Wendy Moore on what advertisers can expect from Foxtel’s local take on The Repair Shop
The Repair Shop Australia will premiere on Foxtel on the 3rd of May, with the Australian take on the UK format bringing a new opportunity for advertisers in local markets.
Hosted by responsible builder and sustainability expert Dean Ipaviz, the show puts forward an ensemble cast of trades people who together are a dream team of repairers equipped to preserve and restore treasured possessions, from family heirlooms, to loved one’s precious items. The show repairs the connection to family and history, bring past and future generations together.
Mumbrella spoke to group general manager Lifestyle at Foxtel, Wendy Moore, about the show’s local launch, with the first season premiering on Foxtel a month after the 14th season of Foxtel Lifestyle’s strongest format Selling Houses Australia.
“I think our talent are spectacular – I’m obviously biased – but I think that the breadth of our talent and the craftspeople we’ve got involved are amazing”, said Moore. “It feels more like an ensemble than the UK version. Dean is amazing and I’ve wanted to have him on a show for quite a while. But I think that he forms part of the team and the whole team is so strong, they’re so diverse and there’s so many characters. That, as a job lot, is really strong, and that’s probably for me what sets it apart from the UK version.”
Moore noted that there was a lot of interest from brands who wanted to be in and around the show, but that no sponsors had been announced as of yet.
However, in terms of what the show would mean for advertisers, she said that there was a “real sense of possibility of what you can do for restoring and retaining the love” of people’s special items, and understanding “what’s really important to people”.
“It’s a different kind of sell say to selling houses, which is product within the show. It’s more about insurers and financing and what it takes to actually insure and take care of the things that you love,” said Moore.
The Repair Shop team, headed by Dean Ipaviz, also includes leather craftsman Aaron Douglas Wales, who has over 10 years experience working in leather, and runs his own workshop repairing leather items and selling his handmade leather goods.
Horologist Andrew Markerink is also on the team, with a family history of clockmaking that links back to the 18th Century. Markerink’s business focuses on conserving high quality and antique clocks and watches dating back to the 1600s.
Britta de Laat joins as a furniture restorer, and runs her own business sourcing old, unsought pieces of furniture and turning them into statement objects.
Erin Keys will bring her skills as a jewellery tutor, designer and educator with 20 years of experience across various facets of craft and design.
Metal worker Majella Black is also a qualified jeweller and boilermaker by trade who has spent the past 20 years teaching her trade to students.
Finally Paul Lowe rounds out the team as an electrical all-rounder who has traded and taught for the last 30 years, and though now partially retired runs a repair shop from his back shed.
Marshall Heald, Foxtel’s executive director of entertainment said: “Foxtel is excited to be shining a light on untold Australian stories, unearthing new talent, and growing our investment in the lifestyle genre. The Repair Shop Australia is a heart-warming and relatable format that uses family heirlooms to tell emotional Australian stories that audiences will fall in love with. The show will also introduce Australians to an exceptional cast of talented craftspeople helping reconnect us to the magic and beauty of the real world.”
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topics
Aaron Douglas Wales
Andrew Markerink
Britta de Laat
Dean Ipaviz
Erin Keys
Foxtel
Foxtel Lifestyle
Majella Black
Marshall Heald
Paul Lowe
The Repair Shop
The Repair Shop Australia
Wendy Moore
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