The Craftsman is an American reality television series produced by Warm Springs Productions and Jolt Life for Magnolia Network in the United States. The series documents the work of Eric Hollenbeck, a conservator-restorer and woodworker from Eureka, California.
The first season of The Craftsman premiered on September 3, 2021. The second season premiered on the Magnolia app and Discovery+ on November 11, 2022. The Craftsman: Preserving the Last Higgins Boat, a documentary special, was released on November 11, 2023.
Eric Hollenbeck, born in Eureka, California, is a co-founder of Blue Ox Millworks (formerly Blue Ox Logging Company), which specializes in lumber and Victorian artisanship.
Hollenbeck takes on preservation projects for various sites and objects of historical value, including the Carson Mansion, Monroe House, and World War IIâÂÂera landing craft, among other endeavors. The majority of projects on the show involve historic architecture in Eureka.
The first episode of The Craftsman was released on September 3, 2021. The second episode premiered alongside the first on Magnolia Network and Discovery+ on March 15, 2022, with the remainder of the season's following episodes premiering weekly. A back-to-back screening of both episodes was hosted by the City of Eureka on March 18, 2022 at the Eureka Theater, a location featured in the fifth episode of the same season.
In an interview with Lilian Brown for Apartment Therapy, Hollenbeck expressed hope that The Craftsman would provide visibility to Eureka overall. During an episode of the Talk Humboldt podcast with Dr. Keith Flamer (College of the Redwoods) and Dr. Tom Jackson (Cal Poly Humboldt), he described an increase in international visitors to Blue Ox Millworks following the show's release.