If Scott Brothers Entertainment (SBE) were a property featured in one of the company’s home reno shows, it would look like an expanding structure with a growing family, new amenities and “big ideas” brewing in the kitchen.

The Toronto-based production company, co-founded by Canadian renovation and real estate superstars/executive producers Drew and Jonathan Scott (pictured left to right) of HGTV’s Property Brothers, marked its 10th anniversary this past fall. It is entering 2023 with an eye on continued expansion after recent moves into different unscripted content spaces — from the drag culture in Discovery+ series Trixie Motel (pictured right), to automobiles in Drew’s Dream Car (Discovery+).

The British Columbia-and Alberta-raised twin brothers tell Playback Daily that their slate at the Emmy-nominated company has tripled in the last one to two years, with about 15 shows in various stages of production across the U.S. and Canada and more than that in development. The company’s hit shows are watched in more than 160 countries and the brothers say they “aren’t slowing down.”

“We have a goal to be the largest lifestyle producer,” says Drew. “A lot of people obviously know us for the home space, but there’s so much more that we have produced, and we have great relationships with different networks. Obviously Warner Bros. Discovery is one of our largest relationships, and they have so many different genres in that lifestyle world.”

Last September, the U.S.-based duo signed a new three-year talent deal with long-standing partner HGTV, which includes additional episodes of Property Brothers: Forever Home and Celebrity IOU, as well as development on new home-related series.

They’ve also brought some new members into the fold. Last May, the company hired Jillian Brand as SVP of development to help with the plethora of projects they were being approached with, while Bree Tiffin was appointed as current programming executive, and Jane Van Deuren as current production executive.

Amy Lawless joined the company as VP, digital, last March after being with Discovery. She’s helping the company grow its content and initiatives in the digital space, where they’ve already made a splash with their Property Brothers Home Design game app, which has had more than 20.4 billion puzzles played.

Toronto-based Josie Crimi (pictured left), EVP of development and programming at SBE, tells Playback the company is “looking to make some big moves over the next year” with more “exponential growth.” Adding to the team “with the talented group of women was essential, and really the only way to keep growing at this pace,” she adds.

Building momentum

Crimi touts “some big, buzzy and really premium-feeling shows that have put a spotlight on the company” recently. They include the star-packed home reno series Celebrity IOU and The Great Giveback with Melissa McCarthy and Jenna Perusich, both on HGTV and Discovery+, as well as HGTV’s Trading Up with Mandy Rennehan. Those are in addition to their time-honoured series, which also include a newly launched season of Brother vs. Brother: No Rules on HGTV and Discovery+.

“Our goal for 2023 is to build on the momentum from the last couple years, while really continuing to diversify our slate and expand our reach across an entertainment marketplace that has more buyers than ever,” says Crimi. “We make content that brings comfort, joy and humour to audiences and we believe in the power of stories to bring people together. We have projects in development in the food, beauty space, and even a family docuseries in the automotive world. All new genres for us, but in line with the capturing stories of transformation and heart.”

The company also sees “a world of opportunity” in the kids space, she adds. SBE’s animated children’s series Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, produced in partnership with Sinking Ship Entertainment and with Nelvana as distributor, is set to premiere later this year, likely Q4.

“The brothers are kids at heart, so this space is definitely one that we’ll be playing in,” says Crimi. “We see a lot of potential in exploring content that appeals to the whole family — and content families can trust.”

Canuck beginnings

The two got their start in Canada with Cineflix-produced Property Brothers, originally with W Network and then HGTV Canada. They were just the hosts but longed to produce their own content.

“Originally HGTV U.S. turned down our show,” Jonathan recalls with a laugh. “They wanted husband-and-wife combos, and they didn’t really get the whole brother dynamic. It was W Network in Canada who was like, ‘Yeah, we’ll take a shot on this. This sounds interesting.'”

They eventually established SBE — along with their post-production facilities and production house — in Toronto because of the “amazing team members” there and also the ability to use Canadian tax credits.

Together, the real estate experts and renovators have now done more than 600 episodes and manufactured more than 10,000 products with their home furnishings brand Scott Living and subsidiary Dream Homes. They also own the Property Brothers library and most of the content from their shows.

Their philosophy includes helping families and viewers “positively impact life at home” while making “their home work harder for them”; using real-time feedback from viewers on social media to inform their content; being authentic on screen; ensuring their teams have “fun” on set; and producing innovative, stylish furniture pieces that are at a price point consumers can afford.

Their series budgets depend on the network side, they say, noting they are honest and realistic with their partners and aren’t afraid to say “no” if they don’t think a production will work. Jonathan says they make sure all of the renovations they do on their shows are “done the way we want to do it in our own homes.”

Looking forward

The content strategy going into 2023 is to “continue to really hone in on providing entertaining, aspirational programming,” says Jonathan. Other spaces they want to continue to grow in include gaming and competitions.

While there’s a recession looming, the 2007-2008 financial crisis as well as the pandemic have proven that “even when there’s a lot of uncertainty in what’s happening in the economy and in real estate, people still want to have something that the family can gather and watch,” he says.

“In the lifestyle world, there can be a lot of programming that is just sort of that trashy, bingey kind, but it’s not feel-good,” adds Drew. “We only want to produce shows that really warm the heart or help. It’s connectivity; it’s creating a community of positive people.”

Photos of Drew and Jonathan Scott by Chris McPherson; Trixie Motel photo courtesy Discovery+; Josie Crimi photo by Jenna Muirhead.