Masonry Apprentice Selected for Segment on "Trade School"
By Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute
Masonry apprentice Jason Brooks of Q M Company in Loveland, Colo., was selected for a feature segment on "Trade School," A DIY (Do-It-Yourself) national cable network production filmed by High Noon Entertainment. Each half-hour show follows a trade school student as his or her skills progress and the student is positioned at the beginning of his or her career. The show is airing its second season and is preparing to broadcast seasons three and four.
Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute (RMMI) Executive Director Larisa LaBrant specifically recommended Brooks and his mentor/teacher Chris Olgeirson, project manager for A.P. Eberlein, for the show because of their skills and personalities.
The producers filmed Brooks and Olgeirson building an intricate brick fireplace designed by RMMI Technical Director Diane Travis. The fireplace they built is based on a fireplace designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the May house in Grand Rapids, Mich., which utilize strips of iridescent glass infused with 18-karat gold. Summit Brick and Tile of Pueblo, Colo., created custom-glazed thin brick to emulate the glass in the design.
High Noon Producer Christin Mihon said the fireplace project was selected because it shows Jason using a wide range of skill levels. Mihon, Sequence Producer Bill Crispin and a camera crew spent the first week of January filming Brooks and Olgeirson as they built the masonry project in the RMMI office in Denver.
The fireplace includes concrete block (donated by Basalite), brick veneer (donated by Acme Brick and Robinson Brick), stone pieces (donated by Pine Stone), glass block (donated by Rio Grande Co.) and glazed brick inlay (donated by Summit Brick and Tile). With a "ventless" electric fireplace insert (supplied by Rio Grande Co.), the fireplace provides an aesthetic boost to the RMMI conference room.
The show, which is scheduled to air sometime in late 2006 or early 2007, will be accompanied by a web feature, located at www.DIYnetwork.com. The web pages will focus on the details of the fireplace project.
"Trade School" is broadcast on Sundays at 9:00 PM EST.
About the Author
Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute is a non-profit organization of more than 100 manufacturers, contractors, and suppliers throughout the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute strives to increase the understanding and use of masonry in homes, schools, and commercial building projects throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. For more information, please visit www.rmmi.org.
