Reclaimed is a Discovery Channel reality television series that follows hosts Alex Charvat and Kevin Gilman as they renovate abandoned, deteriorating mines. Season 1 was filmed throughout Colorado.
The series runs in a similar vein to many other Discovery brand “fixer-upper” series, including Fixer Upper, Home Town, and Flip or Flop. However, Charvat claims that this show comes with a more rugged take. “That’s the notion behind the show: this wild, raw, rugged setting,” said Charvat. “And then you put this emotion of striking it rich with gold in there, a sort of gambling fever, and you’ve got compelling (TV).”
The series was produced by Dorsey Pictures, LLC. With support from the Colorado Film Incentive program, Reclaimed was filmed entirely within Colorado across myriad locations. “Colorado is gorgeous, and it’s great to shoot a show like this to highlight the geography and small rural towns across the state,” said Matt Fillmore, Dorsey Picture’s Executive in Charge of Production. “I love Colorado, and I love being able to support the film community as well as the state as much as we can. The film incentives really help with that.”
Filming locations used for Reclaimed included Minturn, Sedalia, Almont, Avon, Nevadaville, among many other Colorado destinations.
Dorsey Pictures, LLC. is a full-service television production and marketing solutions company specializing in television programming suitable for cable, broadcast, broadband, and video. The production company is led by President and CEO Chris Dorsey and Managing Director Amy Dorsey. Their work has appeared on a variety of television networks including CNN, DIY, ESPN, HGTV, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, and Oxygen. Their episodic productions include Dog’s Most Wanted, Tiny House Big Living, and Building Alaska among others.
“We’re a Colorado production company, and we always want to hire and shoot in our own backyard if possible,” said Fillmore. Dorsey Pictures has continued to work in Colorado including on Building Off Grid, a home construction and renovation show that builds houses in remote locations across the United States, which has spotlighted Durango and Alamosa.
Economic impact
Reclaimed received $250,000 through the COFTM incentive program. The television series spent over $1.3M in Colorado, resulting in a 13-to-1 return-on-investment. The series created or maintained 54 Colorado jobs. The estimated economic impact of Reclaimed in Colorado is over $2.4 million.
In addition to overall state spending, Fillmore emphasized the significance in-state production has on smaller towns as well, “We were able to send 10 to 15 crew members out to these small towns that may not have the skiing or the hiking or the tourism that others do, and they would be spending money on groceries, gas, and lunch for a week or more. It’s great being able to support these Colorado communities.”
The Colorado Film Incentive
The Colorado Film Incentive encourages filmmakers and production teams to bring their projects to Colorado through a performance-based rebate, thereby benefiting the state economy through boosted in-state spending, job creation, and tourism. The rebate is for up to 20% of qualified expenses and applies to a variety of projects, including films, television, commercials, and video games.
Since its inception, the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media has issued $21.6 million in approved rebates. With an overall return-on-investment of 31:1, the incentive program has generated over $152 million for the state of Colorado, with an estimated economic impact of $273 million.