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| HGTV New Zealand |
Response to TV Show Viewers: Post 52 - May 25, 2026
Like so
many details pertaining to the shows, I don’t hold crystal clearness as much as
I or others might like, hope, or as viewers would expect. If I sidestep or try
to glaze over potholes or fissures, it doesn’t sit well for me and vagueness is
obvious to the soberminded, spraying a vibe of disingenuousness. But I can and
have made an effort to help interested viewers understand a bit better.
Some have
asked about my absence from poster art for the shows American Rehab
Charleston and Restoring Charleston. Comparable programs on the home
improvement networks use participant pictures to help grab the attention of
potential viewers. Charleston themed shows do this also. I don't have a great
answer to questions about this regarding ARC and RC, but in writing this
series, I've arrived at a possibility.
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And some good news is that producers were able to capture one picture of me, happy and smiling, and
not too unfortunate looking. Although this was used by HGTV New Zealand, as far
as I know, this picture was not shared on streaming services or network websites
here in the United States.
Questions over
what some see as a peculiarity, along with this HGTV NZ usage, has led to me sorting through the potential legal reasons that might prevent HGTV USA, Magnolia, Discovery,
and HBO Max from having a still shot of me associated with the shows, or at
least this side view one with me wearing the black t-shirt.
If you’ve
read other posts in this series, or take time to work your way through, you’ll
be better able to understand the three-year adventure I experienced while making
these programs. We did a test reel in 2013, a pilot in 2014, a five-episode pick-up
in 2015, and then another series in 2016. This required four disconnected crews, involved two networks, using four production companies. Plus, dozens of contractors, subcontractors,
tradespeople, and vendors were also used over this three-year span. I was the common thread, and as I've shared, was unable to bridge these gaps and tie all this together as needed.
I learned a lot about the legal exposure and implications, but I am admittedly in the dark on so much. Although I
witnessed a solid effort to have contracts and releases signed, it was clear there were hiccups in this department. Some agreements and permissions fell through the cracks, were lost, or simply forgotten during this hectic period. And while certain documents served
their purposes as intended, some were not fully executed or determined to
be invalid due to fraud with intensions foggy.
So over
and beyond any unattractiveness, I think strongest likelihood for my pictures being excluded from the show, is because Scripps simply couldn’t legally use it. Then
these limitations were transferred to Discovery in 2018 and then HBO Max/Warner
Brothers in 2023. I’m supposing that domestic and international laws differ in
this area, which was why HGTV in New Zealand, and maybe other markets abroad, were
able to use the face my friends and family love.
As I’ve written
steadily, there is much I don’t know. But I understand more than nothing, and that’s
what I’ve laid out in this article.
