Craft Masters
About the Show
Irish indie Big Mountain Productions scored success last year with a US remake of its The Genealogy Roadshow format with PBS. Now, the company, run by Philip McGovern and creative director Jane Kelly, hopes to replicate this with Craft Master.
The format, originally commissioned by RTÉ, is essentially The Great British Bake Off for crafts. The show focuses on basketry, millinery, knitting, furniture and jewellery design, with a group of 15 people each hoping to become The Craft Master and win a spot at Ireland’s Creative Expo.
THE SEARCH FOR IRELAND’S NEWEST CRAFT TALENT - RETURNS FOR A SECOND SERIES, PRESENTED BY STYLE ICON, SONYA LENNON.
During the six-part series, 15 apprentices who are passionate about making, compete to produce a unique piece of work that will see them represent their chosen craft discipline from the fields of millinery, furniture, jewellery, knitting and basketry.
The winner of Craft Master Series 2 gets the opportunity to kick-start a career in craft by receiving a stand at the largest international trade fair in the country, Showcase - Ireland’s Creative Expo, which is run by the Crafts Council of Ireland and promoted internationally by Enterprise Ireland.
Deciding who wins is a panel led by designer, stylist and TV presenter Sonya Lennon, who is joined by resident judge, Brian McGee, Head of Market Development at the Crafts Council of Ireland, along with two of Ireland’s top designers, Paul Costelloe and Louise Kennedy.
Craft Master celebrates the very best of Irish design and craftsmanship in a hugely entertaining format. The show is produced by Big Mountain Productions in collaboration with the Crafts Council of Ireland and with the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and RTÉ.
This latest series of Craft Master is a follow up to the hugely popular series 1 which was commissioned to coincide with Year of Craft 2011 as part of the celebrations of craft throughout the island of Ireland that year.
