Home renovation shows have been around for decades, beginning with the 1979 debut of original series like This Old House, which quickly grew into a whole genre of television.
These shows are compelling for a multitude of reasons: They give viewers the confidence to update their houses with new designs, ideas or space-saving solutions, and seeing how homes are transformed (plus the domestic drama that we’ve come to love in shows like House Hunters) is both thrilling and entertaining.
This spring, a Charlestonian is making a home renovation show of her own: Erin Frederick Shepard, a Bishop England high school alum, returned to the Holy City after graduating from New York University, living abroad and having a successful career in indie film as an actress, writer and producer.
“I’ve come home to Charleston with my husband and our baby to film a real estate and renovations show right here in the Holy City,” she told the Charleston City Paper. “It will be exclusively shot, edited and made in Charleston, which is something that I’m super excited about.”
During the pandemic Shepard began to explore her love for real estate, interior design and renovations. After working in indie film production in Charlotte for five years, she’s since pivoted to focus on real estate and renovations full time.
Now, Shepard will meld her filmmaking and real estate backgrounds in her coming series Charleston Reno with Erin Frederick Shepard, which is currently in the pre-production and casting stage.
The show will also tell a personal story, Shepard said.
“My husband is a Charleston native. He and I met here as teenagers, went our separate ways and then reconnected a couple of years ago. We moved back here a year ago, and we are really excited to make this our forever home.”
She looks forward to working with a local crew for the production, bringing her expertise from running her own production company in Charlotte called Spark Productions.
“Being able to produce a show in a smaller regional database is something that I’ve been very passionate about,” she said. “And so I’m very excited to get into that community in Charleston.”
Right now, Shepard is looking for home renovation clients who are interested in being featured in the show’s pilot season.
“We are looking for folks who are selling or buying a home, and they’re interested in either updating it in order to get a better price when they’re selling it, or they want to make the home more their own after they’ve bought it.”
She pitched the show to a “well-known home renovation network,” though she didn’t want to jinx it with a premature announcement. Even if the show doesn’t get picked up by a network, Shepard said, she’s also toying with the idea of a high production quality YouTube series.
“Casting is what we’re excited about right now,” she said. Interested parties can learn more and view her renovation portfolio at fredtg.com. “And hopefully by springtime, we will be shooting our show here in Charleston!”
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