HGTV Does IPSE
Popular network tapes at expo for the first time.
Home and Garden Television, more commonly known as HGTV, is popular for its variety of home improvement, decorating and real estate shows. Now the network has taken the plunge (pun intended) into the pool and spa industry, with a special called The Outdoor Living Expo 2007, which was filmed at the 2006 International Pool and Spa Expo.
Hosted by Evan Farmer of HGTV's FreeStyle and Chi-Lan Lieu of the network's I Want That! Tech Toys, the hourlong special will feature all sorts of goodies and gadgets from the industry. "It focused on pools and spas, obviously, but we tried to get a gathering of different products and different pool and spa lines ā anything that we thought would be interesting and kind of new to the viewing public, to the HGTV audience," says show producer Joyce Pearson.
With the trend toward homeowners investing heavily in their backyard living spaces showing no sign of abating, Pearson says it was a natural choice to film at IPSE. The show also took some extra time to film at locations around Las Vegas, where some of the products were used in private pools. "Well, one of the trends in lifestyle is definitely extending the lifestyle experience to the outdoors," she says. "And one of the other things that we did is we visited four different, incredibly beautiful, well-planned-out, architecturally rich pools in Henderson, the Red Rock area and Las Vegas proper, so that's another thing that you'll see in the show as well. And we tried to talk about the products that we saw on the show floor and see how they were used in real locations offsite."
Shooting at the show was a great success, according to Pearson, and she expects HGTV to be back next year. "It was a lot of fun. The show was manageable and everyone was really glad to see us there, and so they were very forthcoming with information; they were very patient with us shooting in their booths, and kind of stopping traffic for a little while." The Outdoor Living Expo 2007 will air on HGTV on April 22.
Luxury Living: Press You Want Texas builder highlighted in lifestyle show.
They say any press is good press, but let's be honest, certain press really is better. For instance, when Fort Worth, Texas, builder and AQUA 100 Hall of Famer Pulliam Pools was featured last fall on the TV show Great Escapes special edition of Luxury Living, that's the kind of press you want. Luxury Living showcases premier products and properties that people dream of, and it's tailored to audiences who value the finer things in life.
Michelle Conner, marketing/ builder representative for Pulliam, says the company was chosen because it's the oldest pool builder in America and has won numerous awards for customer satisfaction, design, business and marketing.
In the episode, which also features handmade watches and cigars, president Barry Pulliam discusses the history of the company, founded by his grandfather Theo Pulliam, and describes the highend custom projects the company crafts these days while viewers get a glimpse of these poolscapes.
