This week, a Pine, Colorado, company with Summit County connections will be featured on national TV in a segment on former “Dirty Jobs” host Mike Rowe’s new documentary show “Somebody’s Gotta Do It.”

Dragon Forge Ltd., a custom blacksmithing company, has forged railings, chandeliers, lighting, door hardware, fireplace doors, wine cellar doors and more for clients around Summit County, in addition to other custom work around the country, for more than 35 years, said Rory May, who operates the family business with his father, Craig.

“We have also demonstrated at public events ranging from Kingdom Days in Breckenridge to the Christmas Parade of Lights in downtown Denver, as well, and participated in the Summit County Home and Garden show the past 10 years,” Rory said.

Production process

Rowe describes “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” on http://www.cnn.com as “unscripted, unrehearsed and unusually fun.”

“It’s all about people who do what they do because they just can’t help themselves,” he writes. “People on a mission; people who march to the beat of a drum that only they can hear. Those are my kind of people, and CNN has given me an hour on prime time to introduce a few of them to America.”

The show’s producers reached out to Dragon Forge for an interview last year, and after a weekend of brainstorming projects, the company decided to “go big or go home” and create a business sign for the show to occupy their 15 minutes of fame. The “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” team spent four hours at the studio the first day, collecting B-roll footage, asking questions and filming a short forging demonstration.

Rowe showed up for the second day, when he tried his hand with a 250-pound Little Giant power hammer, torches, forges and hand hammers and helped with the final touches on the sign. From the initial contact through the phone meetings and emails and, finally, meeting Rowe and the rest of his crew, Rory said the whole process was everything he expected and more.

“Mike Rowe is exactly what we see on television on and off the camera — genuinely nice, funny and very cunning in his quick responses,” Rory said. “There was no wasted time or conversation. He showed up with the cameras on, and we hit the ground running for the next seven hours.”

Broadening horizons

The final product created for the show was a 5-by-6½-foot, 110-pound sign that reads “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” in a mix of metals. The sign was packed and shipped to the TV studio’s office for display in November, and the Dragon Forge episode will air on CNN on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. Colorado time.

Rory said construction of the piece gave Rowe, and hopefully others who view the show, a broader perspective of the modern blacksmith and the range of skills and projects pursued by Dragon Forge.

“The exposure of Dragon Forge Ltd. and the forged, custom ironwork we create will be beneficial but also that the craft of blacksmithing should hopefully gain some awareness, as well,” Rory said.

“There is a stereotype that all blacksmiths shoe horses and make swords. We make an attempt to broaden and educate that perspective with the work and clients we collaborate with.”