ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing about the outside of Rob FordeB次元官网网址檚 house in southern Chilliwack that sets it apart from those of his neighboursB次元官网网址�. Yet, if a visitor to FordeB次元官网网址檚 home were to go around the side and enter through the back door, theyB次元官网网址檇 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 guestB次元官网网址檚 eye is The Bomb Shelter, an area directly across from the door thatB次元官网网址檚 been creatively decorated to look like a 1940s bar, complete with its own incoming mustard gas canister. Or perhaps itB次元官网网址檒l be the newly completed Houdini pinball cage that will distract and delight those entering what Forde has dubbed B次元官网网址淒oc Studio.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he basement acts like my resume,B次元官网网址� said Forde. B次元官网网址淎nd my goal when people (enter Doc Studio) is to help them figure out what they like,B次元官网网址漵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 isnB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址漥ust about the creating and the building,B次元官网网址� continued Forde about Doc Studio. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the picking, the searching for treasures. Finding those cool things, whether itB次元官网网址檚 at an garage sale, an auction, or whatever. IB次元官网网址檓 always on the hunt and itB次元官网网址檚 a good day when you come home with something fun.B次元官网网址�
Forde, whoB次元官网网址檚 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 heB次元官网网址檚 begun fixing up spaces creatively during his semi-retirement, the doctorB次元官网网址檚 latest artistic hobby may have lead him all the way to Hollywood.
B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 ask specifically how they found me, but IB次元官网网址榤 assuming it was from (The Progress) article,B次元官网网址� explained Forde.
Last July, as word spread about the doctor who was remaking basement spaces into immersive scenes, Forde was featured in the newspaperB次元官网网址檚 Scene & Heard section. A few months later, he opened his email and found a letter from Brian Catalina Entertainment asking if heB次元官网网址檇 be interested in hosting his own reality show.
B次元官网网址淚t caught me out of the blue and I was flabbergasted,B次元官网网址� said Forde. B次元官网网址淚t was two different TV producers from L.A. that contacted me and said, B次元官网网址榃eB次元官网网址檙e interested in doing a television show about what youB次元官网网址檙e doing.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Although the offer was unexpected, Forde says he was intrigued and wanted to hear more. B次元官网网址淪o from there we had a couple of Skype interviews B次元官网网址� and then they had us do a photo shoot down here, which we (then) sent to them.
B次元官网网址淭hey edit down the Skype interview and the photos and send that out,B次元官网网址� explained Forde. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e looking for a network to pick it up.B次元官网网址�
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.
B次元官网网址淭heir role, if IB次元官网网址檓 understanding correctly, is to be the middle man and get a cut of the action,B次元官网网址� continued Forde. B次元官网网址淚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 showB次元官网网址檚 rights).B次元官网网址�
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Talking about the process up to this point, the semi-retired chiropractor laughs when explaining how one of the producers didnB次元官网网址檛 quite understand the concept because of where he grew up. B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 from Florida, and they donB次元官网网址檛 have basements in Florida,B次元官网网址� said Forde.
B次元官网网址淏ut the other producer totally got it because heB次元官网网址檚 from somewhere up north where they have basements. He said itB次元官网网址檚 going to be so cool because everyoneB次元官网网址檚 basements are just a mess, and if you can turn it into something special, the transformation would be fun to (watch).B次元官网网址�
Although he doesnB次元官网网址檛 know for sure which networks have been pitched his show, Forde says he guesses itB次元官网网址檚 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 thatB次元官网网址檚 still based on guesswork as well. B次元官网网址淭hey didnB次元官网网址檛 give us too much information other than IB次元官网网址檇 be the host and (my wife) would be helping me.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 assuming theyB次元官网网址檇 provide me with a crew B次元官网网址� so it only takes a week or two to do a basement. Then they just film the process, edit it down, and thereB次元官网网址檚 the show. But again, itB次元官网网址檚 all new to me,B次元官网网址� said Forde.
Signed into a nine-month contract, Forde says it isnB次元官网网址檛 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) |
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not even sure if theyB次元官网网址檒l say no, I think itB次元官网网址檚 more of a case of waiting until,B次元官网网址� said Forde.
B次元官网网址淚f enough time went by I would eventually assume that itB次元官网网址檚 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 peopleB次元官网网址檚 basements, then youB次元官网网址檝e got a show!B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淚n my mind, IB次元官网网址檓 thinking, B次元官网网址極h, itB次元官网网址檚 going to happen!B次元官网网址� I just donB次元官网网址檛 know how soon.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 like fishing, IB次元官网网址檓 betting (the entertainment company has) cast a lot of lines B次元官网网址� and if just one of them bites, theyB次元官网网址檝e got some money coming in.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淏ut if it doesnB次元官网网址檛 happen, thatB次元官网网址檚 (okay, too),B次元官网网址� said Forde. B次元官网网址淎s long as IB次元官网网址檝e got people wanting me to help them with their spaces here in Chilliwack, thatB次元官网网址檚 all I really want anyway. My main objective in all of this is to let people know this exists,B次元官网网址� said Forde. B次元官网网址淚f they donB次元官网网址檛 know it exists, they canB次元官网网址檛 find it.B次元官网网址�
However, at the end of the day, Forde says itB次元官网网址檚 all about B次元官网网址渂ringing people (and families) together and helping them feel proud of space when friends come overB次元官网网址� and heB次元官网网址檒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 ChilliwackB次元官网网址檚 Basement Doctor will begin making house calls and transforming unused spaces into beloved places.
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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