Tag Archives: Highway Thru Hell

W Network’s Big Competition Series Game of Homes Announces Cameron Mathison as Host

W Network’s Game of Homes, announces Cameron Mathison as series host. The Emmy® nominated actor has graced the screen in both film and television projects. Mathison , a Sarnia, Ontario native, made his feature film debut in 54, opposite Salma Hayek and Ryan Phillippe, he followed that role up with the independent movie Washed Up and the feature film The Surrogate, which was released in 2013. A man of many talents, Mathison, is a featured contributor for ABC’s Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight, and has also appeared on the fifth season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars, where he advanced all the way to Week nine.

Cameron Mathison host of W Network’s Game of Homes

As host of the series, Mathison will guide teams of skilled amateur home renovators as they compete for the chance to trade their skills for the prize of a lifetime. The teams save rundown houses that are marked to be torn down and revive them into dream homes. Each team must redo the houses room by room, as they cope with small budgets, tight deadlines and even tighter living spaces.

The action-based series pits each team’s skill, ingenuity and teamwork against each other. In each episode, two expert judges along with a celebrity guest judges including Jillian Harris and Todd Talbot from W Network’s Love It or List It Vancouver, Drew and Jonathan Scott from the Property Brothers and CMT Canada’s Kortney and Dave Wilson from The Wilson’s Flip Out, vote for their favourite room renovations based on design and workmanship. In the finale, in addition to the judges, the public will cast their vote. The winners will be revealed and awarded with the house they have renovated.

Produced by Great Pacific Media in association with W Network, Vancouver based Game of Homes includes eight one-hour episodes and is scheduled to air in March 2015 on W Network.

About W Network
W Network is the leading destination for Canadian women offering a range of compelling entertainment ranging from original programming to lifestyle series, blockbuster movies and popular dramas. Award-winning WNetwork.com offers an appealing second-screen experience with in depth show information featuring articles, videos, photo galleries, recipes and resource guides. With its extensive research capabilities and consumer insights, W Network is recognized as a leading expert in marketing to women. W Network is owned by Canadian-based media and entertainment company Corus Entertainment. For more information, visit WNetwork.com and corusent.com.

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Website: corusent.com, greatpacifictv.com, Wnetwork.com
Twitter: @GameOfHomesTV, @CameronMathison, @CorusPR, @GreatPacificTV, @w_network
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomestv, facebook.com/wnetwork

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People

Two Provinces, Two Crews – HIGHWAY THRU HELL Expands for an Epic Third Season, September 2 on Discovery

Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue maintains operations in B.C., while expanding into Alberta to service the infamous highways through the oil patch

“The Coquihalla Experience” puts viewers in the driver’s seat for an interactive immersion at Discovery.ca

When it comes to wicked weather and wild wrecks, there’s only one other highway system that rivals B.C.’s Coquihalla. As HIGHWAY THRU HELL returns to Discovery for Season 3, premiering Tuesday, September 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue moves into Alberta to tackle Highways 881 and 63, basing a second operation out of Lac La Biche – while maintaining Davis’ decade-old business in Hope, B.C. Two provinces, two teams, new crew, old rivals, more trust, more friction, and vastly different types of weather and crash conditions – this hellish third season of the original Canadian hit series from Vancouver’s Great Pacific TV is the most epic season yet!

The heroes of the highway return for Season 3 of HIGHWAY THRU HELL, premiering September 2 on Discovery.

Click here to view the Season 3 trailer!

Back with 13 new episodes, 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 heavy rescue teams hustle to clear the highway carnage and get the road open again. These highway heroes are a hit with viewers –Season 2 of HIGHWAY THRU HELL was #1 in its timeslot on Canadian entertainment specialty television among all key adult and male demos, and was the #3 Canadian entertainment specialty program among Adults 25-54 and 18-49 overall. The 2012 debut still ranks as the #1 series premiere in Discovery’s history*.

Changes and challenges mark every moment of Season 3. Last season, Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue lost a significant amount of business when a new competitor has scooped up half the recoveries, forcing Davis to seek new opportunities to off-set these restrictions. Gambling big, Davis rolls into northern Alberta’s booming oil patch to stake a new claim on another road worthy of the title “highway thru hell.”

Highway 881 runs north 300 kilometers through remote forest, muskeg, and tundra between Lac La Biche and Fort McMurray. But it’s the only route into newly-discovered oil and gas fields, worth billions of dollars. On a route supplying more energy to the U.S. than Saudi Arabia, hundreds of millions of dollars of heavy equipment must be moved daily on this narrow, two-lane highway. Almost 60,000 shift workers are in camps serviced by Highway 881, and on shift-change day, thousands of workers need to get home. Davis sends his best drivers and trucks to the Alberta oil patch; he tasks Adam Gazzola to manage the new Alberta startup. His crew includes Colin McLean, a city driver fresh from Vancouver who has to earn Gazzola’s respect. Deep snow, bitter cold, and big recoveries that dwarf most loads in B.C. push Gazzola’s team to the limit.

Back in B.C., Davis faces more challenges. During the heaviest snowfall and worst avalanche conditions in decades, he’s left with a skeleton crew of new hires and old trucks in his battle to keep the Coquihalla Highway open. New drivers include Howie Irwin, a highly-skilled heavy recovery vet who used to work the Coq for Davis and his brother before buying his own truck and moving to the city; and Don Starr, a 20-year mountain veteran with MacGyver-like ingenuity. But Davis isn’t the only guy on the road. With Davis’ team stretched across two provinces, rival rescue operator Al Quiring steps into the void. For years, Davis and Quiring have gone “tow to tow” for the title of “King of the Coq”. And like Davis has done with this stepson Brandon, Quiring is teaching the family trade to the next generation, his son Cary by his side. These young bucks have a lot to prove. Brandon is setting his sights on the Alberta operation, but must first show Davis that he has what it takes at home in B.C. Brandon attends a “wreckmaster heavy rescue bootcamp,” and this season Davis offers Brandon the chance to patrol in the quick response truck, aimed at securing accident scenes for heavy rescue… before the competition.

Highlights from the first episodes of HIGHWAY THRU HELL, Season 3, include:

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “New Hell Old Hell”
Tuesday, September 2 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
A new winter season starts with Jamie Davis Heavy Rescue split in two… Adam Gazzola has taken half the fleet north to Alberta’s rich and dangerous oil fields while Jamie Davis stays back to fight and keep the Coq open all by himself.

HIGHWAY THRU HELL: “New Hope”
Tuesday, September 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Jamie Davis realizes he can’t do it all alone in B.C. and hires a new driver. But the newest addition ends up needing rescuing himself after he crashes Bruce Hardy’s legendary blue truck. Davis’ stepson Brandon is forced to prove himself after his plans to join the Alberta team are put on hold. And rookie operator, Colin McLean, learns just how tough his new boss Adam Gazzola can be… when a seemingly simple job goes sideways.

When “closure is not an option,” Davis’ teams struggle to make a go of it as the season continues. In Alberta, the crew must sleep in their trucks when they can’t find homes to rent, face the bitter cold of an Alberta winter, and endure the pain and heartache of leaving family behind. In B.C., 300 centimetres of snow falls in February, creating the worst avalanche conditions on the Coq in its 27-year history, which Davis must tackle with his newest crew and oldest trucks. At the end of the season, Davis faces the ultimate decision: should he throw all his resources into his new Alberta business, or rebuild his B.C. operations and wage a renewed battle on the Coq?

The HIGHWAY THRU HELL experience continues at Discovery.ca exclusive video, photo galleries, and show information – updated throughout the run of the series. Fans of HIGHWAY THRU HELL can delve even deeper with two rich interactive experiences that put viewers in the driver’s seat and feature the show’s silent stars: the highways themselves. Fully immersive and interactive, “The Coquihalla Experience” builds community and sparks conversation through “Explore the Coq / Coq Stories,” offering users an opportunity to drive the highway, explore the wrecks, and contribute their own stories about the Coquihalla. Also, armchair experts can test their skills in simulated challenges clearing difficult wrecks – and claim social bragging rights. Viewers can extend their experience on mobile via the Discovery App, and join the HIGHWAY THRU HELL conversation with the cast and crew during LIVE chats on Twitter (@HWYThruHell) during each Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET broadcast (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.

Social Media Handles

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

Source: Numeris (Formerly BBM Canada)

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People

Open Casting Call for W Network’s New Reno Competition Series Game of Homes

Casting underway in Vancouver

W Network and Great Pacific Television are looking for competitors who need a step up in the real estate market and are willing to put all of their renovation skills to the test. Game of Homes, a new show coming to W Network this fall, is an eight-part reno competition event series with an exciting twist. Casting is currently underway in Vancouver.

W Network needs four teams of talented home renovators who have what it takes to go head-to-head and completely transform rundown houses in Vancouver into spectacular showhomes.

The team with the most impressive renovation will win one of the biggest prizes in Canadian television history – their house, mortgage-free!

Teams of two, who have the skills and confidence to rip apart, rebuild and redesign rooms under tight budgets and impossible deadlines are encouraged to apply. Teams could be romantically linked, friends, workmates or family members. Contestants need to be available for an extended filming period during September/October months in Vancouver.

Over the eight episodes, the teams will breathe new life into derelict dumps. Beating the other teams will take every ounce of ingenuity, design consciousness and renovating skill to achieve the most shocking transformation.

For more information and to apply please visit www.gameofhomescasting.ca

Game of Homes is produced by Great Pacific Television, the production company behind Highway Thru Hell and Untold Stories of the ER. The new series joins a full slate of successful original Canadian series that W Network has become known for, including Property Brothers, Buying & Selling with Property Brothers, Love It or List It, Love It or List It Vancouver and Undercover Boss Canada. The series is produced in association with W Network.

Social Media Handles

Website: gameofhomescasting.ca, greatpacifictv.com, wnetwork.com
Facebook: facebook.com/gameofhomestv, facebook.com/wnetwork
Twitter: @GameOfHomesTV, @GreatPacificTV, @w_network

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People

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.

*Source: BBM Canada

Social Media Handles

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

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Jasmyn Pozzo – Publicist
jasmyn@thepromotionpeople.ca
705.255.6887

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People

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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Twitter: @PromotionPeople
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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.