Hallmark announced the new series at the TCA Summer 2024, on the heels of announcing they would be adding streaming via Hallmark+. The app includes a lot of the fan-favorite programming, but also much more new content with its segue into reality. Brown serves as the host of Ready, Set, Glow! Ahead of the three-episode limited-series, Collider spoke with Brown about the new show, and how it’s one of the most exciting projects he’s worked on throughout his time with Hallmark.
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Ready, Set, Glow! is one of three reality series premiering this year on the network. Finding Mr. Christmas with Jonathan Bennett, and Celebrations With Lacey Chabert are also on Hallmark+.
COLLIDER: Obviously, Ready, Set, Glow! is something new for the Hallmark Network and this is actually your first unscripted project on the Hallmark Network as well. So, tell us about the process and how different is it doing scripted versus unscripted for you?
WES BROWN: It is well to reiterate, like you said, it is my first time doing it. I didn't know if I was going to be good at it. I'll leave that up to the audience. But the idea came to me about a year before we went into production. And initially when I pitched it to them, they were kind of unsure if they were gonna do unscripted and when they finally decided to, they said yes. I was excited a little bit nervous as well.
We've traveled the country doing two things, one is showing the light display….light displays across the United States. But I think the reason the show got picked up is because of the reason behind the light displays, there was always a reason — it starts off super small, like one display and then as it grows, and the town and stories grow with it. So it could be something that started as a small light display with 1000 lights now might have a million lights with a charity attached to it.
We experienced lots and lots of those. And it’s just a story about the people behind all the decorations. It's high energy, it's high paced. You'll you might have some tears. So, it turned out really nice. We're proud of it.
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COLLIDER: Now, you mentioned that when the project was initially pitched, Hallmark didn't know if they were going to go the unscripted route. And now we're at a time where they're unleashing a ton of unscripted projects or new projects as well. We have television shows for the holiday season, which we didn't have before. And then we also have a few reality competition shows. So how does it feel to be part of this inaugural change and expansion that they're doing?
WES BROWN: It feels great. I was there when a lot of this stuff that's happening, I never thought it would happen. Even something as far as - we just had a Halloween movie come out several years ago - Halloween was not going to happen with Hallmark. So to see them expand and grow, it's been really fun and then to find out the, why behind the changes. So who's to say what's going to be next? So, it's been a blast watching this network boom.
‘Ready, Set, Glow!’ Features the Best Holiday Displays Around the Country
In the preview video teaser, he says, “We’re going to meet families from across the country whose traditions have made spirits bright for generations.”
COLLIDER: So you talked about the fact that it incorporates light displays and then obviously it uncovers the meaning behind them. How wowed were you by some of the displays that you saw?
WES BROWN: I was amazed. We came in from them building them. Some of these folks start in like June. It’s crazy. The neatest thing is that when the cameras were off, nothing changed, nothing changed. These people were still as passionate about it. So nothing was for the cameras.
There was one farm that had 2.5 million lights. There were some neighborhoods where as far as you can see every single house participated. I'm glad we had a great production team behind it because we had to because sometimes when you take a photo and you're like, ‘Oh, this didn't do it any justice.’ We had to make sure the cameras were picking up and it, and it did it justice. So the best part about that is everything that we're going to show you on, you can go and see yourself.
So if you see something in Baltimore and Philadelphia, Jersey, Connecticut, New York. Chicago, Texas, California…We went all over the place you can go and see these places for themselves. And so if we're ever so, so lucky to get to do this again, the viewers can say, ‘Oh, I have an idea,’ or ‘I know a town you should go see that.’ Maybe we've never heard of [the town before]. The wow factor is definitely there.
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COLLIDER: That's actually one of my favorite components of the show because that's something that my family and I- what we do every year is to go into different neighborhoods - whether we're at our home base or traveling, to view the Christmas decor. And I've realized that that's something that's becoming a bit more frequent around the country. So as someone who participates in a lot of these holiday films and then now this, everybody does Christmas a little differently, right? So what is your style for decorations? Are you simplistic? Do you like colored lights? Do you like things to be in theme or do you go all out?
WES BROWN: I'll give you my most honest answer: my family and I, we've moved several times over the last many, many years. Our style has kind of been based on the neighborhood, the house, stuff like that. We live in the northeast now. So it's more of the white lights to match the snow. But my last house, I lived in Los Angeles. It was colored lights everywhere. I Griswold it out and all the color lights, it was flashy. That style doesn’t exactly work where we are now. So I hate to give a generic answer, but I do like it, all of it. Sometimes I love the simplicity and sometimes I love it when these, especially after this show, the house that goes all out. Less is not more on this show. More is more, and they continue to do more.
COLLIDER: So with it being the first season, what is your projection for next year? Are we going to have this for years to come? Is that your hope?
WES BROWN: Yes, I'm going to manifest. I don't have an official [greenlight for next season]. But I'm going to have a manifestation [that it happens]. I do hope so because it's something that we can continue to so and go around the country. And, by the way, like I said, these displays have grown and it has inspired other families to do stuff like this. So we would go to one city and we once traveled to like a town in Pennsylvania and saw this light display and that inspired us to do our own. So hopefully this show can do something like that. So, yeah, I do hope that it lasts and it could last for years and years to come.
COLLIDER: Now, as you mentioned earlier that you've been able to witness that you've grown with the network, but obviously, holiday is Hallmark's thing. So what keeps you at Hallmark and specifically within the Christmas holiday genre? What about it do you love the most?
WES BROWN: When they say it's a family network, it truly is a family network. Just before I sat down [for this interview], there are actors and executives sitting right out there that we sit and we chat and we're gonna go to a baseball game later on and we're gonna go out to dinner. So when it says a family network, it truly means that all of us are here and getting to watch people that are now my friends grow and I get to watch my buddies do movies and then work with different directors. So it's like, ‘Who do you want to work with next?’ I've enjoyed growing with everyone and that's been a very special thing since my first one in 2009.
COLLIDER: How many Hallmark projects have you counted that you've done or did you lose count? I was talking to Lacey not earlier this year, I spoke to her a few weeks back for Celebrations, and she mentioned that this year marks her 40th Hallmark movie.
WES BROWN: I think it's 21. It's either 21 or 22. I think someone told me I had surpassed 20. It's not 40…
COLLIDER: I was about to say you still have some time, talk to me in two years.
WES BROWN: We'll do 20 more.
Ready, Set Glow! can be streamed on Hallmark+ beginning in December.
Release Date December 12, 2024
Cast Wes Brown
Main Genre Reality
Seasons 1
Network Hallmark+
Character(s) Host
Stream on Hallmark+
English (US) ·