MARKET WARRIORS premiers Monday, July 16, 2012 at 8p.m. on WTVP-HD.
MARKET WARRIORS brings the bustle, energy and competition
of a live flea market to the screen.
From the producers of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, the hit PBS series and the forerunner of television’s
popular antiques and collectibles genre, comes a new adventure for treasure seekers:
MARKET WARRIORS.
Premiering Monday, July 16, at 8pm on WTVP-HD following ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, MARKET WARRIORS
follows antiques pickers—Bob, John, Kevin, and Miller—on a nationwide treasure hunt, scouring flea markets for antiques
and vintage valuables with an eye toward selling their finds for profit at auction. Over the course of 20 one-hour episodes,
viewers will get to know the pickers, enjoy an up-close look at the fierce competition in each episode and obstacles they face
in the marketplace each week, and make their best guesses about who will come out ahead at the end of each episode.
Fred Willard (Best in Show, Modern Family) is MARKET WARRIORS’ off-screen host,
offering wry commentary throughout the show. As host, the show is filtered through his eyes.
“With MARKET WARRIORS, we wanted to turn the lens on the antiques pickers themselves,” says
series executive producer Marsha Bemko. “Our pickers aren’t your amateur weekend-flea-market hobbyists. They are pros looking
to turn a profit in a highly competitive setting where the element of chance and a little luck sometimes trump expertise. And
who better to guide viewers through the challenges our pickers face than Fred Willard, who brings to the series both his
signature improvisational skills and the eye and know-how of a collector.”
“MARKET WARRIORS is a perfect complement to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, building on our audience’s
passion for history and antiques. Together they offer an addictive two hours of flea markets, antiques and unique finds,”
said John F. Wilson, Senior Vice President & Chief TV Programming Executive.
Meet the Pickers:
Kevin Bruneau has owned and operated an antiques business for more than two decades and is fluent in the world
of buying and selling antiques and collectibles in the online marketplace. When he’s not travelling with his fellow
MARKET WARRIORS, Kevin is on the road hundreds of miles per week in search of antiques and the next, great find.
Kevin lives and works in Rhode Island.
John Bruno is an industry veteran: an antiques and collectibles dealer and collector for 40 years,
and an appraiser for more than 25 years. Along with his wife Tina, he runs one of the largest antiques show
promotion/management organizations in the Northeast. John is a native New Yorker and currently lives in New Hampshire.
Miller Gaffney has honed her eye for antiques and collecting over the years at places such as
Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She is a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America and the proprietor of
an art advisory which she founded in 2006. Miller is a native of South Carolina.
Bob Richter comes to MARKET WARRIORS as a lifelong collector and with the sensibility
of an interior designer. Bob lives in New York City where he is a regular at local flea markets and furniture shops. Bob
is originally from Pennsylvania.
About MARKET WARRIORS on PBS
In each episode, four pickers travel to different market locations across the country to purchase certain items with a
set amount of money. Viewers will learn not only about different objects and their history; they’ll also see the
competitors apply their knowledge and skills to real financial transactions. Along the way, we will get to know our
pickers, learn about what they bought and why through individual interviews, and discover the current value of the
objects as only the marketplace can determine.
The sale of our pickers’ items takes place at an auction on a different day, in a different location.
All four competitors will watch the auctioneer take charge of the bidding and the picker whose objects earn the highest
total profit at auction is the winner of that episode.
The MARKET WARRIORS website – pbs.org/marketwarriors:
The MARKET WARRIORS web site on PBS.org is
the online platform for engaging and informing MARKET WARRIORS fans. The site will highlight the broadcast,
with tune-in information, streaming full episodes, and episode guides. The site, found at
pbs.org/marketwarriors,
will extend and enhance the broadcast experience through web-exclusive videos and profiles with the series’ expert
pickers—Bob, John, Kevin and Miller. The MARKET WARRIORS blog will provide the latest behind-the-scenes news
from the series, articles about featured objects from the episodes, plus insights and tips from the world of antiques
and flea markets. Polls, quizzes, and questions will prompt site visitors to share their thoughts, and a “winners and
losers” feature will further encourage audience participation by tracking each picker’s season-long successes and
failures. MARKET WARRIORS web content will be shared via social media channels, and fans can contribute
to conversations on Facebook, Twitter, and share their own favorite flea market finds on the series website.
