Move over, world, because a Calgary artist is about to set Netflix ablaze with his fiery skills on the upcoming season of Blown Away.
Blown Away is a Canadian reality TV series that pits ten glassblowers against each other for a chance at a $100,000 prize package.
Calgary’s Hayden MacRae competed in the show’s recently released season four, which was filmed in Ontario last spring.
Early Start
MacRae’s passion for glassblowing took shape at a young age when his grandma Betty would read Rupert the Bear to him.
The scene where Rupert visits a glass factory ignited MacRae’s passion for glassblowing and has stuck with him since.
His path to become a glassblower started at 13 when he attended his first workshop.
MacRae’s art style combines colour, movement, texture, and light.
MacRae’s skills are sharper than glass, and his passion for glassblowing is stronger than steel.
But with the show’s tagline promising to be “bigger and hotter than ever,” MacRae knew he had to supersize his glass game.
“It’s like trying to fit an elephant into a mini Cooper – going big is a whole different ball game,” chuckled MacRae, the co-owner and lead artist at Fascapple Glass.
A Window Of Opportunity
Although tight-lipped about the upcoming season’s twists and turns, MacRae admitted that the competition was hotter than a furnace in the summer.
“Imagine throwing yourself into a frying pan with someone else’s spatula – that’s how wild it was,” shared MacRae.
Fascapple Glass, known for its exquisite handmade glass pieces and workshops, is set to benefit from MacRae’s Netflix debut.
The Southeastern Calgary-based studio opened in 2020 and is the only public glassblowing studio in Western Canada.
Nicholas Baldock, an educator and gaffer at the studio, expressed his excitement, saying, “Blown Away is like free advertising on steroids for the craft of glassblowing!”
On the show, contestants bend, twist, and shape molten glass into everything from vases to goblets under the watchful eye of host Hunter March and evaluator and glass master Katherine Gray.
Overcoming a Tough Start
As a family-run business that opened smack dab during the pandemic, Fascapple Glass has weathered its fair share of storms.
MacRae saw his Blown Away application as a chance to showcase his craft and boost his studio.
“Every time Blown Away drops a new season, our business goes boom!
I figured, even if I don’t make the cut, the show’s publicity will still be a blast for us,” explained MacRae.
Glassblowing requires an incredible amount of patience. MacRae spent the last 20 years “watching and absorbing the world of glass.”
MacRae’s patience is second to none, and his fans in Calgary can’t wait to see the fruits of his labour in Blown Away, which will start streaming on Netflix on March 8.
Stay tuned, or visit MacRae’s shop for an early fix.
