Tag Archives: Rock Solid Builds

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Randy Spracklin and his team are rockin’ it in Rock Solid Builds

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One of the most creative and entertaining home renovation shows on the air right now is Rock Solid Builds.

Airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada, Rock Solid Builds is a flurry of construction, music, practical jokes and unique terminology all set in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and its surrounding communities. At the heart of the whirlwind is Randy Spracklin.

Spracklin is a third-generation builder and co-owner of Newfound Builders, based out of Brigus, Nfld., who reveals that despite wanting to grow his family-run business via additional staff—like his dad Scott, and team members Nikki, Paul and Josh, who appear on-camera—television wasn’t in his plans. In fact, if it wasn’t for checking his email’s junk folder and seeing one from production company Cineflix one day, Rock Solid Builds never would have happened.

“I got an email from Cineflix looking for an east coast TV show,” Spracklin remembers. “I looked at it and thought, ‘Is this real? Is this something?'” He responded to the email, did some Zoom calls, created a sizzle reel for Cineflix and things went from there.

“We’ve joked about TV over the years, but little did we think that we would be on it,” he says. “I guess the universe was saying, ‘You thought about it… here it is.”

Spracklin is Rock Solid Builds‘ jovial host, serving as the viewers’ guide to countless projects, from new builds to additions, kitchen and bathroom renovations and even the odd root cellar needing an update. A dramatic storytelling point in shows like these is when things go wrong, like a septic line being cracked or a floor suddenly needing to be re-supported. But where most hosts roll their eyes and worry for a segment or two, Spracklin takes it all in stride, usually with a joke and a crooked smile while wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the word Mint. What you see on camera is exactly what Newfound Builders tackle every day from sun-up to sun-down, including weather that can suddenly turn nasty, to supply chain issues that can occur when you live and work on an island.

“We’re looking for specialty items and they can be manufactured all over the world and sometimes the only way to get here is by boat or by plane,” Spracklin says. “And, what we’ve faced in the past year are even more shortages so, yeah, there are cases where we can’t move forward and finish the plumbing or close in the ceilings. You have to be creative and try to work around that.”

Some of those items are simply stunning, serving as showcases to the magnificent work unveiled at the end of each instalment of Rock Solid Builds. Those reveals are immediately followed by the obligatory feast in the homeowners’ kitchen, a legit part of Newfoundland life.

“If you can’t have a drink with the homeowners, then you didn’t do a good job,” Spracklin says. “To be able to sit around a table with them and the team—because everyone puts a lot of work into it—and have a cheers about it… cameras or no cameras, we would be doing it.”

Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Images courtesy of Cineflix.

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: Rock Solid Builds returns for more jobs in Season 2

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Last year at around this time, I previewed Season 1 of Rock Solid Builds. I praised the storytelling, setting and projects featured. I wasn’t alone in liking it. Rock Solid Builds was second only to Murdoch Mysteries for the positive comments it received here at TV, Eh?

Season 2—kicking off Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada—sticks with its winning formula of spotlighting Randy Spracklin of Newfound Builders and his team of equally entertaining folks renovating and building homes on The Rock. Supported by a sprightly soundtrack, Randy, Scott, Nikki, Paul and Josh jump between jobs in the spring, juggling projects in St. John’s and their homeport of Brigus, working on old and new homes, with a few quirky projects thrown in. Aside from new additions to the Newfound Builders family in the form of canines, there are new responsibilities too as Nikki wants to add more to her plate.

The first project to visit is in St. John’s, where homeowners Ros and Katie want to make changes to their 100-year-old abode. The plan? To demo the existing kitchen and turn it into a music room while moving the existing music room in favour of a massive kitchen. Also on tap are updating two bathrooms. It’s a big job, but Randy is confident it will all look great in the end.

Meanwhile, across Conception Bay in Carbonear is a 19th-century root cellar that needs attention. The owners want theirs repaired and Randy is happy to oblige, first doing some demolition and then, alongside his father Scott, showing the traditional way of building a rock wall.

And, aside from the work, there is plenty of play … and laughs. Rock Solid Builds showcases the beauty of Newfoundland and its people with episode-ending opportunities to step ‘er down and reinforce that feeling of family Randy has instilled in the company.

Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

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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: HGTV’s Rock Solid Builds is a party on The Rock

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I’ve written a lot about home renovation shows over the years.

As such, I can get bored with the usual “take an old house, be surprised by shocking electrical or plumbing behind the walls, wonder if the job will come in on time and budget, and marvel at the final results” formula. It can get as tired as peeling wallpaper.

But Rock Solid Builds is like nothing I’ve seen before.

Debuting Thursday at 10 p.m. Eastern on HGTV Canada, Rock Solid Builds is as quirky as the location it’s set in: Brigus, Newfoundland. It’s there we meet up with Randy Spracklin of Newfound Builders and his team of equally entertaining folks renovating and building homes on The Rock. This third-generation builder—dad Scott is also part of the crew—takes on projects in one of the most beautiful places in the world. But also one of the most rugged and hard to get to; delayed shipments of supplies from the mainland are regularly faced by Newfound Builders.

Yes, the jaunty fiddle-heavy music and accents are the first thing to set Rock Solid Builds apart from, say, Backyard Builds or Save My Reno, but it adds to the charm exuded by Randy Spracklin, who tackles weather, design and construction issues with a crooked smile and quip.

In Thursday’s debut, Randy, Scott, Nikki and Paul document putting the finishing touches on one home, adding two additions to another, and beginning work on a 200-year-old home. It’s that last home, dubbed Earle House, that intrigued me. After all, adding another foot to ceilings isn’t something you see every day. The first three layers of flooring are peeled back to reveal the original, 200-year-old beams, which Randy explains were probably cut close by and squared off. Floorboards were attached with square nails forged locally.

It’s a heck of a history lesson not only in home building but building in a fabulous, unique part of the country. I can’t wait to see more.

Rock Solid Builds airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. Eastern on HGTV.

Image courtesy of Cineflix.

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