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Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>You Still Here? Friday, August 30, 2024 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

You Still Here? Friday, August 30, 2024

 Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston shocked by size of Australian reporter....

Coy Knobel

Don Day Weather

Partly to mostly sunny in much of Wyoming on Monday with a chance of rain. Chance of rain overnight. Highs in the 80s and 90s.Lows mainly in the 50s and 60s.

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Chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m., otherwise partly sunny and hot today with a high near 98 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 11 p.m., a low near 64 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Chance of rain mainly after 2 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 94 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m. and a low near 63.

 Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 97 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m. and a low near 66.

 Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 89 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 55.

  Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 94 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m. and a low near 60.

Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m., a low near 59 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

 Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight a low near 54.

 Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 89 and mostly cloudy overnight a low near 54.

  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight a low near 54.

 Chance of rain mainly after 2 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 83 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 53.

  Slight chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 53.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park

:  Slight chance of rain after noon, mostly cloudy today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 46.

Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny and hot today with a high near 97 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m. and a low near 66.

:  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 91 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 63.

  Partly sunny today with a high near 96 and gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a low near 64.

   Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 92 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Gradually becoming mostly clear overnight with a chance of rain mainly before 9 p.m. and a low near 65.

  Patchy smoke before 9 a.m., slight chance of rain after 4 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 93 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before 11 p.m. and a low near 61.

:   Patchy smoke before 9 a.m., chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m., increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 91 and cloudy, gradually becoming partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 8 p.m. and a low near 64.

Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 98 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 66 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

   Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 96 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly before midnight, areas of smoke before midnight, a low near 70 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph.

:  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 93 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 65 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph.

  Chance of rain after 9 a.m., otherwise partly sunny and hot today with a high near 98 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 66.

  Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny and hot today with a high near 93 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 61.

  Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny today with a high near 98 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight, a low near 64 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

   Chance of rain, mostly cloudy and hot today with a high near 91 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 61.

  Chance of rain, mostly cloudy today with a high near 86 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and a low near 58.

  Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 89 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 56.

  Slight chance of rain after noon, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 61.

   Chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 85 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 57.

   Slight chance of rain, otherwise partly sunny today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain before midnight and a low near 57.

Daycap small 7 27 26

<title>Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Monday, July 27, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Monday, July 27, 2026

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Monday, July 27th.  I’m Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

A patient attacked a Rock Springs emergency nurse, breaking his nose and chasing him through Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County this past week. Cowboy State Daily’s Zakary Sonntag reports that the nurse said "He was fully focused on trying to get me." Health care leaders say this is not unique. 

“A 26-year-old emergency room nurse named Christian was doing a routine medical check on a patient, and within moments of asking the patient if he had taken his medication, he was punched in the face with a closed fist. His nose was broken. The patient chased him to the hospital multiple times. He caught up to him. He threw more punches. He threw knees. It's a pretty extreme example of what is actually not a uncommon phenomenon of violence against healthcare workers. They are statistically a lot more likely to see violence in the workplace than are other workers.”

Wyoming lawmakers have tried to address violence against health care workers.Bills introduced in 2023, 2024 and 2025 would have strengthened reporting requirements, created workplace-safety standards and increased penalties for assaults against health care workers. None became law.

A Douglas man wanted on 72 felony charges alleging sex abuse of minors was released on his own accord by a Colorado court Thursday instead of being held for Wyoming authorities. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that the Converse County undersheriff says “We’re out looking for him again.”

“Officials in Converse County were a little surprised when a a a man wanted on 72 child sex and pornography charges was arrested in Colorado near Fort Collins in Laramie County, and when he hit the court, the the judge had to basically let him go. She gave him a $50,000 PR bond. But he already was violating a $250,000 bond he had posted in Wyoming and that was a little unusual too, because someone on his behalf walked into the Converse County Detention Center with $250,000 cash. So people are are upset saying, you know, how does this happen?”

If convicted with maximum concurrent sentences, John Smallbone could face up to 791 years in prison and fines of up to $710,000. The most serious is the sexual abuse of a minor charge, which calls for a sentence of between 25 and 50 years.

A 12-foot-long dinosaur nicknamed Dino that usually stands outside a Sinclair gas station near Gardiner, Montana, was stolen Sunday night. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports it reappeared bolted to a 100-foot cliff face overlooking the Yellowstone River.

“The Sinclair dinosaur was bolted to a concrete pad in front of the Sinclair gas station outside Gardner, they not only unbolted it from the concrete pad and transported it away to a large rock overlooking the Yellowstone River in the Jim Yankee Canyon. They bolted it into the rock so it wouldn't go anywhere. So that's pretty elaborate. So the employees at the Gardner Sinclair assumed that this had to have been planned, and they're actually not planning to pursue any charges or anything like that. They don't know who did it, but clearly someone went through a lot of effort and planning to do what they did, and they said they were just laughing about it the whole time.”

Stealing Sinclair dinosaurs has become a common Western prank. In November 2025, “DINO,” a 300-pound dinosaur standing outside Sloanes General Store in Alcova, was stolen overnight. For Brian Black, it wasn’t a victimless crime.

A Colorado “rain maker” company claims it has used electricity to boost water supplies in two western states by 10-15% and can do it for Wyoming if lawmakers don't conflate their methods with cloud seeding. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinze reports that Two legislators say they want proof first. 

“There's this there's this company called Rain Enhancement Technologies. They say this isn't cloud seeding where like where they fly planes and and use silver iodide to try to you know enhance the precipitation on the clouds. What they're saying what we do is we actually try to ionize clouds. We we put up these, they just look like gigantic football goal posts, and it's just a really high output antenna that can ionize aerosol droplets in the air and thereby encourage them to converge and form big enough droplets to actually fall as rain. They claim they can guarantee a 10% increase in precipitation at one of their sites.  They think they've cracked the code to generate more precipitation, particularly if we can get more water in the Colorado River Basin.”

Using ground-based electricity to generate more precipitation isn’t a new idea, said Rain Enhancement Technology’s CEO Randy Seidl, but his company is a pioneer in attempting to deploy it on a large scale.   

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

By the time Rick Knigge died last September, he had spent decades turning 20 acres outside Casper into a gearhead's paradise. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports the oilfield worker spent a lifetime hauling home muscle cars, hot rods and vintage trucks. Now they are all finding new homes.

“A Casper man spent his life collecting more than 220 cars, including Chevelles, race car engines, Corvettes, lifted pickup trucks, and speedboats. When Rick Knigge passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last fall, his widow Stephanie took on the task of finding new homes for all these vehicles. They had 20 acres where most of them were parked in Evansville, Wyoming, and after he died, she decided it was time to find new owners for his collection. And so they had an auction earlier this month. Stephanie said that it was bittersweet. But all of the more precious items and sentimental things did go to family members.”

Stephanie Knigge said her husband was a successful businessman, a devoted husband of 36 years, a father, grandfather and great-grandfather who loved fishing almost as much as fast cars. 

One of the most difficult rivers to gain access to float is the pristine Middle Fork of the Salmon River. The odds are 1 in 55, with 20,000 applicants vying for 350 slots each year. After trying for 40 years, Cowboy State Daily's Jeff Welsch won the lottery.

“I really fulfilled a dream that I've had for 40 years, and that is to run the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in central Idaho. By just about anybody's measure, it is the crown jewel of wilderness rivers in the lower 48 states. But it is so difficult to get a permit. Only seven launches are allowed per day. Middle Fork of the Salmon is renowned because it is 104 miles with 100 rapids, almost continuous, and man barely touches this river. There are no dams. There's no diversions, no pumps for agriculture. Everything. Mother Nature is purely in charge of the flow of the Middle Fork.”

The Middle Fork of the Salmon is born at the confluence of gin-clear Marsh and Bear Valley creeks on the eastern edge of the Sawtooth Mountains. The river carves a serpentine chasm through the craggy Idaho Batholith and, climactically, Impassable Canyon, the third deepest gorge in North America. 

U.S. House candidate Steve Friess concluded the Thursday-night debate by saying polling shows the Wyoming GOP race is really between two people — himself and Chuck Gray. "[Gray's] unfavorable ratings are astronomically high," a campaign spokesman said.

“There was a House debate Thursday evening, and at the end, Steve Freeze, who's one of the nine Republican candidates, said that he believed one candidate was not there. Frank Chapman had dropped out that morning. He believed that candidate was not there because he'd probably seen the polling he'd seen, and he said this is a two-man race now. Friess’ team later told me that they believe that Freese and Secretary of State Chuck Gray are neck and neck. A super PAC that is helping Gray disputes that, showing the secretary with a much higher lead.”

Teton County-based attorney Frank Chapman dropped out of the race that morning, casting it as a waste of multiple people’s money for him to continue in a race with so much “clutter.” 

In an attempt to connect Cody and Cooke City, the Wyoming Department of Transportation built 8 miles of road in 1969 and then stopped. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports the "Road To Nowhere" became known as "The Road of Death" after a car with 5 people drove through the road's end.

“In the 1960 s, Cody and the state of Wyoming wanted a route between Cody and Cook City, Montana, to give them access to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone. The debate was where they were going to put it, and the initial effort spearheaded by a Cody resident was to build it through the bottom of the Clark's Fork Canyon, and then use that as a natural route to connect to a road that was being built near Cook City. Ultimately, that didn't happen, but they started and paved the first nine miles of it. So if you go out there today, you can still ride this really nice paved scenic nine-mile route that ends abruptly in a dirt parking lot”

On May 5, 2002, five teenagers were driving the Canyon Road when the pavement ended and the vehicle went off the road and through a barbed wire fence. The vehicle was airborne for 90 feet before landing, rolling several times, and stopping in a boulder field. There were only two survivors. 

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Reece Cowan, in for Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 7 27 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, July 27, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Today's headlines include: 
*Patient Attacks ER Nurse
*Story Behind The Road To Nowhere
*Stolen Sinclair Dinosaur Found Bolted To Cliff

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Monday, July 27, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily State Government and Politics reporter, Leo Wolfson.

Leo Wolfson For Cowboy State Daily

Wyoming Life

Sports

Wyoming businessman Matt Micheli is worried about the future of University of Wyoming athletics.

With paid deals for NCAA student athletes — often referred to as name, image and likeness (NIL) — becoming a dominating force in college sports, schools with smaller athletic program budgets and alumni bases like UW have found themselves struggling to compete for athletes.

Micheli decided to take matters into his own hands by setting up an NIL partnership with his Casper-based fly-fishing guiding company Cowboy Drifters and two premier UW athletes: football player Tote Harris and basketball player Gavin Gores. 

Like everything Wyoming does to compete at a national level, Micheli said the state must play to its strengths and make moves like these to compete in the world of NIL. 

“There’s some really cool things in Wyoming,” he said. “There’s world-class tourist opportunities. It makes sense to try and combine our great university, great athletic program, and great things about the state. 

"If we lean into our strengths we can make this something positive.”

Cowboy Drifters took Harris and Gores on a fly-fishing trip on the famous Miracle Mile of the Platte River about 50 miles outside Casper this summer. 

In addition to showing them the joys of fly-fishing, highlights from the trip will be featured in a media campaign played at UW football and basketball games and on social media this year. 

The pair had quite the day, both catching brown and rainbow trout.

“Mostly, it’s for people to see Wyoming athletes out having a great time catching really great fish in the Wyoming nature that we all love,” Micheli said.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"First Time Fly-Fishing"}]

Cowboy Drifters took Harris and Gores on the Miracle Mile section of the Platte, a remote section chock full of fish, and a bucket-list destination for anglers around Wyoming and the United States.

It was a hot and beautiful sunny day on the river, the type of day many dream about all winter long. Harris said that after spending a few hours with the guides, it felt like he had known them for years.

“Good conversations, good connections, good teachers — it was nice,” he said.

Although the pair of Pokes may be highly skilled in their respective sports, it was not only the first time that either of them had held a fly rod, but for Harris it was also the first time he’d ever fished. 

He caught 16 passes for 184 yards last season on the gridiron, but Harris described catching his first fish as  “mind-blowing.”

“I felt a tug and they told me to pull like I was doing a bicep curl,” he said.

The fish broke from the line and flew straight into the boat, leaving Harris with a smile and a memory he’ll likely never forget.

It took the Cibolo, Texas, native a little time to figure out how to properly reel in a fish, but once Harris did, he was sold on the sport, vowing to bring his dad back to the scenic location.

“It shows you don’t have to be some kind of professional fly-fisherman to go out and have just an absolutely tremendous day,” Micheli said.

Gores, a native of Cumberland, Wisconsin, had fished lake walleye before, but had never tried fly-fishing.

Standing 6-foot-10, the hooper used his large frame to easily reel in his fish, while Harris said he had to tilt the reel over his shoulder to get his catch out of the water.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Wyoming Style "}]

Establishing paid partnerships like these with college athletes will be critical for businesses across the country if they hope to see competitive teams at their local universities, said Micheli, who’s also a well-known Wyoming politico and former chairman of the state Republican Party. 

Micheli believes the state is ripe with opportunities to support a healthy NIL program given the “One Wyoming” mantra UW promotes as the Cowboy State’s lone university.

“For us to be successful as a state and a university, we all need to come together,” he said. “We all need to help each other out. 

"It’s such a great way to help the university, help our athletes and to promote your business. I just think it’s a win-win for everybody.”

The college athletic landscape has been significantly altered by the presence of NIL. 

In most circumstances so far, it has widened the gap between the have’s and have-nots of college sports, with well-endowed programs becoming even more dominant and less wealthy programs less competitive since NIL was legalized.

“Anybody who’s watched college sports and watched what’s happened definitely has some concerns,” Micheli said. “We’re in Wyoming, and we’re the smallest state in the country. You worry about our ability to continue to compete.”

To fight these trends, UW Athletics earlier this year launched a Step Forward campaign to generate $500,000 for football revenue. The men’s basketball program soon followed with its own fundraising venture with a goal of $250,000.

The university also announced in April that it landed a 

, a five-year jersey patch partnership with Tallgrass, a Colorado-based energy infrastructure company that operates thousands of miles of pipelines across Wyoming.

The deal was a huge infusion for UW’s ability to expand its NIL purse by putting the Tallgrass logo on football and basketball jerseys.

At the time the deal was announced, UW Athletics Director Tom Burman said the university needs at least double that, $8 million, to be able to compete with other Division I schools.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Has To Start Somewhere"}]

Retaining incoming sophomores Harris and Gores was critical for UW as both athletes will among the most important members on their teams for the upcoming seasons. 

Gores, a forward, averaged 7.3 points and 3.4 rebounds on the hardwood. Harris, a running back, rushed for 558 yards on 100 carries last season. 

Beyond on-the-field exploits, Micheli said he picked the pair because they have a genuine love and excitement for Wyoming, seeing them both as great ambassadors for the university and his fly-fishing company.

This passion is matched by Micheli and his siblings, who also co-own Cowboy Drifters, and are lifelong Pokes fans.

“I thought this was a good opportunity for a partnership to help us support the university and help to support our athletes and help us get some word out on our new business that we just bought,” he said. 

Conversely, Harris said teaming up with Cowboy Drifters was a logical move to expand his horizons and potentially build connections with more outdoor brands in the future. 

The scenic beauty and recreational opportunities Wyoming offers, he said, is what makes this state special and where he believes the most NIL opportunities will be available to tap into.

Fly fishing NIL C3643 00 00 00 00 Still007 7 26 26

<title>Casper Fly-Fishing Guides Reel In Top University Of Wyoming Athletes For NIL Deal | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A Casper fly fishing guide company has teamed up with two top University of Wyoming athletes for a name, image and likeness deal they hope will set a precedent for supporting athletes at the school. Wyoming must play to its strengths to compete, the owner said.

Casper Fly-Fishing Guides Reel In Top University Of Wyoming Athletes For NIL Deal

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Around Wyoming

LANDER — People who want to play the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” trivia game have a surprising way they can boost their personal score to a mere two degrees. All it takes is a simple coffee run to the Lander Bake Shop anytime the owner happens to be taking orders or chatting with customers.

Brian Harms recently bought the Lander Bake Shop, a classic small-town hangout where locals trade gossip over lattes and hikers fuel up on croissants. 

It’s a town better known for trailheads than red carpets, but Harms’ resume reads like a Hollywood highlight reel. He spent decades in television and film, including stints as art director and production designer, with a front-row seat to making some of America’s most-watched shows. 

Now he’s pouring all that experience into coffee, croissants and building community back home in Lander.

That’s high-caliber, creative talent returning home to invest in Main Street, but you won’t see any sign of the Hollywood plot twist as Harms cheerfully takes your order or asks you how your food was. He is low-key about his Hollywood years. 

You’d have no clue he once worked directly with Kevin Bacon for three weeks on the television series “The Closer” while he was its art director. 

Or that he spent more than a decade shaping the entire look and set of “Grey’s Anatomy,” America’s longest-running primetime medical drama, which recently clinched its 23rd season.

Other movie credits Harms can claim during a 20-plus-year career include the independent film “Life of the Party,” television movie “Protect and Serve,” NBC drama “Las Vegas,” and TNT crime drama “Leverage.”

Harms is not a Hollywood transplant, however. He’s a native son, born and raised in Lander. 

He grew up doing music, football, basketball, and track when he was in school, and skied at Jackson Hole any chance he got.

“We would mow lawns all summer to afford the season pass in Jackson,” Harms told Cowboy State Daily. “And then we’d drive to Jackson to ski.”

Coming out of high school, Harms figured his best bet was to shoot for a job with Wyoming Game and Fish.

“I wanted to be outdoors,” he said. “I wanted to be active. So I majored in biology resource management.”

But he also happened to earn a music scholarship from Central Wyoming College in Riverton, which put his feet on an entirely different path.

“I was a biology major doing all these music classes and groups to fulfill the scholarship requirements,” he said with a chuckle. “I was in the concert band, the jazz band, and the jazz choir. And then working in the recording studio and doing sound for the theater.”

Once the theater program found out his dad was the woodworking teacher for shop classes in Lander, Harms was drafted for set building. 

That’s when he began to realize where his true interests might lay. 

“I had almost enough credits to graduate biology, but more than enough to graduate music,” Harms said “So I got my degree in whatever that was, general arts and sciences with the music concentration.”

That summer, he worked for the Idaho Repertory Theater and then went to Missoula, where he built a set for the Montana Repertory Theatre.

Still, it’s a long way from the Idaho or Montana Repertory Theater and television shows like "Grey’s Anatomy."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More Grit Than Glamor"}]

There were no great leaps to fame or fortune for Harms. Instead, it was a series of small, incremental steps — more grit than glamor. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"It also took a huge leap of faith. "}]

After his first summer gigs went so well, Harms kept chasing opportunities to stretch his skills and widen his world.

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Missoula with a focus on scenic design, then packed up his portfolio for a major job fair in Chicago.

It was run like a science fair. Harms set up a display of his work, then left the room. It was a cattle call where you only met anyone if they chose your table. 

Harms was nervous the entire time this was going on. But he ultimately got a call back for 13 different grad schools.

The one he picked, though, wasn’t the one who wooed him the strongest. It was the woman who made him explain all his decisions and talk about his process.

“It wasn’t like interrogative,” Harms said. “It was inquisitive. So it was a really great conversation.”

Finally she told Harms that she would allow him to come to her school only on one condition. He had to come visit it first.

That spring break, Harms did just that. He drove all the way to Pennsylvania from Montana — and broke down partway there.

“I had to rent a car in Kansas City to finish the trip,” he said with a chuckle. “So I went to Penn State, and it was fantastic, It was just the best program. I just won an alumni award last year where they flew me and my wife out for a big, big award.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Naive Leap Of Faith"}]

After grad school, Harms did regional theaters in Illinois and New York. Then he returned to Montana, where he met his wife. 

By now, the itch to try Hollywood was too strong to ignore. The couple saved $4,000 then loaded up their car and moved to California.

“It’s funny looking back just how naive and hopeful we were,” Harms said. “That $4,000 barely got us into an apartment there. By the time you paid the deposit — they want first month’s, last month’s rent and that was about all in just to get into the apartment.”

Hollywood, meanwhile, did not roll out any sort of red carpet for Harms. He started out with jobs that don’t make any headlines. He drafted for other designers, did some model building, and took as much non-union television work as he could get.

All of the jobs were long on hours and short on certainty. 

“I would do three days of drafting for this show,” he said. “They would do like two weeks of model building.”

His first big break was a show filming under the title “Glory Days,” as an independent film.

“I wasn’t in the union, so I wasn’t eligible to work on union shows,” he said. “But that small film started non-union and I was on it for more than 30 days before they flipped.”

It was a common industry tactic to start non-union to save money, Harms learned, then flip once filming began to avoid picketing. 

And it finally gave Harms his ticket into the union. All he had to do was pay six weeks of his salary for his initiation fee. That was a tough leap considering Harms’ work to date had been mostly odd jobs. 

“But all the guidance was when you get the opportunity, you better take it, even if it’s going to be a big financial hit, because it’s going to pay off,” he said. “And coincidentally, that movie starred Ellen Pompeo.”

The movie was one of the last things she did before taking a role with "Grey’s Anatomy."

“From that point on, I was eligible to apply for all of these jobs,” Harms said. “And my first union TV job was what we call blue-collar TV, like with Jeff Foxworthy.”

The Kevin Bacon connection came a little later on the set of the “The Closer.” Harms had been brought on as an art director in 2006, which stars Kyra Sedgwick, who is married to Kevin Bacon.

As a result of that, he met Bacon many times. But he also worked with him closely for three weeks when Bacon directed one of the episodes. 

“It was a fun one,” Harms said. “Because the episode had like a kind of car chase scene. It wasn’t like a high-speed car chase, but it was just one car cutting off the other car. So we were trying to work through all the logistics of the scene and the camera angles.”

Harms built out the entire set first using Matchbox-size cars, which had him calling it Matchbox Theater from that point on.

Being the art director meant Bacon wasn’t just a name in a party game. He was someone Harms worked with every day on the complex production puzzles they were trying to solve day by day. Sets had to be built, dressed, and redressed and locations transformed into believable backdrops for tense interrogations and high-stakes chases.

Working on the set of “The Closer” helped establish Harms in Hollywood, but has also created a fun piece of trivia that few people can match. He’s just one degree from Kevin Bacon. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A Shot In The Dark"}]

The COVID-19 pandemic put Harms out of work — like a lot of others in the film industry. 

“I went back to my portfolio and put together a mailer — a little mini portfolio with a DVD of some of the stuff I’d done,” he said. “And I spent quite a bit of money to put all this together and to send them out to try and get some new introductions and get a job.”

Harms waited weeks and weeks, but nothing seemed to come of it at all. 

“Eventually, I got back to some work,” he said. “Then, one day, I get a phone call from this gentleman who said he’d been holding on to this thing for a while.”

Harms hadn’t sent the portfolio to this individual originally, but someone else had shared it with him. 

The man turned out to be with "Grey’s Anatomy," and he invited Harms to consider joining the production design team.

“They were replacing their art director,” Harms said. “And they had just finished season five, so I came in and had the interview and had a second interview with their producers and then got hired. So I started season six as the art director.”

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As “Grey’s Anatomy” Art Director, Harms worked on roughly 150 episodes before stepping into a larger role heading up Production Design, where he did at least another 150 episodes before deciding it was time to return home to Lander to help care for his aging parents.

The schedule for the show was relentless. A typical episode was shot in about 10 days, but a new shoot started every eight days. 

Brian Harms is a Lander native who spent 13 years designing the look of TV's hugely popular "Grey's Anatomy." Harms, who recently bought the Lander Bake Shop, has dozens of other film and TV credits to his name in his 20-plus-year Hollywood career.

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