KALAMAZOO, MI - The work of an energetic young Kalamazoo real estate investor who likes to bring "nasty" houses back from brink of demolition is headed for national television.

"Gritty to Pretty" is the name of a pilot TV show that is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, on the DIY (Do It Yourself) Network.

It features the house-reclaiming efforts of Jeremy Cole, a 31-year-old Kalamazoo man and Western Michigan University alum who buys distressed houses in blighted areas of Kalamazoo and Portage and renovates them into affordable houses that people want to buy or rent.

"That's his thing," said Stanley Steppes, a friend and YouTube documentary producer who noticed Cole's work and began filming some of his projects in October of 2016. "He loves old nasty houses. He hates seeing houses torn down that he knows he can fix and make them the best on the block."

Cole began that work in his early 20s after working in customer service at a bank but deciding he'd rather grow the home renovation skills he started to use when he help fix up the home of a relative.

He bought his first property at age 19 and has been fixing homes to sell or rent ever since. Many are properties he has purchased after tax foreclosures.

"I love seeing a property go from just what no one wants -- where the county wants to demolish it, get rid of it -- and I turn it into the best property on the block," Cole said in a December 2016 video about himself and reclaiming houses. "To me, that's just amazing."

He now owns 16 rental properties in Kalamazoo County, "taking the homes that no one would want and making them into something the community can be proud of," according to Steppes, who owns IMEEDIA Productions, a producer of YouTube documentaries in Kalamazoo.

Six films on Cole, including those about a free monthly "Property Krawl" in which Cole takes groups to visit blighted areas and shows them how to "flip" houses, drew the attention early last year of Detroit-based Arcadius Productions, which liked the effort and will produce the DIY Network show.

"The Property Krawl is a monthly series where Jeremy and his friend and real estate agent, Ramon Huerta, educate other investors on prospecting for residential real estate opportunities," Steppes said. "It's a support group where they visit multiple properties on a given Saturday each month and spend time talking with the group providing advice and support as to what they should look for, etc."

In a press release, Arcadius founders Gary Bredow and Jenny Feterovich said they want to produce "cutting edge and groundbreaking television programming."

"They picked up on what we were doing and were able to take it the extra mile," Steppes said of Arcadius Productions showcasing Cole.

Steppes is working as an associate producer and camera operator for "Gritty to Pretty."

He and Cole are 2001 and 2003 graduates of Kalamazoo Central High School, respectively, who both have financial backgrounds. Cole worked in banking and Steppes worked in financial services.

After starting his own financial services company, Steppes said he found himself behind a camera to create videos to help educate people. He grew that into IMEEDIA Productions.

"I've always been passionate about inspiring, motivating, empowering and education people through media, through film," he said.

Having reached the pilot program phase with "Gritty to Pretty," he said. "The next step, if we get good reviews based on Neilsen and other measurements determined by the network, they will pick up our show for a full season."