Tag Archives: Great Pacific Television

Wild Wrecks, Old Rivalries, Failing Equipment, and Wicked Winter Storms…HIGHWAY THRU HELL Hits the Road for Season 2, Sept. 3 on Discovery

– Return to the Coq for a Season 1 Marathon on Mon., Sept. 2 beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT –
– New season will also feature four special “RELOADED” episodes featuring bonus content, production factoids, viewer Tweets, and more –

With bigger rigs and wilder wrecks, Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue is returning to the Coquihalla Highway and HIGHWAY THRU HELL for an all-new, expanded second season, premiering Tuesday, September 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery. An original Canadian series from Vancouver’s Great Pacific TV, HIGHWAY THRU HELL travels some of the most economically vital – and most inhospitable – trucking routes in North America. Plagued by winter storms, truckers spin out and smash up, and during the worst conditions, the big wrecks can come as often as every 12 hours. And when this happens, the call goes out for heavy rescue to clear the highway carnage and get the road open again. Viewers can revisit the crashes and conflicts from Season 1 as Discovery presents a nine-hour Labour Day marathon on the Coq, Monday, September 2, beginning at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.

Wicked weather and wild wrecks – HIGHWAY THRU HELL returns for Season 2 on Discovery, Sept. 3

New for Season 2, dynamic visuals including 3D maps depicting the locations of the wrecks and striking new animations take viewers back in time to the moment of impact, heightening the wreck stories featured this season on HIGHWAY THRU HELL. Also, building on first season’s original nine episodes and “After the Crash” special, Season 2 grows to 13 hours, plus four HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episodes (details and schedule below), and extends online to deepen the viewer experience with exclusive content.

Last season, steep hills, lethal drop-offs, killer rockslides, and the worst weather in a decade captivated audiences, with HIGHWAY THRU HELL ranking as the #1 series premiere in Discovery’s history*. As Davis’ crew navigated the extreme roads and brutal weather that sweeps across British Columbia’s Cascade Mountains east of Vancouver, the series maintained an audience of more than 610,000 viewers 2+ throughout its’ nine-hour inaugural run. Now Davis’ crew is back for another winter season working the treacherous mountain highway. With a brutal winter forecast for 2013, Davis bulked up his team with new crew and invested in his biggest fleet yet to secure his title of “King of the Coq.”

The addition of skilled driver Scott Bird, returning from retirement, creates tension with the veterans on Davis’ team. After some particularly twisted wrecks and equipment failures early in the season, Davis is left wondering if he’s made some grave mistakes. And Bird isn’t Davis’ only staffing problem: Old Bruce is forced into semi-retirement, and Davis struggles with the idea of letting him go completely. By mid-season, a new competitor shows up on the mountain, and cuts Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue’s jobs in half, leaving him with no choice but to consider drastic changes to his operation.

Highlights from the first episodes of the new season of HIGHWAY THRU HELL include:

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “Welcome To Winter”
Tues., Sept. 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Jamie Davis, eager for the winter season to begin, has one thing on his mind – amp up his manpower and his equipment, so he’s ready for anything that happens on the mountain. He has brought back a big crew – Adam Gazzola, Narayan Samy, Kevin Ritchie, Rob Mitchell, Bruce Hardy, Ken Monkhouse, the new guy Gord Lundin, and Davis’ stepson Brandon Kodallas. Everyone has big, but not always realistic, expectations for the winter ahead. On the first job of the season, Davis’ team struggles to find their groove unloading and recovering an expensive B-Train full of lumber for an important client. Later, Davis begins to doubt the optimistic gamble he’s made this season and questions if he’s brought on too much manpower and possibly the wrong machines.

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “Deadlift”
Tues., Sept. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
The closures of two major highways cause drivers to voice their frustration leaving Gazzola in a sour mood over all the grief he receives. Ken Monkhouse arrives at a job to find that the competition has gotten the jump on him. Responding to a woodchip wreck, Davis, Gazzola and Ritchie disagree on how to recover the wreck, leaving Davis to do his own swamping. Later, when a heavy SeaCan tips over, Davis and his rotator are pushed to their limit. Monkhouse, realizing he needs help in the car towing division, invites Kodallas for a lesson in a new truck, but Kodallas has words with his stepfather and walks off in a huff. Monkhouse then turns to the new guy – quiet, tattooed Lundin – testing him out on a tough tow lesson.

Building on incredible momentum of the first season, Season 2 extends to 13 hours, plus four HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episodes. These new “reloads” feature at least five minutes of new content (extended scenes and bonus footage), plus an on-screen graphics package that includes the best viewer Twitter comments, “factoids” about the production and the crashes, and more. The first HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED episode revisits the Season 1 season-ender special “After the Crash,” and caps the Labour Day Marathon on Mon., Sept. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The updated special includes new footage and catches up with Davis’ crew to set up the start of the new season. The additional “reloads” recaps the first episodes of the season, and air on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT starting September 6, preceding an encore of the current week’s episode, according to the following schedule:

Mon., Sept. 2
• 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL: Season 1 Marathon (8 episodes)
• 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED – “After The Crash”

Tues., Sept. 3
• 10 p.m. ET/ PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL – “Welcome to Winter” (Season 2 Premiere)

Fri., Sept. 6
• 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED – “After The Crash”
• 9 p.m. ET/PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL – “Welcome to Winter” (Encore)

Tues., Sept. 3
• 10 p.m. ET/ PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL – “Deadlift” (Premiere)

Fri., Sept. 13
• 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL: RELOADED – “Welcome to Winter”
• 9 p.m. ET/PT: HIGHWAY THRU HELL – “Deadlift” (Encore)

The twists and turns of HIGHWAY THRU HELL extends online, with full episodes (one week after broadcast); “Highway Heroes” vignettes profiling the people who work to keep the highway safe; and in-depth analysis from the cast and crew of some of this season’s most memorable wrecks. Viewers can also explore a clickable interactive map to reveal facts and photos about the highway, and also find additional show and episode information, research material, and production photos. Viewer engagement extends through on mobile via the Discovery App; and fans can join the HIGHWAY THRU HELL community on Twitter (@HWYthruhell) and at discovery.ca/highwaythruhell using the hashtag #hwythruhell.

About Discovery:
The world is just awesome! With compelling real-life programming that inspires and entertains, Discovery reveals the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. Discovery offers a signature mix of adrenaline-charged stories, larger-than-life personalities and vivid imagery for viewers with curious minds. With the best non-fiction programming from Canada and around the world, Discovery captures the excitement of a passion for life – one lived fully and at its most extreme. With exceptional and immersive storytelling, the channel offers in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the extraordinary people and places that shape our world. Launched in Canada in 1995, Discovery is now available in more than eight million Canadian homes. Discovery is offered in standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) simulcast – for viewers who want an even bigger and bolder experience. Discovery Canada is a joint venture between Bell Media, which is owned by BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada’s largest communications company, and Discovery Communications Inc. Find more information and interactive online features at Discovery.ca.

*Source: BBM Canada

Social Media Handles

Website: discovery.ca/highwaythruhell
Twitter: @HWYthruhell, @DiscoveryCanada
Facebook: facebook.com/discoverycanada

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lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

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705.255.6887

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Great Pacific Television’s “Highway thru Hell” completes shooting Season 2 of the wildly successful Discovery Channel television documentary series

After more than four and half months of field work and collecting more than 2000 hours of footage, Great Pacific Television is pleased to announce that they have completed filming the second season of “Highway Thru Hell”. Shooting recently wrapped on the 13 episode Discovery Channel Canada series, which has been dubbed “the most realistic” show on TV. Producer Mark Miller extends a big thank you to everyone who helped make the show possible through their cooperation and commitment to safe travel on the mountain highways. “We are stunned at how drivers have changed habits this season; we saw more winter tires, slower speeds and fewer accidents,” says Miller. “We believe this is the result of the ‘Shift Into Winter’ campaign on the provincial government’s Drive BC website and the series.”

This original Canadian series is extremely successful across the globe. Debuting on Discovery Channel, it reached 1.7 million viewers – making it the highest series premiere in Discovery Channel Canada’s history. The second season sees the series increase from eight to thirteen episodes. “Highway thru Hell” can also be seen worldwide in 170 countries. “We believe the show has helped put the beauty of the region front and centre, and can only result in a higher tourism profile,” said Miller.

Produced by Vancouver’s Great Pacific Television, viewers can climb into the cabs alongside Jamie Davis and his heavy rescue crew in British Columbia’s Cascade Mountains. Davis works with trucking companies throughout the region to help keep their trucks safe during the demanding winter season. Jamie Davis thanks all the truckers that call on his rescue team when their trucks are in trouble.

The success of making BC’s highways 1, 3, and 5 safe is a team effort. The crew from Highway Thru Hell wishes to thank VSA, EAM, the RCMP, BC Ambulance, BC Ministry of Transportation, and the Heavy Rescue crews for opening their world to viewers around the globe. “We would also like to thank the people who live in and around Hope and throughout the region for being so welcoming to our television crews,” said Miller. “It has been a truly amazing year.”

The second season of Highway Thru Hell starts airing this September on Discovery Channel Canada.

Social Media Handles

Twitter: @HWYThruHell, @DiscoveryCanada
Facebook: facebook.com/HighwayThruHell, facebook.com/DiscoveryCanada

Contact The Promotion People

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“Highway Thru Hell” TV shows real wrecks and rescues on National Geographic Channel USA Wednesday nights at 10 pm pst/est

Keeping a dangerous highway through the Cascade mountains clear of big wrecks is a tough job when you are up against Mother Nature. No matter what, “Closure is not an Option…”

Critics praise it as “… the most authentic and dramatic reality show on television today”. “HIGHWAY THRU HELL” is a 10 part documentary series featuring Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue, home to some of the most extreme tow truck drivers in the world. Jamie and his team use sophisticated trucks and years of experience in their battle against avalanches, punishing storms and big wrecks. The Coquihalla Highway runs through the Cascade mountains along the US Canadian border. It is an area called the Bermuda Triangle of trucks, where high speeds, steep roads, huge drop offs and wicked weather produce hundreds of semi wrecks.

“This is the real ice road truckers,” says producer Mark Miller (Great Pacific Television). “There is no need to amp up the danger with an over-torqued narrator or hyped-up script, there is more than enough going on here to keep you on the edge of your seat. The gritty documentary series is filled with drama and poignant moments. In the first episode, cameras are rolling when the young son of star Jamie Davis discovers a driver dead under the wheels of a multi-truck wreck. For 16- year-old Brandon, his first big wreck is a wake up call and a lesson in mortality. “The reality pendulum has swung too far to the absurd,” says Miller. “Highway Thru Hell” is proof you can make dramatic TV about authentic heroes.” National Geographic Channel’s history of producing top-notch documentaries makes it the perfect home for “Highway Thru Hell”.

In good weather, the expansive highway is an engineering marvel, but when the weather turns bad, it’s one of the most dangerous roads in North America; a trucker’s worst nightmare. But, with urgent delivery deadlines and millions of dollars in cargo on the line, the Coquihalla Highway cannot close. Keeping it open regardless of the circumstances is the job of Heavy Rescue.

One of the world’s most sophisticated recovery companies, Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue features trucks with massive mobile cranes able to lift an entire semi-trailer, or pull a tanker from the river hundreds of feet below. On the Highway Thru Hell these very trucks are the last line of defense in the war to keep transport trucks rolling.

Viewers and critics alike agree “Highway Thru Hell” sets a new standard in the world of reality television. The series is now airing in 170 countries and has been green-lit for a second season. “Highway thru Hell” airs Wednesday nights on National Geographic USA at 10 pm est/pst.

Social Media Handles

Twitter: @HWYThruHell
Facebook: facebook.com/HighwayThruHell
Website: channel.nationalgeographic.com

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