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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 14, 2008 - 33 Artscene · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2008 NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER BUILDING A REPUTATION: Bryan Baeumler, host of HGTV's Disaster DIY, recently won a Gemini Award for Best Host of a Lifestyle/Practical Information Series. Handyman takes home valuable piece of hardware By Tina Depko OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Bryan Baeumler has added a new piece of hardware to his collection. The Oakville resident and host of Home and Garden Television's (HGTV's) Disaster DIY was recently recognized with a Gemini Award for Best Host of a Lifestyle/Practical Information Series. Baeumler said he was overwhelmed to receive the Canadian broadcasting award, especially considering he never thought he'd work in the television industry. "To be sitting in a room of 5,000 people that you watch on TV on a daily basis is an amazing event, but to hear your name be called is something else," he said of the awards ceremony. "I spend 12 or 16 hours a day staring at 40 or 50 people behind the camera who are making it all happen and come together. To be standing there as the one everyone recognized is very humbling." Baeumler was nominated for a Gemini Award last year, but said that this year's nomination was just as exciting. "I was shocked when I was nominated for season one and surprised again for season two," he said. "Everyone says it is such an honour just to be nominated, and it's true. It is amazing to think that a group of your peers in the television industry have reviewed your show and chosen your show as one of the five or six best." Although he has been building things all episodes. his life, Baeumler said he never had any This means a lot of filming. ambitions of taking his talents to the small Although each episode is about 21 minscreen. utes in length without commercials, it "My intention was never to be the host takes much longer than that to film. The of a show. I watched This Old House, shows are usually taped in three-week periHolmes on Homes and Real Renos, but I ods from April to November. never thought I'd be on that list," he said. "People watch the show and think we "Those guys paved the way for this big just renovated a bathroom or kitchen in 15 explosion of home reno and do-it-yourself minutes," Baeumler said. "In reality, we do shows. I'm actually a very self-conscious three shows every three weeks. I have three person and it is very odd for me to watch crews of four guys who work on each site myself on TV." and they work 10 to HGTV plugs "Everyone says it is such an honour just 12 hours a day for Baeumler as "a to be nominated, and it's true." three weeks natural in front of straight." the camera". It Bryan Baeumler Even when he is Gemini Award winner would seem viewfilming for Disaster ers agree, as DIY, Baeumler still Disaster DIY premiered in January 2007 oversees his construction company's projand is already in its third season. The ects. show's contract has been renewed for three "We were doubling our business every more seasons. year when we started the show and we have Disaster DIY is about property owners continued to do that," he said. "My general who have failed at their own renovation manager and construction manager run projects and are in desperate need of some the business and regular work while I'm help. filming, but I'm pretty involved in projects Enter host and contractor Baeumler and still and keep a good finger on the pulse of a team of tradesmen from his Oakville- the company. Right now we're running 11 based company Baeumler Quality projects outside of the show, from Construction, who give the troubled home- Burlington to Toronto." owner some handy advice and demonstrate Running a construction company and how to fix the problem. hosting a show is a lot of work for the 34Season one featured 13 episodes, but year-old Oakville native. If that weren't seasons two and three each have 26 enough, he also has family responsibilities, with a wife, Sarah, and two small children, Quintyn, 3, and Charlotte, 1. They are his top priority, he said. "If working 12 hours a day means that my kids can have what they need and my wife can spend more time with them, that is worth it to me," he said. "We try to reserve weekends for family time, so I don't work weekends. Every six weeks or so, we take a week off from shooting so we'll do little trips with the family to different places." Baeumler has been given the green light from HGTV to go ahead with three seasons of a new show, called House of Bryan. The show will feature his adventures renovating his family's bungalow in Oakville. It will be filmed by his production company starting in the spring. "The show's going to be more based on how to build a home properly," he said. "It will also be about what it is like to own a construction company, host a TV show, have a wife and two kids and managing all that. It will be fun." If that weren't enough, Baeumler also has an endorsement deal with Lowe's. "We're working on a how-to DVD/CDROM series that will answer questions for people," he said. "There's a lot of industry tips that professionals know and use that make jobs go much easier. We're also trying to put a little humour in it to make it easy for people to navigate." See Host page 34