Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 1 - January 23, 2026
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 50 - May 20, 2026
Most
people would probably prefer to avoid unfairness or mistakes that come from not knowing. My writing
about the larger story around making American Rehab Charleston is to help
the curious and the ambitious.
The
production company, I think more than HGTV and DIY, had a really difficult time
filming and producing both the pilot and the five-episode pickup. I have openly
admitted and explained how I failed to put nuts and bolts specifics on paper,
documentation that could have served to lead and chart a path forward when we
were first awarded the series in 2013. That would have made a significant difference
for everyone here, Minneapolis, LA, and NYC, perhaps maybe even folks beginning
to work out of Tennessee. However, other things like local geography and timing
were out of my reach and it’s unhelpful for me to shoulder culpability for
things beyond and above.
And by pointing
them out, others can learn from what happened, think on it, and maybe apply it
to their own efforts, in TV or otherwise.
In order
to better understand what went on with me, us, my family and I and the many
people working on American Rehab Charleston, you really should look past any ripple
effect caused by Nicole Curtis and Rehab Addict moving on to another
production company. It will help to put yourself in the shoes of the production
company in Minnesota though.
This is a
radical change from creating and producing a show like Rehab Addict, something
that was in producer’s backyard.
With a
show filmed in the Twin Cities region, crew members could come and go each day.
Sleep in their own beds. Eat breakfast and dinner at their kitchen tables. Work
out of offices where costs were spread across many projects.
But being
here, so far away, they needed per diems for hotels and restaurants, along with
office space to operate out of. We’re talking over a dozen people, and not just
Monday through Friday. They were dug in for three long months. Those expenses
added up quickly, substantially.
Up in the
land of the lakes, if there wasn’t a lot going on for days or weeks on Nicole’s
project houses, they could shift their focuses to other things, until the
foundation was rebuilt or rough-in scopes passed inspections. But being here,
far from home, every minute of every day counted. High paid producers couldn’t just
stand around like flamingos in a lagoon. Filming had to be done. Now, I must say, it was a
lot of fun be-bopping around Berchador, filming beats with vendors and
fabricators. I think I was quoted in one paper as saying I had “the time of my
life.” But those talking points were costly, and some might say the juice wasn’t
worth all the squeezing. And yet, they were here, had to keep busy, and be paid
for this time.
Certainly,
I now understand how we could have filmed some demo in March with the pilot, and
then a few days here and there for reframing, rough-in, insulation and drywall
in the months between spring 2014 and January 2015. That would have saved tons
of money. In my opinion, viewers want to see before shots, the ugly,
then some of the tedium in the middle, but interest lies mostly on the fresh,
bright, colorful after scenes at the end. How much do viewers really
want or need to see of the early boring scopes? Not much. So having all those gifted,
high dollar people in town and on site too early on was a huge waste of money.
Also, producers
agree to come work in Charleston for several months. They didn’t picture small
city Summerville thirty miles away from the sexy trendy historic peninsula.
They had expectations of staying in the popular districts. Those are also high
priced, sucking construction funding out of the budget.
If I had
promised Charleston, I would be apologizing for misleading people. As I’ve said
before, I don’t live down there. I never have nor claimed to. I’ve worked and
owned property within the Holy City limits, but that’s it. Someone else sold
these folks on coming to work in the appreciated city for three months. I can
see why they may have felt it was a bait and switch, especially when they were commuting
and hour or more back and forth in traffic at the beginning and end of each
long workday. I didn’t have to do this driving during this TV season of my life,
but I’ve done it, and I can imagine how it wore on these crews.
Now, here’s
where I could have served them better. Not that this would have been heartily considered,
but I could have suggested that they only dig in deeply for the finishing
phases, Plus, I could have tried to help them understand the value of staying on
the outskirts, closer to where the projects were. This thinking would have
applied to both shows, American Rehab Charleston, which was filmed in
Summerville, and Restoring Charleston which was even further out in St.
George. They could have all stayed a shorter drive away, saving time and a
whole lot of money that needed for renovations and post-production.
I realize
they wanted to enjoy their weekends, and they’d still have been able to. Friday
and Saturday nights, maybe even Sunday, could have been spent sleeping over
down in the touristy areas instead of burning cash unnecessarily seven days a
week. Plus, meals cost more in these popular zones as well. Splurging could
have been condensed to forty-eight hours each week, rather than 24/7 for fourteen
weeks.
I probably
should have found a way to plant this idea, and in this way, I failed the
producers who were so unfamiliar with Berchador geography and how it would wreck
the budget. They wanted to help me with the renovating, so I should have done a
better job helping them save money, which would have made the rest of these difficult
assignments easier for them. I didn’t know what I didn’t know about television.
And the same applied to them and what they didn’t understand about this tri-county
region.
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 52 - Coming Soon
