Unearthing the treasure hidden in SA homes
WHEN I first read the overview of Skatjagter, in which Joe Strydom and his mom Dorothy hit the road in search of old furniture that can be restored to its former glory, it took me back to the Hollywood road movie, The Guilt Trip, with Seth Rogen and Barbara Streisand.
While the premise of this home-grown reality show is different, it does seem to share the same nurturing and fun motherand-son bond.
Joe has been in the entertainment industry for more than a decade.
He says: “I grew up in Fochville in the North-West and I’m currently working as a publicist at e.tv. I’m passionate about the entertainment industry. My love for antiques and up-cycling comes from my mom, who used to drag me along to pawn shops, flea markets and yard sales when I was young. It was only later in life, when I had to set up my own house, that it occurred to me that it was a great way to save money on decorating my house, and that it could be a great business. I started my decor company, Trouvé, about five years ago. I love finding these treasures almost as much as I love re-doing them.”
Shedding light on the genesis of Skatjagter, he says: “I’ve always loved make-over shows and I thought it was time to do a show with a local favour. I want more people to be aware that they don’t have to get rid of things, that there is the option of up-cycling. I’ve been walking around with the TV show concept for a while, so I used my contacts in the industry to pitch and develop the show.”
As for getting his mom involved, he laughs: “She was sceptical at first, but it didn’t take lots of convincing. We have a very special bond, we work well together and we know just which buttons to push with each other. Neither of us is a professional presenter, so we bring a relaxed feel to the show.”
He adds: “Skatjagter means treasure hunter. We take the viewer on a creative expedition to find furniture that is in need of a little (or a lot) of TLC. We tell the stories of all the fabulous people that we meet along the way. Once we strike a deal, we take the pieces back to our workshop and then we give practical advice on how to up-cycle the pieces.”
Of course, such a format does lend itself to memorable moments.
Joe recalls: “We would both see an item and come up with the same idea on how to re-purpose it. There was one incident, where Dol (his mom) cracked a joke (that I won’t repeat) right before we shot and I couldn’t keep it together. We only picked up the shot 15 minutes later, when I stopped laughing. The shoot schedule was also hectic. One day Dol was so tired she said: ‘Hello, I’m Joe’.”
As for how many hats he wears on this show, Joe says: “I pitched the show to Quizzical pictures, who helped me transform it into a viable show, so I worked closely with production on the logistics and the shoot days. I also pretended to be the director, much to the dismay of our actual director, Phillip. I learnt a lot about making a successful TV show. Another integral part is to generate publicity, and that’s what I do for a living.”
As for today’s episode, he reveals: “We visit a collector on a farm in Magaliesburg. The lady and her husband have been collecting for over 20 years but they want to scale down for retirement. It’s a big property, with lots of treasure. But in the end, we each find something to take to the workshop.”
Skatjagter airs on Via (DStv Channel 147) on Mondays at 5.30pm. There is an episode repeat on Wednesday at 7.30pm.