There乌鸦传媒檚 nothing about the outside of Rob Forde乌鸦传媒檚 house in southern Chilliwack that sets it apart from those of his neighbours乌鸦传媒�. Yet, if a visitor to Forde乌鸦传媒檚 home were to go around the side and enter through the back door, they乌鸦传媒檇 be instantly transported across time to various decades throughout modern and ancient history.
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Upon walking through the entryway, one of the first things that may catch a guest乌鸦传媒檚 eye is The Bomb Shelter, an area directly across from the door that乌鸦传媒檚 been creatively decorated to look like a 1940s bar, complete with its own incoming mustard gas canister. Or perhaps it乌鸦传媒檒l be the newly completed Houdini pinball cage that will distract and delight those entering what Forde has dubbed 乌鸦传媒淒oc Studio.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭he basement acts like my resume,乌鸦传媒� said Forde. 乌鸦传媒淎nd my goal when people (enter Doc Studio) is to help them figure out what they like,乌鸦传媒漵aid Forde as he sat near to what used to be his Montreal, Quebec scene, complete with the wooden shinny boys in Canadiens jerseys he carved with a chainsaw.
This isn乌鸦传媒檛 乌鸦传媒漥ust about the creating and the building,乌鸦传媒� continued Forde about Doc Studio. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 the picking, the searching for treasures. Finding those cool things, whether it乌鸦传媒檚 at an garage sale, an auction, or whatever. I乌鸦传媒檓 always on the hunt and it乌鸦传媒檚 a good day when you come home with something fun.乌鸦传媒�
Forde, who乌鸦传媒檚 quite literally a very handy man, has been a practicing doctor of chiropractic for more than three decades, however, during many of those years, he was also a well-known competitive chainsaw artist.
And now that he乌鸦传媒檚 begun fixing up spaces creatively during his semi-retirement, the doctor乌鸦传媒檚 latest artistic hobby may have lead him all the way to Hollywood.
乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 ask specifically how they found me, but I乌鸦传媒榤 assuming it was from (The Progress) article,乌鸦传媒� explained Forde.
Last July, as word spread about the doctor who was remaking basement spaces into immersive scenes, Forde was featured in the newspaper乌鸦传媒檚 Scene & Heard section. A few months later, he opened his email and found a letter from Brian Catalina Entertainment asking if he乌鸦传媒檇 be interested in hosting his own reality show.
乌鸦传媒淚t caught me out of the blue and I was flabbergasted,乌鸦传媒� said Forde. 乌鸦传媒淚t was two different TV producers from L.A. that contacted me and said, 乌鸦传媒榃e乌鸦传媒檙e interested in doing a television show about what you乌鸦传媒檙e doing.乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕
Although the offer was unexpected, Forde says he was intrigued and wanted to hear more. 乌鸦传媒淪o from there we had a couple of Skype interviews 乌鸦传媒� and then they had us do a photo shoot down here, which we (then) sent to them.
乌鸦传媒淭hey edit down the Skype interview and the photos and send that out,乌鸦传媒� explained Forde. 乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e looking for a network to pick it up.乌鸦传媒�
Brian Catalina Entertainment is the idea-maker behind several popular reality shows, including Swamp People, which is going into its ninth season, The Raft, and Ultimate Survival Alaska.
乌鸦传媒淭heir role, if I乌鸦传媒檓 understanding correctly, is to be the middle man and get a cut of the action,乌鸦传媒� continued Forde. 乌鸦传媒淚f their idea of The Basement Doctor, which is the title of the show, takes hold, then the network probably pays them (something for the show乌鸦传媒檚 rights).乌鸦传媒�
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Talking about the process up to this point, the semi-retired chiropractor laughs when explaining how one of the producers didn乌鸦传媒檛 quite understand the concept because of where he grew up. 乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 from Florida, and they don乌鸦传媒檛 have basements in Florida,乌鸦传媒� said Forde.
乌鸦传媒淏ut the other producer totally got it because he乌鸦传媒檚 from somewhere up north where they have basements. He said it乌鸦传媒檚 going to be so cool because everyone乌鸦传媒檚 basements are just a mess, and if you can turn it into something special, the transformation would be fun to (watch).乌鸦传媒�
Although he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 know for sure which networks have been pitched his show, Forde says he guesses it乌鸦传媒檚 gone to stations like Home and Garden TV (HGTV) or the Do It Yourself Network (DIY).
As for how the actual show would play out, much of that乌鸦传媒檚 still based on guesswork as well. 乌鸦传媒淭hey didn乌鸦传媒檛 give us too much information other than I乌鸦传媒檇 be the host and (my wife) would be helping me.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 assuming they乌鸦传媒檇 provide me with a crew 乌鸦传媒� so it only takes a week or two to do a basement. Then they just film the process, edit it down, and there乌鸦传媒檚 the show. But again, it乌鸦传媒檚 all new to me,乌鸦传媒� said Forde.
Signed into a nine-month contract, Forde says it isn乌鸦传媒檛 so much about if the show will take place, but rather when the show will take place.
| Rob Forde doesn't only do large spaces, the talented chiropractor also does small spaces that pack a large emotional punch, like this space he created to commemorate his father and the family's horse farm. (Jenna Hauck/The Progress) |
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not even sure if they乌鸦传媒檒l say no, I think it乌鸦传媒檚 more of a case of waiting until,乌鸦传媒� said Forde.
乌鸦传媒淚f enough time went by I would eventually assume that it乌鸦传媒檚 probably not going to happen, but then a year from now it could pop up again. The concept is out there, so all it takes is somebody in some office somewhere to like it, and if they like a doctor doing people乌鸦传媒檚 basements, then you乌鸦传媒檝e got a show!乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚n my mind, I乌鸦传媒檓 thinking, 乌鸦传媒極h, it乌鸦传媒檚 going to happen!乌鸦传媒� I just don乌鸦传媒檛 know how soon.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 like fishing, I乌鸦传媒檓 betting (the entertainment company has) cast a lot of lines 乌鸦传媒� and if just one of them bites, they乌鸦传媒檝e got some money coming in.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淏ut if it doesn乌鸦传媒檛 happen, that乌鸦传媒檚 (okay, too),乌鸦传媒� said Forde. 乌鸦传媒淎s long as I乌鸦传媒檝e got people wanting me to help them with their spaces here in Chilliwack, that乌鸦传媒檚 all I really want anyway. My main objective in all of this is to let people know this exists,乌鸦传媒� said Forde. 乌鸦传媒淚f they don乌鸦传媒檛 know it exists, they can乌鸦传媒檛 find it.乌鸦传媒�
However, at the end of the day, Forde says it乌鸦传媒檚 all about 乌鸦传媒渂ringing people (and families) together and helping them feel proud of space when friends come over乌鸦传媒� and he乌鸦传媒檒l be happy to achieve that anyway he can.
For more information on Doc Studio, email Rob Forde at rdf9060@telus.net, or visit him on .
Stay tuned to The Progress learn more about when Chilliwack乌鸦传媒檚 Basement Doctor will begin making house calls and transforming unused spaces into beloved places.
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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