Introducing Summer’s Most Inspiring New Show: Making It

What happens when you combine eight talented makers, two celebrity hosts, a pair of savvy and spirited judges—including Etsy’s very own trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson—and a spectacular slew of handmade craft projects? To find out, tune in to NBC on Tuesday, July 31, at 10/9c for the series premiere of Making It, a lighthearted crafting competition hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

What it is: A true celebration of creativity, imagination, and improvisation, Making It will bring together artists and craftspeople from across the creative spectrum—from woodworkers to felt experts and everyone in between—to complete weekly themed challenges that put their ingenuity (and paintbrush-wielding prowess) to the test. “The level of talent on-set was incredible,” says Dayna. “Getting to know these makers, who are all such powerhouses in their creative spaces, and watching them express themselves through their projects was such a joy.”

Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Who you’ll be rooting for: The contestants on Making It bring a wide range of aesthetics and expertise to each week’s adventures. Meet Joanna Gick, an interior designer and DIY enthusiast from Arizona with a passion for kids’ decor; Amber Kemp-Gerstel, a Miami-based psychologist-turned-craft-blogger; Billy Kheel, a Massachusetts native based in Los Angeles specializing in felt applique; Robert Mahar, an LA-based artist and designer with a background in modern and contemporary art appraisal; Khiem Nguyen, a furniture and home goods whiz based in Austin; Jemma Olson, a Texas crafter—and grandmother of 16!—who believes in creating beautiful, budget-friendly home decor by hand; Jeffery Rudell, a New York-based paper artist originally hailing from the Midwest; and Nicole Sweeney, a Bay Area woodworker who’s dabbled in creative expressions ranging from dance to architecture to welding. We recommend browsing their Etsy shops and scrolling through their Instagram feeds pre-show to get (even more) pumped.

Photo by Ryan Liebe

Try this at home: There’s something about seeing an impressive project come to life before your very eyes that awakens the aspiring artisan in all of us. So if following along with the show each week has you itching to put your hands to work too, come back to Etsy’s Making It hub every Tuesday for a new batch of original, one-of-a-kind craft projects and DIYs inspired by each week’s episode, and hand-selected by Dayna. Who’s ready to get crafty?

Learn more about Making It