Television film crew is ready to start shooting four tuna fishermen with Harwich and its harbors as a backdrop.
The “Reel Men†show for the Discovery/Animal Planet channel wants to film around Harwich with 24-hour-a-day access to Saquatucket Municipal Marina and Allen Harbor, said Selectman Larry Ballantine, chairman of the board.
Call Harwich “Hollywood East,†he quipped Tuesday. “Any publicity for Cape Cod in general and Harwich, in particular, helps,†Ballantine said.
Filming may begin today and last through Nov. 19, give or take a day or two, assistant Harbormaster Heinz Proft said, based on what he had been told by Splash Productions, the reality show’s production company.
Splash Productions’ 18-member crew ideally would arrive today, production manager Tory Lenosky confirmed Tuesday. She referred other questions to Animal Planet, the show's producer.
It’s a small operation that will be keeping a low profile in town, Lenosky said in an email to Town Administrator James Merriam.
Two to three crew members — cameraman, field producer and production assistant — will follow four tuna fishermen on and off their boats around the Cape. Ninety percent of the filming will be offshore, Proft was told.
The show’s stars are not local, year-round fishermen, Proft and Ballantine said. One may be from the transient boats that use Saquatucket Harbor during tuna season every year, he said.
In all, the production would bring in 18 people in three vehicles, including two vans and a 15-passenger vehicle, plus two private cars.
