Canwest Broadcasting announced today the start of production for Canadian Pickers, a new Canadian original series that follows ‘pickers’ Sheldon Smithens and Scott Cozens as they search Canadian back roads, basements, sheds and barns for unlikely gems and forgotten national treasures. Based on the format of the massively popular series, American Pickers, Canadian Pickers (13x60mins) is slated to premiere in Spring 2011 on History Television.
Canadian Pickers follows two highly-skilled pickers – Sheldon Smithens, an antiques dealer, auctioneer and appraiser by trade, and his partner Scott Cozens, an ex-pro hockey player, part-time lawyer and life-long picker – as they rummage through old barns, messy yards and abandoned attics in search of objects with historical, collectible and pop culture value. Sheldon and Scott scour towns across Canada in search of ‘rusty gold’ – an assortment of wonderful objects that many people think is just useless junk. Each pick explores the history and stories behind these objects – from a hand-painted Depression-era circus poster and a massive butcher block table in Ontario, to vintage Charlottetown theatre seats – and introduces a variety of captivating people from all across Canada with fascinating stories to share.
“Our vast country is ripe for the picking and it’s a thrill to embark on the coast-to-coast production of Canadian Pickers,” said Christine Shipton, SVP Dramatic and Factual Content, Canwest Broadcasting. “Canadian Pickers weaves together the fascinating history, culture and stories of everyday Canadians from Halifax to Kitchener to Calgary, and truly celebrates the spirit of our great country. History Television viewers can look forward to a fun and entertaining look at Canadian history, one pick at a time.”
The production of Canadian Pickers comes hot on the heels of the recent audience success of American Pickers, currently the #2 series on History Television this Fall. Canadian Pickers is produced by Cineflix in association with Canwest Broadcasting.
