Ventures keep ‘Property Brothers’ busy
Jonathan and Drew Scott have been filming the “Property Brothers” for six years, but they talk like they’re just getting started.
The 38-year-old Canadian twins, who will speak at The Columbus Dispatch Home & Garden Show on Saturday, star in five HGTV home-improvement shows, run a production company, manage their own furniture line, have written a design book, are active in multiple charity events, and have even recorded a pair of country music videos.
Yet their focus is on the future. The pair plan to launch a service this year that will allow fans to tap into their design expertise, and they will start a documentary series. In addition, Drew plans to tie the knot soon with his longtime girlfriend, Linda Phan.
The brothers spoke with The Dispatch in anticipation of their Saturday appearance.
Q: “Property Brothers” is shown around the world. Why do you think it resonates even in countries with very different housing?
Jonathan: It appears in 190 countries. In Asia, we did a press tour, Singapore, Japan, the Philippines. The crowds were insane. I think people want to be inspired by their home space regardless of what it is.
Q: What should viewers expect from you this year?
Jonathan: We just introduced “Brothers Take New Orleans.” We redid a home devastated by Katrina. The next-biggest thing is “Property Brothers Nashville.” Then we’ve thought about doing another “Property Brothers at Home,” with the new home of Drew and Linda.
Q: Drew, have you found a new home?
Drew: We’re still in Vegas, but we’re looking in Los Angeles.
Jonathan: Maybe we should do “Brothers Take Columbus” next.
Q: What else is on
your horizon?
Drew: I’ve written a docuseries I’m very passionate about that will come out next year. It’s basically a no-B.S. look at some of the larger social issues we encounter today. The very first one is about energy and solar energy, which we’ve converted our Las Vegas house into. The series looks at the successes, challenges.
We’re also launching a new line of the Scott Living Collection and working with a great venture that will help fans who like what we do but have a more modest home.
Jonathan: One of the biggest challenges when audiences reach out to us, they say they love it but don’t know how to get set up. This will . . . give them access to our design team.
Q: I’ve seen sites that allow users to upload photos or layouts of homes and get designs back. Would your venture be like that?
Jonathan: There are other companies that do that, but nothing as comprehensive as the technology we’ve designed, and the fact that people have direct access to our design team is huge. We plan to roll it out city by city.
Q: You do several shows now. Which is your favorite?
Jonathan: I love “Brother vs. Brother.” It’s the highestrated series the network has aired. It’s fun to compete with Drew and see what he comes up with.
And I still love helping people . . . on “Property Brothers.”
Drew: “Brother vs. Brother” and “Brothers Take New Orleans” are my favorites.
Q: I hear from contractors who wonder how you can do these huge makeovers for the cost cited. Do those figures include everything?
Drew: We tell fans, “Don’t
say to your contractor that Jonathan can renovate a whole house for X number of dollars.” Keep in mind that Jonathan doesn’t charge for his time or designs and we get discounts from vendors. But otherwise, the figures include everything.