Wood County native Sam Hammett is playing a major role in the upcoming television series “Yellowstone” starring Kevin Costner.

But Hammett doesn’t have an acting role in the Paramount Network show scheduled for release next summer.

Hammett, who turns 38 years old on Dec. 15, is construction coordinator for “Yellowstone.”

Calling it his “big break,” Hammett said working on “Yellowstone” has been his most enjoyable and rewarding experience in the entertainment industry.

Hammett enjoyed spending a few days in Wood County last month visiting with family and friends. It was Hammett’s first visit back to Wood County in 18 years. He left for Los Angeles at the age of 19 after graduating from Parkersburg High School in 1999.

Filming recently ended for episode seven of the first season of “Yellowstone,” Hammett told me. Episodes eight and nine are scheduled to be shot in April.

Hammett said he has been in charge of all construction projects for “Yellowstone.” His job includes developing blueprints for set construction, informing the movie producers on the costs and supervising the construction crews.

Hammett is working out of the Park City (Utah) Film Studios for the production of “Yellowstone.” He coordinated the construction of eight sets for filming scenes in the area.

Besides Park City, Utah, “Yellowstone” also has been filmed in Darby, Mont.

In Montana, the construction crews converted Chief Joseph Ranch into scenes for “Yellowstone,” building a large deck, fencing, corrals, signs and other set designs, Hammett said.

“We had to get it done in two weeks,” he said. “We worked 14 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Hammett met Costner, the Academy Award-winning actor, in Hammett’s office in Park City, Utah. Hammett called the meeting a “surreal” experience.

Costner asked if his band Kevin Costner & Modern West could perform on the “Yellowstone” set, Hammett said.

One of Hammett’s favorite movies while growing up was “Dances with Wolves,” starring Costner who also directed the acclaimed movie.

“He (Costner) is a nice man,” Hammett said.

“Yellowstone follows the violent world of the Dutton family, who controls the largest ranch in the United States,” according to Paramount Network’s website. “Led by their patriarch John Dutton (played by Costner), the family defends their property against constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and America’s first National Park.”

Hammett got his start in the industry after being turned down for a job in Los Angeles. He was leaving the interview when a man asked him if he wanted to load trucks on the set of the “Spy TV” show.

This led to carpentry work on the set and Hammett joined the IATSE Local 44 in California, a professional association of craft persons having specialized skills and talents within the entertainment industry.

Hammett said he was “in the right place at the right time.” He is “lucky and grateful” for the opportunities to work on the construction side of television and films. He is one of the younger construction coordinators in the union.

Hammett plans to move to the Atlanta area, a hub for TV and film production.

Hammett is the son of Harold Samuel Hammett Jr. of Fleming, Ohio, and Karen Greene Lohrengel of Tempe, Ariz.

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Luke Frazier, a 2003 graduate of Parkersburg South High School, was very happy with the response to “Broadway For The Holidays” that he presented as maestro at Ohio University’s Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on Monday night. The show, which featured 160 singers and a 40-piece orchestra from OU, got a standing ovation from the audience of 1,400 people, Frazier said. Among those attending were Frazier’s parents, Brad and Debbie Frazier of Davisville. Frazier, 32, one of the nation’s youngest conductors of a major orchestra, is the founder and conductor of the Washington, D.C.-based American Pops Orchestra. Frazier’s schedule of performances can be found at lukefraziermusic.com or theamericanpops.org.

Contact Paul LaPann at plapann@newsandsentinel.com