach to restoration, Rust Valley Restorers (6×60), a Top 10 program amongst Men 25-54, comes back for a fourth season. Previously announced, the logging and sawmill team out of Vancouver Island dig in with more high-stake jobs in Big Timber (8×60). New to the schedule is Lost Cars (Working Title) (6×60), where an ambitious team of classic car hunters scour the remote North to recover rare classics fabled to be hiding in the wilderness, before the cars are lost forever to history. Then in Deadman’s Curse (Working Title) (8×60), former MMA fighter Kru Pitt, and young Indigenous explorer Taylor Starr seek out the help of seasoned treasure hunter and mountaineer, Adam Palmer, to finally solve the mystery of Slumach’s lost gold mine. Hidden somewhere in the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest, its mysterious location has eluded prospectors for generations — and many have lost their lives searching for it. The treasure hunting threesome may have ancestral connections to the legend and the gold, but extreme weather, unforgiving terrain and a curse all stand in their way.

The network brings Canadian Black History to the forefront with two Canadian originals. This November, Black Liberators WWII (1×90) will shed light on the heroic stories and amazing acts of bravery of Black Canadian soldiers during World War II, who risked their lives for their country while facing racism at home and on the battlefield. Then in a four part series, BLK: An Origin Story (4×60) explores untold stories of Black Canadians, from the early settlers of Ontario to the gold rush era of BC; from the Maroons of Nova Scotia to Montreal’s vibrant Little Burgundy neighbourhood. The series aims to show that Black History is Canadian History.

ADULT SWIM

Hot on the heels of Adult Swim’s second anniversary, Corus has commissioned and greenlit its first original for the popular network. The animated Psi Cops (26×11) sees “out of the box thinkers” Agent Kyd and Agent Felix investigate spiritual phenomena, extraterrestrial life, and paranormal activity.

YTV

YTV is the place to be for non-stop Fam Fun, delivering another year of The Zone, The Zone Weekend and Big Fun Movies with beloved hosts Spencer, Tyra, Alex and Duhin. Plus, Spencer and Tyra are back for Season 2 of Kid Food Nation: The Show (8×11), where they embark on culinary missions with Canadian kid food nation heroes and answer questions like, “should I eat crickets?” or “are dandelions edible?.”

Nelvana continues to foster its partnerships with the best in kids entertainment, with the recently announced Best & Bester (52×11), a co-production between Nelvana, Eye Present and Gigglebug Entertainment, about two siblings and best friends obsessed with comparing the best things of all time while enjoying the power to transform themselves into anything they want, once a day – if only they can figure out what the best thing to be actually is!

ZJ Sparkleton (Working Title) (26×22) is an original creator-driven 2D-animated series produced by Nelvana in partnership with Nickelodeon that follows quirky 10-year-old vlogger Ruby and her tail-zapping space alien best friend as they film their daily mishaps and adventures around town.

Audiences will discover the magic of birthdays through the fantastical adventures in Super Wish (52×11), produced by Nelvana and Discovery’s joint venture, redknot, and created by Nelvana’s own Vanessa Esteves and Daytime Emmy® Award winning art director, Adrian Thatcher.

Treehouse

A new addition to Treehouse, the #1 overall kids specialty network**, is The Hamster Show (Working Title) (26×22) produced by Nelvana in partnership with Nickelodeon, where a crew of furry friends keep an eye on their owner, “King” Harry, saving him from daily doom, granting his wishes and keeping his life running smoothly. The pet-ventures continue as everyone’s favourite P.U.R.S.T. agents get ready for action in the second season of Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe (52×11), produced by Nelvana and Discovery’s joint venture, redknot, and based on the best-selling books by Ashley Spires, published by Corus Entertainment’s Kids Can Press.

Coming 2022 is the animated feature film Toopy and Binoo (1×80), based on the series of the same name that aired on Treehouse in the early aughts. Following the theatrical release, the movie will have its broadcast premiere on Treehouse.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Big Timber hauls wood—and drama—on History

I was a big fan of Timber Kings and its spinoff, Carver Kings. Both series, which aired on HGTV Canada, delved into the lives and projects created and carved by the folks at Pioneer Log Homes in Williams Lake, B.C.

Now I’ve got a new show to fill the void left by the cancellation of that duo: Big Timber.

The reality series—which bows Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on History—rides alongside logger Kevin Wenstob and his team of family and staff as they work deep in the heart of Vancouver Island. Kevin has sunk $1.5 million into a remote piece of timber on the side of a mountain and is determined to cut down and ship out red and yellow cedar, fir and hemlock to his customers. Aside from dangers like weather and injuries at the hands of sharp machinery and thousand-pound chunks of wood are the logistics of creating your own roads in and out of the site you’re cutting.

When viewers catch up with Kevin, he’s got 200 loads of wood to get off the mountain and to Wenstob Timber before winter shuts him down for the season. If he pulls it off, Kevin will make millions. Miss that deadline and his business could go out of business.

Logging like this is an intricate dance between team members cutting up trees which are then hauled up the mountainside by a contraption called a yarder, a machine that is an octopus of cables pulled taut. Kevin’s right-hand man, Coleman, and rookie Gord walk down the claim—wary that any wrong step would mean a broken leg—to affix 50-pound choke chains to logs pulled up the incline by the yarder.

Once hauled into place, the logs are inspected, evaluated and trimmed prior to transport to a sorting area and then down the hill and over 200 km to the mill where final cuts are made. This is the domain of Sarah, Kevin’s wife, who makes the sales critical to the mill’s survival and Erik, their son, who keeps the machinery working.

Boasting stunning drone shots and a spectacular natural setting, Big Timber is the latest in a series of must-see programs about the unique jobs available and the folks who do them.

Big Timber airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on History.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail