NEWS RELEASE
THE SHOOTING EYE/BLUE PICK MEDIA
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Wild Child is a new wilderness skills challenge TV series for kids, filmed and set at Valens Lake Conservation Area and produced for Bell FibeTV1 with the support of the Hamilton Conservation Authority.
“Valens Conservation Area had everything we were looking for. The location was not too far from our home-base in Hamilton, and it felt like you were up north! Everyone working there was fantastic to our production and team” - said director Nathan Fleet.
The wilderness challenges are modeled after things you might experience in Ontario while camping or hiking. Things like canoeing, fishing, putting up a tent, orienteering, securing a food barrel in a tree, archery, building a fire, knife skills, scavenger hunts, mock injuries and a rescue, and having some fun making art with found items.
Unlike most survival shows that focus on surviving in dangerous situations, Wild Child focuses on some basic skills you might need while camping or hiking in Ontario. Some of these skills are taught to the kids, other times they are tasked with using their minds, and wits, to figure things out.
The timing couldn’t be better after two long years of being online and inside, this show is an important facilitator of mental and physical well-being. And not just for kids, the program aims to be a family co-viewing opportunity, as it’s fun, adventurous, humorous, and inspiring. Wild Child has 5 teams of kids aged 11-15, (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple) and each team has 2 kids. The teams learn about the challenges in real-time and then are timed to complete a task. Each task has points associated with it and the team with the most points at the end is crowned Wild Child. Throughout the season each team receives 3 “flares” which are lifelines to add more time, or get some help.
“It’s not just about winning as the show doesn’t end with the winner, our finale has all 10 kids planting trees, giving back to Valens Conservation Area.” - says director Nathan Fleet.
The show features some recognizable talent. Hosted by Indigenous teen Rylan Bomberry (That’s AWSM on ATPN), and local entrepreneur Max Francis (True Hamiltonian), each episode has a unique Land Acknowledgement written by filmmaker / producer Cher Obediah (Mohawk / Ojibway) that is aimed at young audiences. Behind the scenes the show is directed by Nathan Fleet, produced by Jeremy Major and Executive Produced by Hollywood producer Fred Fuchs (Godfather III), all local residents.
The producers hope to expand the format into different countries and stage live Wild Child events for families. Season 2 is currently in the planning stages.
You can stream all seven episodes right now on Bell FibeTV, channel 1 VOD, and through their app. You can also watch all seven episodes for free at the Westdale Theatre on Sat June 18, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Visit www.wildchild.tv for streaming and ticket information.
Wild Child is created and produced by 2858679 Ontario Inc. Formed by Jeremy Major of The Shooting Eye, and Nathan Fleet of Blue Pick Media, the company operates in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The Shooting Eye and Blue Pick Media each have 20 years experience producing film, tv, music and new media.
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