CANNING, N.S. — He says they’re helping to shape the world – one car at a time.
Custom car guru Chad Hiltz said his show, Bad Chad Customs, is as much about inspiring others as it is demonstrating his unique techniques.
The Canning, N.S.-based Hiltz Auto Company team includes Hiltz; his partner Jolene MacIntyre, Hiltz’s son Colton, builder Aaron Rand and mechanic Alex Gould. Although it has already been shown in other international markets, the second season of Bad Chad Customs debuts on Discovery on Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. Atlantic time.
For the most part, filming wrapped up just before Christmas last year. Fortunately, production of the second season wasn’t impacted significantly by COVID-19, although filming for a third season has yet to begin due to the pandemic.
This has given Hiltz and MacIntyre some time to catch their breath and reflect on what they’ve accomplished so far before the long days of filming resume.
Hiltz said they got to see what it was all about and familiarize themselves with what goes into producing the show during the first season. As work began on season two, he said it felt like they had something really special.
Then, some unexpected health issues affected their small team, leading to having less help than he expected. Hiltz said this jolted him to the reality that “we had to work our ass off to get it done.”
Hiltz said they built more cars than the year before, which he takes as an indication that they’ve improved overall. He is happy with the customs they produced.
Hiltz hopes they serve to motivate others or demonstrate that hard work pays off. He said hard work is the only way to get something in life and he’s quick to point out that there’s no TV if there’s no car.
“I’m no ‘A’ student, that’s for sure,” Hiltz said. “They say ‘A’ students make ‘A’ money, but we know that’s a lie because I got ‘D’s’.”
He said they’re building cars from essentially nothing. This means anyone who has nothing can have something if they can visualize it and want to go for it. Hiltz hopes the show inspires others to create things, whether those creations are something that everyone agrees with or not.
After all, Hiltz points out that there are many opinions out there concerning his work but the cars they build aren’t intended to please anyone but the client.
What people have to say about the cars is fine, but when Hiltz finds out he has said or done something on the show that has touched or inspired people he doesn’t know, this is the most gratifying compliment he can imagine. Hiltz believes that you have to inspire to be great.
“I want to be great when I’m done, I don’t want mediocre, I want to be great in someone’s eyes because I have inspired them…and the ones I don’t inspire, they’ll be thinking about it,” Hiltz said.
He points out that you can get totally absorbed in building something like a custom car. It occupies your thoughts and can serve as a great escape. Hiltz said this sense of focus can help make you a better person.
During filming for the second season, they worked six 12 hour days a week for eight months and completed eight custom builds. The first season was even more hectic, when they worked seven days a week. Hiltz said that when you’re not busy building a car, you’re filming something. However, he points out that when given your opportunity, you have to go for it.
Hiltz credits MacIntyre for helping to keep him in check and on track. She receives most of the feedback from the show and has been amazed by it. She said they get letters and emails from grown men pouring their hearts out about how Hiltz has helped or inspired them. They’ve even received letters like this from inmates at five different prisons to date.
“I think another big thing that plays a factor in how it’s perceived by a lot of people is how real he is and how honest,” MacIntyre said. “He’s real, he’s authentic. He shows people how he’s doing it. We’re not ordering parts, he’s making a lot of parts.”
Hiltz said these viewers probably see a lot of themselves in him, but perhaps they never had the chance to do what he’s doing. He said some of the messages he’s read really resonated with him. In this regard, the inspiration has been reciprocated.
Online shop
During the pandemic, MacIntyre created an online store to sell Hiltz Auto Company and Bad Chad Customs merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, jackets and much more. She said it cost some money to set up the website but the main investment was time as she worked to develop branded apparel.
“We have a supplier in the States that, as soon as an order comes in, the supplier makes it and sends it directly to the customer,” she said.
MacIntyre said this helps keep overhead costs down, although they do keep a small inventory on hand. She said this is a new revenue stream for them and it’s overwhelming how many orders they’re receiving, an indication of the international fan support for the show.
MacIntyre said their goal is to eventually establish a small retail store at their property on Highway 358 outside of Canning.
For more information or to place an order, visit www.hiltzautoco.com. You can also visit Bad Chad and Hiltz Auto Co. on Facebook. The Bad Chad Facebook page currently has in excess of 125,000 followers and posts from the page reached approximately 14 million people during a recent 28-day span. You can also check out some videos like the one below on the YouTube channel.
