Real estate TV show to highlight Smithfield
Published 4:35 pm Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Two Smithfield real estate agents will be featured on an upcoming episode of a new national television show titled “Financing the American Dream.”
The show, which is in its first year of production, is a spinoff of Ignite Now Media Chief Executive Officer Craig Sewing’s “The American Dream,” which is in its eighth season.
“The American Dream,” according to its website, highlights the lifestyle and real estate market in cities and metropolitan areas across the United States. Its “Financing the American Dream” spinoff will feature Jay and Amber Hassell of the Smithfield Station-based Countryside Real Estate Group.
The couple will be discussing the housing market in Smithfield in an episode that will air on Bloomberg Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. The episode will also include footage from Smithfield’s Oct. 2 Bacon, Bourbon & Music Fest.
“The show is about real estate, but also lifestyle and culture,” said Benjamin Smith, the show’s host for the Hampton Roads region, who, like the Hassells, lives in Smithfield. He moved here nearly a year ago.
The original concept for “The American Dream” was a Realtor-led show, Smith said. But the spinoff also includes lenders in each market.
“I’ve been a lender for about 18 years how,” said Smith, who serves as a local team sales manager for the Texas-based Caliber Home Loans.
“As a veteran, I tend to focus most of my energy on VA loans,” Smith said.
Through his work, he met the Hassells, and ended up asking them to participate in his segment on the show.
“They just seem very involved in the community here … Jay and Amber just have as much of a love for this town as I’ve come to have,” Smith said.
Smith has big plans for the spinoff, including hopes for an interview with singer and record producer Pharrell Williams, a Virginia Beach native, though nothing is set in stone yet.
“We’re looking to connect with some big folks … Hampton Roads has got more of a place in the world than we consider,” Smith said. “We feel so small market, but with all of us together, it’s really not.”