The Maker Nation Challenge Expert Judge - airing on Very Local this Fall

I was asked to be the “Expert Judge” for an episode of a national competition show called, “Maker Nation Challenge” airing on Very Local and hosted by Ashley Adams.

Very Local is a free streaming app that features both local and national news, interviews, stories and more. “Maker Nation” is a show that features artisans, and “Maker Nation Challenge” is its upcoming spinoff series.

The show consists of three contestants in a chosen field (jewelry and metalsmithing in this case) and 3 judges (the show host, a local artist and a local expert in that episode’s field). The contestants are Tanya Stiegler, Erin Stuart and Gray Vitaris, and the judges are Ashley Adams, Cecelia Ho and myself. 

Leading up to the filming, I worked with the producer, Jackie Bates, to come up with a project, time frame, material kit and some surprises for the contestants to complete during their challenge.

This past week we filmed the episode at Greenville Center for Creative Arts, and it all went wonderfully. The contestants created amazing pieces of jewelry in a very short time span. (But no, I cannot share the results until the episode airs!)

The other judges and myself were able to guide, question and critique their work.  We chose a winner, and best of all, the whole thing was caught on film.

Our episode will air this Fall, and I will share the details with you as soon as I know them.

Being part of filming a show, creating a competition and judging was a very cool experience with so much going on behind the scenes.

Stay tuned to learn more about my experience and to watch the episode!