London, Ontario… Proving that
duct tape is far more than just a mending tool, Victoria resident
Tom Snell, has been named the grand prize winner of the 3M™
"Get Caught on Tape" duct tape contest. Snell wins
a part as an extra in the Red Green movie, "Duct Tape Forever"
currently being filmed in the Toronto area. The contest challenged
Canadians to submit photos or videos highlighting innovative
uses for duct tape. Snell, a teacher in Victoria, British Columbia,
rose (or should it be swung?) to the challenge.
The winning entry, as judged by Red Green himself, was a
"handyman's haven". To create his haven, Snell took
the frame of a metal swing set and fashioned a "woven"
hammock out of duct tape across the length of the apparatus.
He then suspended a television (with duct tape) from the bar
at the top. The television, along with a dart board, were
dubbed the "entertainment center" by Snell, who
also ensured the remote was close at hand by suspending it
with duct tape. He created a newspaper holder on the side
of the apparatus and a food hamper - really just a chip bag
holder, both fashioned out of duct tape. Snell also incorporated
a system for watering his garden with the hammock.
Apparently as the hammock moves, so does a hose connected
to the swing set and the garden gets watered. "It was
the Christmas holidays and I was out there wrapping duct tape
all over the swing set," explains Snell. "My family
kept looking out the window at me - I think they thought I
was nuts."
Snell has followed Red Green since the show's inception.
"I used to watch Smith and Smith, Steve Smith's previous
program before Red Green," Snell says, "so I'm quite
excited about the opportunity to meet him and have this part
as an extra."
While being a movie extra is a new experience for Snell,
he is no stranger to the stage. He has played the demanding
roles of both Hamlet and Othello in the Victoria Shakespeare
Festival and is looking forward to witnessing the inner workings
of film production.
Snell is also no stranger to duct tape - nor is his family.
"I use duct tape to patch and mend everything around
the house," Snell says. "My family uses it for everything
as well." Snell and his wife have six children, Jeremy,
Elizabeth, Jonathan, Josiah, Eliana and Kalina. "I always
seem to be asking, 'who has my duct tape?'" he jokes.
Snell's prize is a trip for two to Toronto during the taping
of the Red Green movie "Duct Tape Forever". He will
visit the movie set and get his opportunity to be an extra.
When Snell returns to Victoria, he'll have the perfect place
to unwind after the trip - his "handyman's haven"
- right in his own back yard.
For more information, please contact Susan Marshall, Manager
of Media Relations, 3M™ Canada Company, P.O. Box 5757,
London, Ontario, N6A 4T1, 1-800-265-1840, extension 6004,
or sdmarshall@mmm.com.
2001 marks the 50th Anniversary of 3M™ Canada Company.
Established in 1951 as one of the first international subsidiaries
of the 3M™ global company, 2000 sales reached $1.006
billion Canadian. It employs over 2,000 people across Canada,
who manufacture and market more than 50,000 products serving
industrial, commercial, and consumer markets.
3M and Scotch are trademarks of 3M. Used under license in
Canada.
