Holmes played that up, the fact that this would have applications that would, in a real sense, to use the Silicon Valley expression, 'Make the world a better place.' I think people liked that.

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By/Feb. 8, 2021 3:59 pm EDT/Updated: June 2, 2021 5:00 pm EDT

Mike Holmes never set out to be a TV star and media mogul... it just turned out that way. As a profile in Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail recalled, Holmes started off as a contractor in his hometown of Toronto, leading construction crews since he was 19. A twist of fate put him in front of the camera and his world changed, transforming a blunt, opinionated homebuilder into a television phenomenon whose fame extends far beyond his native Canada.

PGA Tour golfer J.B. Holmes just sold his waterfront Florida home for $1.825 million, or $225,000 less than what he paid for it in 2014.
Secondly, is Holmes on Homes real? But sadly the audience only gets one side of the story from Holmes on Homes, Mike Holmes. Caruck goes on to say that what sets their shows apart is that;. “it's about real money, real time, real heartache. In other words, it's not a superhero show. ” Things like this go on all the time in TV Land.
Holmes got all the media treatment in 2018 and 2019 in the forms of podcasts, an HBO documentary, a book (“Bad Blood” by John Carreyrou) and even a film starring Jennifer Lawrence and a Hulu.

In his first (and most iconic) HGTV series, Holmes on Homes, he rescued harried homeowners by repairing the shoddy work of crappy contractors and amateurish DIY jobs, exuding so much personality it could be barely be contained within a TV screen. More shows followed, making Holmes a constant presence on television and, in the process, a bona fide celebrity; among his many accolades, Holmes is a 2012 recipient of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, and in 2015 was named Patron of the Royal Canadian Regiment.

Yet that success has not come without some bumps along the way; to find out more about his journey from Canadian contractor to hammer-wielding hero of home repair, here's what really happened to Mike Holmes.

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Here's how Mike Holmes came to be on HGTV

Mike Holmes' foray into television was not by design. Holmes was a full-time contractor when he was hired to do some building work on the set of a Canadian TV show that shared tips on DIY home repair. While working, noted The Globe and Mail, the ever-opinionated Holmes began telling the people who hired him that they had it all wrong. Holmes went into one of his trademark rants, explaining that encouraging homeowners to do their own DIY renos was a bad idea, since they usually did a lousy job. In fact, he pointed out, a huge portion of his business came from repairing the botched home-reno experiments done by people who had no idea what they were doing.

After Holmes apologized for his 'diarrhea of the mouth,' his screed gave the producer an idea: Holmes should star in his own TV show, repairing homeowners' DIY disasters and the shoddy work of shady contractors. Holmes on Holmes debuted on HGTV Canada in 2001; by 2004, the show was averaging 250,000 viewers an episode, a considerable number for a Canadian specialty channel. The beefy, tough-taking contractor had accidentally become a TV star.

Mike Holmes ditched his original producer for not thinking big enough

The success of Holmes on Homes kept growing, as did the popularity of its star. Already a hit on HGTV Canada, the show was eventually picked up by HGTV in the U.S., expanding his reach considerably. By 2005, Mike Holmes should have felt like he was on top of top of the world — yet he was dissatisfied. As Mike Quast, the TV exec who'd first discovered Holmes told The Globe and Mail, Holmes had become disenchanted with his producer.

According to Quast, Holmes invited him and crew member Pete Kettlewell to his home for a meeting. Holmes laid out his vision to expand his brand; the TV show, he explained, isn't the be-all and end-all, but one prong of a larger enterprise, all with a goal of educating homeowners about the importance of hiring skilled tradespeople to ensure they wouldn't be begging Holmes to fix lousy work down the road.

During that meeting in Holmes' garage, the idea formed for the Holmes Group. Quast designated himself vice-president of business development, with a goal of building Holmes' brand, while Kettlewell became vice-president of production, responsible for managing the TV show.

Mike Holmes ventured into the coffee business with a bold new partnership

With Mike Holmes' media-and-construction empire beginning to take shape, 2006 brought him a huge opportunity. AsThe Globe and Mail recounted, Nestlé Canada was in the process of launching a new brand of its Nescafé instant coffee, and commissioned a poll asking Canadians to name the celebrity they most trusted. Holmes' name was at the top of the list.

The company wanted Holmes to be at the center of an advertising campaign for its new product launch. Holmes Group VP of business development Mike Quast, however, wasn't sure if Holmes would go for that, given that shilling coffee was a bit out of his wheelhouse. To feel him out, he asked Holmes what kind of coffee he drank. The answer: Nescafé's instant coffee. The ensuing campaign was a massive success, with Holmes' partnership with the company renewed multiple times.

As Holmes later told Sudbury.com, 'When they approached me about the commercial, I said if they can relate the commercial to what I do and keep it real, I'd say yes to it, because the real truth is I drink Nescafé and have for years.'

Mike Holmes launched his own line of workwear

In 2009, reported The Globe and Mail, Mike Holmes' brand exploded. Not only was Holmes on Homes now being seen by American HGTV viewers, the Holmes Group also began an ambitious expansion that included an 'ultra-green housing development,' a Canada-wide home-inspection service, and a line of Holmes-branded workwear.

However, the latter didn't have an easy path to the marketplace. According to The Globe and Mail, the Holmes Group partnered with a Winnipeg-based manufacturer. A stickler for quality, Holmes was insistent that he had final say on the design of products, rather than just slapping his moniker on the company's existing merchandise. Once the Holmes Workwear products hit shelves, however, they were being marketed as 'a premium version of the existing line,' as opposed to its own standalone brand. Those issues, however, were ultimately sorted out.

A decade later, Holmes Workwear continues to be a successful venture, consisting of a wide array of items ranging from canvas work pants to tool belts to fire-resistant coveralls for welders. The reach of Holmes Workwear is wide, sold by retailers such as Amazon, Costco, Home Depot, and more.

Mike Holmes lent a hand in New Orleans after Katrina, all because of Brad Pitt

Mike Holmes lent a hand in the wake of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina unleashed on New Orleans. As Holmes told the Toronto Star, it all started when Brad Pitt founded his Make It Right Foundation, with a mission to build new homes for residents of the Lower Ninth Ward whose domiciles had been destroyed. There was one issue, however: Holmes holds the trademark to Make It Right, and even has it tattooed on his bicep.

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Rather than seek an injunction, however, Holmes offered another solution: Pitt could use the name, and Holmes would provide his expertise. 'He had his vision of doing it when I talked to him,' said Holmes. 'But he [knew] he didn't know enough about it.' That's where Holmes came in, bringing his crew to the Big Easy to rebuild a home, which was filmed and aired as Holmes in New Orleans.

According to Holmes, if there was ever a city in need of his Make It Right philosophy, it's New Orleans. When it came to home construction, he recalled, 'so many people down there didn't know what they were doing.'

Mike Holmes became a leader in green building techniques

During Mike Holmes' sojourn in NOLA, he became downright evangelical about the advantages of eco-friendly building products and techniques. 'Everyone's talking green,' he told The Globe and Mail. 'Well, let's really go green! Why don't we change the building process? If n