Chip and Joanna Gaines were always incredibly likable on HGTV's Fixer Upper. They continue to seem kind and open-hearted today, whether posting on social media or being interviewed on TV. And if some parts of Fixer Upper aren't real, it's still possible to enjoy watching the pair work their magic on old homes.
When watching Fixer Upper, it seems like the families are happy with the results that Chip and Joanna get them. They love Joanna's designs and look forward to settling into the home and having fun with their kids. Was it a different story for the producers for Fixer Upper? What was it really like having this job?
What Did Fixer Upper Producers Say About Working With Chip And Joanna Gaines?
While some Fixer Upper clients had a negative experience, did Fixer Upper producers actually enjoy working on the TV series? From the outside looking in, it definitely seems like a dream job. It would mean getting to know Chip and Joanna and watching families move into beautiful houses. And filming in Waco, Texas seems like it would be charming since it's an adorable small town.
Hatley Moore was a Fixer Upper producer, and he talked about the experience in an interview with Bleep Mag in 2018. According to his IMDb page, he worked on other shows such as Got Your 6, Booze Traveler: Best Bars, and Ghost Adventures.
Moore had great things to say about working on Fixer Upper. He called it "a special time" and praised the positive vibes between the employees.
Moore told Bleep Mag, "Fixer Upper turned into the stable part of my life. We really did become a tight-knit family. In the time frame of when we started shooting season three, it was around the time Chip and Jo were becoming more known and people were talking about them a lot. We who were working on the show were actually late to the game realizing they’d become famous because everyone in Waco already knew who they were."
Moore continued, "We didn’t know how big it was getting but once we realized what was going on, it was so interesting to be very close to it and be able to watch it happen."
Moore also said that after going to Baylor College, he had a New York City internship. He realized that he really liked the reality TV genre. He explained, "in reality TV, the producers are really the directors."
Hayley Moore was hired as a Fixer Upper producer in 2015 and worked his way up. He explained to Bleep Mag that after he was a season 3 production assistant, he was an associate producer in season 4 and then a post associate producer in season 5.
From what Moore says, it sounds like producing Fixer Upper was a rewarding job. It's great that he continued to be promoted and that he really liked the work that he was doing. Since he did so many different things throughout his time on Fixer Upper, this must have given him a lot of awesome skills that he could use in the future.
There aren't many Fixer Upper producers who have spoken about their experiences. But for the most part, any employee who has been hired by Chip and Joanna Gaines seems to speak highly of the famous couple.
And the couple seems to work hard to ensure that they are hiring people who fit into their company culture at Magnolia.
According to Country Living, Chip Gaines said that when he and Joanna are hiring, they think carefully about the type of personality that someone has.
Chip said, "In a perfect world, they're perfectly qualified and they've got amazing character but if we had to make a concession, we would always choose to concede their qualifications over their character. If you were going to work for Magnolia, we would expect you to want to serve people and we would want you to do that with a high level of integrity."
Did Fixer Upper Producer Michael Matsumoto Like Chip And Joanna Gaines?
Michael Matsumoto has been a producer for the reality TV genre for a long time. His IMDb page says that he has worked on shows such as Battle on the Beach, Big Brother, Flipping Vegas, The Voice, and Survivor.
Joanna and Chip Gaines worked on a house for Matsumoto, which he then wanted to sell. According to Today, he, his wife and children were thrilled with the house. He said “It was built perfectly for us." But the home is in Crawford, Texas and not Waco, so Matsumoto knew that it was time to live somewhere else.
Did the Fixer Upper producer have a good experience working for Chip and Joanna Gaines?
From an interview that he did with KWTX.com, it sounds like he loved working on Fixer Upper. He said that he and his family began living in Waco, Texas and created a whole community as a result.
Matsumoto never had anything negative to say about Chip and Joanna Gaines or about Fixer Upper in general. And his career has grown in the years since Fixer Upper stopped. He has worked on many popular HGTV shows.
He was happy about the last Fixer Upper season and told KWTX.com, "What I like most about this season is that there's a lot of projects that are really special and you can tell they're really close to Chip and Jo. A lot of really good 'feel good' episodes this season."
It's possible that some Fixer Upper producers had negative experiences and just choose not to talk about them publicly. But for the most part, it seems that being a producer on the HGTV series was a great gig and one that people look back on happily. And there's no indication that working on a TV show with Chip and Joanna Gaines is a problem at all.