Hoboken is a very self-sufficient community, with many residents who rarely have to leave the city. So perhaps it’s fitting that the new star of a reality show on the Do It Yourself Network is from the mile-square city.
Hoboken resident Jon Wittmaack is ready to take center stage on DIY beginning on Oct. 16 when the new show “Brothers on Call” airs for the first time.
“Brothers on Call” is a reality show that chronicles the lives of Jon and his brother Terry, who own and operate their family business, “Man Around the House,” based in Ridgewood. If you’re expecting just another Jersey based reality show, Wittmaack says you’ll be in for a surprise.
“I’m really happy with the way [the show] is turning out.” – Jon Wittmaack
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Wittmaack said that his home improvement company is able to do, well, “everything, basically.”
“We call ourselves a full service home improvement company,” Wittmaack said. “We’re a professional paint company, a handy man service, and we do full renovations and remodeling. The show primarily focuses on our larger projects.”
Filming is an ‘intense experience’
Wittmaack, who has lived in Hoboken for the past six years, said he and his brother were contracted for the filming of 13 episodes, beginning on Oct. 16. The first night featured two episodes, airing at 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The show airs on Sunday evenings. He added that the show is still filming, and the final episode will be filmed around Thanksgiving.
“It has been a very intense experience for me,” he said. “I’ve never been on television before…my brother and I have been working together for a number of years and we really have a great time. This whole filming thing has been very intense, and it’s become a full time job in it of itself.”
The show itself is different from other DIY network programs, he said.
“Basically home improvement shows have been kind of set up to show how a project is built from start to finish,” Wittmaack said. “But this is actually a reality show about my brother and I…the show details the life of my brother and I as we run this company.”
He added that running a business in front of television cameras is not just all glitz and glamour.
“You’ll see all the daily headaches and setbacks,” he said. “It’s exciting, it’s funny, and it’s very entertaining.”
The projects profiled on the show are actually real customer projects finished in Northern New Jersey.
“Nothing is staged and nothing is set up,” he said.
Of the two brothers, Jon said he is the businessman of the company, and his brother Terry is more of the builder.
“Terry takes all the concepts and turns it into reality,” Wittmaack said. “It’s a really interesting dynamic.”
A family business
The two brothers have been partners in business since 2004. Jon and Terry’s father, John, who passed away in 2002, originally owned and operated Man Around the House. Terry joined the company as a partner with his father in 1997, and then from 2002 to 2004, Terry worked by himself. Now, the two are starring in a nationally televised reality show.
Wittmaack said he is a little nervous about the show before it begins to air, since it is his first time on a television show.
“Any time you’re put in a situation where you’re on national television, there are some nerves,” Witmaack said. “But I have seen several of the episodes. I’m really happy with the way it’s turning out.”
He said that the company is depicted honestly, as are the customers.
“I’m nervous wondering if people are going to watch it and like it,” Witmaack said. “I just hope everybody enjoys it.”
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com