The Sunday, Jan. 29th edition of the popular HGTV series, “Beachfront Bargain Hunt” will feature an all native St. Thomas cast including the buyers and the realtor, according to Steve Bornn, managing director of Virgin Locations who handled the local production logistics for Magilla Entertainment. “Beachfront” usually airs at 8 p.m. (EST) every Sunday on HGTV.
The show centers on the search for and the buying of a home or vacation villa in a seaside destination.
The episode, “Staying Put on St. Thomas, USVI,” is a first for the show: the guests are all black Virgin Islanders. “And I’m proud to have been a part of the production team,” said Bornn.
Look for Rosa Thomas and Manuel Maras to take center stage in Rosa’s successful search for her new home on island. Fellow St. Thomian and real estate agent Dayle Barry of Sea Glass takes them through the process.
Magilla and Beachfront are frequent visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands, having produced more than 10 episodes on all three islands. Bornn said, “These kind of repeat, small productions with long hotel stays, local film crew hires and purchased services yield multiple benefits to the economy, including jobs and cash infusion. Not to mention valuable exposure of the tourism destination.”
A former film commissioner, he explained that Virgin Locations is a consortium of on-location film production services. “You could say that we are a privatized film commission with rapid response.”