Mike Holmes
Mike Holmes has been a professional contractor for over 20 years and is host and co-creator of the award-winning Holmes on Homes™. Mike Holmes is a craftsman with integrity whose knowledge, professionalism and honesty bring a high level of credibility to his television show.
In 2006, Mike launched The Holmes Foundation, a charitable foundation to support the training of youth in the skilled trades. His weekly renovation column appears in the Post Homes section of the National Post. Mike is also the author of four successful books — the national bestseller Make it Right— Inside Home Renovation with Canada’s Most Trusted Contractor and Holmes Inspection— Everything you Need to Know Before You Buy or Sell Your Home were released in 2006 and 2008. His most recent books — Make it Right— Kitchens and Bathrooms and Make it Right— Attics and Basements were released in December 2010 and March 2011.
Mike is the national spokesperson for Skills Canada was recognized in the House of Commons on October 30, 2006 as an “extraordinary craftsperson” and “an accomplished master builder with a social conscience”. In 2008, Mike was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Technology from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), for his outstanding and sustained achievements in his field. In November 2009 he spoke at GreenBuild, the US Green Building Council conference on sustainable housing. In December 2009 he had the great honour to attend COP15 in Copenhagen as an Eminent Advisor to the Canadian government. In October 2011 he travelled to London England to support Team Canada at WorldSkills 2011. In 2010 Mike announced a pilot project with the Assembly of First Nations to renovate existing housing and build a sustainable community. In addition, they will partner to build a First Nations Center of Excellence, which will and teach sustainable building to First Nations communities.
Scott McGillivray
Scott McGillivray is a full-time real estate investor, contractor, television host, writer, and educator.
Before graduating from The University of Guelph, with an Honors degree in Commerce, McGillivray had already discovered his calling. What began as an ambitious school project about income properties, developed into a unique and strategic business model that Scott would later execute himself. Now 10 years later, McGillivray has built his own real estate empire with dozens of properties, housing hundreds of tenants.
McGillivray is best-known as the host of HGTV’s hit series, Income Property. In each episode, he rescues cash-strapped homeowners, and teaches them how to generate income from their existing residence. Seasons one through five currently air on HGTV US and Canada, while seasons six and seven are currently in production.
With the success of Income Property, early 2011 saw McGillivray, alongside longtime colleague, Kit Redmond, establish SKIT Inc; a company solely devoted to the development of the Scott McGillivray brand. With the birth of SKIT, the savvy McGillivray has officially forayed into the world of producing, currently serving as an Executive Producer on Income Property, Seasons 4 through 7.
McGillivray has also appeared in several other HGTV programs, such as Debbie Travis’ Facelift, From the Ground Up with Debbie Travis, Holiday Battle on the Block, and the All American Handyman Challenge alongside Mike Holmes.
In addition to his hosting duties, McGillivray’s hands-on approach to renovation and real estate has meant big business for this knowledgeable investor. Not only does he purchase and renovate properties, host a successful television series, and contribute content to national publications (see: The Globe and Mail and Style at Home Magazine), but now, McGillivray can add “educator” to his repertoire. With the 2010 launch of his real estate course, “The Lifetime Wealth Academy”, McGillivray has officially forayed into the world of real estate education; sharing his wealth of knowledge with would-be property investors all over North America.
Bryan Baeumler
Bryan doesn’t believe he’s put in an honest day’s work unless he gets his hands dirty! A natural-born teacher, the Gemini-award winning host has been educating and entertaining viewers across Canada and the US for over six years on the hit shows House of Bryan and Disaster DIY.
On House of Bryan, fans watched in record-numbers as Bryan built a custom 3,500 square foot home for his family. On Disaster DIY, Bryan waged war on building shortcuts and taught well-intentioned DIY-ers how to bring their renovations back on track with a little tough love and a lot of humour.
Learning valuable tricks of the trade from his father, a meticulous aircraft engineer, Bryan spent his childhood summers building his family’s cottage from the ground up. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged at the age of 14 when he opened his own handyman business doing odd jobs for neighbours.
With so much of his youth invested in building, it’s hard to believe Bryan’s life almost took a completely different turn. After earning a dual degree in Political Science and Business, Bryan was headed towards a career of practicing law. Realizing he’d rather be renovating than being chained to a desk, his innate passion for building took over and he traded in his tie for a tool belt and founded his contracting company Baeumler Quality Construction.
A few years and a couple of hit TV seasons later, Bryan’s tackling even more projects than ever. First, he’s building a cottage for his growing family on a secluded island in House of Bryan 2: On The Rocks.
His new show Leave It To Bryan , debuting January 5 at 10pm ET, has him helping reno-hungry homeowners prioritize their needs over their wants.
In 2012, Bryan will also make memorable appearances on Deck Wars and HGTV’d.
Jillian Harris
TV personality Jillian Harris first charmed audiences with her irrepressible humor and emotional honesty on ABC’s The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Currently Jillian brings over 10 years experience in the design industry to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and as the host of Canada’s Next Handyman.
A self-proclaimed “polished redneck,” from picturesque Peace River Valley in Alberta, she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty or climb a ladder with heels on. A down home girl with a bubbly personality, fans around the world have been captivated by her ability to successfully transform her love lost on The Bachelorette to gracing the covers of some of the top design publications in the country. As a designer on Extreme Makeover:Home Edition, Jillian is able to showcase her refreshing “design by personality” philosophy to create inspired rooms on each episode that reflect the character and style of each family member. Jillian’s focus on being the “Best Single Housewife”, and her love of design, food and fashion is now shared with her fans on the newly launched Jillianharris.com.
When not on TV, you can catch Jillian speaking on design and decor topics at various seminars and home shows around the country. Outside of her work in television, Jillian jets between the U.S. and Canada to run her firm Jillian Harris Design, where collaborates and spearhead a number of high profile residential, restaurant, and hotel projects. In her free time, Jillian thrives while traveling, spending quality time with her family, shopping with friends and, of course, cooking some of her favorite family recipes. She is dedicated to charities including Big Brothers and most recently helped with disaster relief in her hometown of Slave Lake in Alberta for the Red Cross.