FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 1, 2026
A new competition series, The Palmetto Design Challenge, transforms South Carolina’s Black River State Park RVs into one-of-a-kind guest retreats. Now casting South Carolina designers.
South Carolina Parks, Recreation & Tourism partners with Hit + Run to produce spirited design competition rooted in the Palmetto State's landscapes, culture, and craftsmanship.
Columbia, S.C. - The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT) today announced The Palmetto Design Challenge, a brand-new television series set within the natural beauty of Black River State Park. The series is a design-based competition that will feature several teams, each transforming similar park luxury RVs to create unforgettable retreats that are functional, beautiful, and rooted in South Carolina culture.
Each episode of this entertaining competition will feature our South-Carolina-based design duos tackling a different portion of the renovation. Over the course of the season, audiences will get a front-row look at how these spaces evolve - room by room, decision by decision - into breathtaking retreats - each of which capture the very soul of South Carolina.
"This new state park connects a network of properties along 70 miles of riverfront on the Black River in Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties. There will be 11 strategically located tracts that will make up the state’s very first linear park, all aiming to celebrate and preserve the uniqueness of the scenic Black River while making it easy and accessible for all,” said SCPRT Director, Duane Parrish. “The banks of the High Bluffs tract offer incredible views that visitors and locals alike will fall in love with, and this series is an opportunity to not only make their future stays even more memorable and accommodating, but also to share this hidden gem of the Palmetto State with visitors from all over."
At the conclusion of the season, every cabin they've transformed becomes a fully bookable guest retreat - inviting viewers and travelers from around the world to experience the magic of South Carolina, and Black River State Park for themselves.
The Palmetto Design Challenge will be distributed on a major streaming platform (to be announced). The series is scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2027.
A new State Park with much to offer
Black River State Park is one of South Carolina’s 50 State Parks, and one of its newest - spanning 9,000 acres dedicated to protecting wildlife habitat, floodplain resilience, and outdoor recreation. The cabin and recreation area featured within The Palmetto Design Challenge will give guests the opportunity to experience a mixture of tranquility found within 70 miles of scenic Black River water trails, and community - within group dining and picnic areas.
Beyond A TV Series; A Cultural Celebration & Economic Engine
The Palmetto Design Challenge is more than a building competition - it's a showcase for everything that makes South Carolina worth celebrating. Competing teams will seek out local artisans for materials and handcrafted décor, find creative inspiration on scenic kayak trips through the Lowcountry, and recharge at the kind of local eateries that remind you why “Southern hospitality” is more than just a saying.
Additionally, The Palmetto Design Challenge represents a meaningful investment in the people and communities of South Carolina.
The producers plan to employ dozens of local creative professionals throughout the series’ production - including camera operators, sound engineers, and composers - and will actively seek out South Carolina film students to join the crew as paid production assistants, providing real-world experience alongside working television professionals.
The series' economic reach aims to extend to businesses across the region. Local hotels and restaurants will be supported by the production team throughout the filming of The Palmetto Design Challenge. South Carolina hardware stores, lumber yards, and building suppliers will stock the job sites. And the design community - from the competing duos to the artisans, craftspeople, and specialty suppliers they discover along the way - will see their work and their businesses introduced to a national audience.
Now Casting Design-Duos
The Palmetto Design Challenge is now seeking applications from South Carolina-based designer-contractor teams ready to compete.
Are you a hands-on designer or contractor with a bold point of view? Do you live and work in South Carolina? Is your duo creatively fearless and technically sharp? Do you have a signature style that's unmistakably your own — and a deep connection to South Carolina's culture, landscape, and way of life?
If so, you can apply here: https://forms.gle/kzdyntYAvivPcRfq9
The Palmetto Design Challenge is produced by Hit + Run. Executive Producers for Hit + Run are Rob Shaftel and Noah Korn. The series is produced in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism (SCPRT).
About Hit + Run Creative
Hit + Run has been a globally recognized, nonfiction storytelling studio for over a decade. Previously named one of Real Screen’s top 200 production companies, Hit + Run has produced numerous successful television series including the Critics’ Choice award-winning, genre-defining Critter Fixers: Country Vets (National Geographic / Disney + ); the Emmy-award nominated, inspirational culinary documentary series BBQ High (Magnolia; the Critics’ Choice award-nominated, global travel adventure series Never Say Never With Jeff Jenkins (Nat Geo); as well as series for Netflix, HGTV, Discovery, and more. In addition to its work with television networks and streamers, Hit + Run has created episodic content for brands such as DHL’s The Story Of Rugby (NBC Sports, Amazon Prime).
The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism is a cabinet agency assigned to operate and manage South Carolina's state parks, market the state as a preferred vacation destination and assist communities in developing recreation assets.
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