Coyote Peterson, Emmy Award-winning adventurer and wildlife expert, spent much of his childhood exploring the woods behind his home in the small town of Newbury, Ohio. It was here that he first discovered a love of nature, and it was there that he took his first big risk. One hot summer evening, knee-high in mud boots, he came face to face with a creature he dubbed “The Dragon” – a huge snapping turtle.
In a moment in adrenaline-fueled curiosity, Peterson plunged his arms into the water and wrapped his body around the reptile's shell. Turtle versus boy, Peterson emerged victorious. He rejoiced as the oversized beast returned unscathed into the murky brush and disappeared. The turtle was one of hundreds of species Peterson encountered during his early years.
When he wasn't submerged in a stream or exploring the forest, Peterson was glued to television shows d animal adventure, including that of Steve Irwin. Crocodile hunter . He also spent a lot of time at the local library, captivated by books such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Misty of Chincoteague . Together, these simple childhood experiences forever changed the life of the young explorer.
In his new book Brave Adventures:Wild Animals in a Wild World , Peterson says, “There are times in your life when time splits into 'before this' and 'after this' parts.” After meeting “The Dragon,” Peterson knew his future included a combination of animals and adventure.
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Today Peterson welcomes Brave Wilderness , a show network that has amassed more than 1.1 billion views and 7.4 million subscribers on YouTube. Each episode features up-close animal encounters, during which Peterson often suffers stings, nippings, kicks, bites, and barbs from an endless array of creatures. But Brave Wilderness was not a solo trip. It's a team effort that began when Peterson and his business partner, Mark Laivins, director and producer of Brave Wilderness , met in college.
Partners share what made their trip a success.
1. Perfect your concept while keeping your day job.
At school, the creators honed their screenwriting and filmmaking skills, learning all they could about the craft, including aspects narrative and cinematic that have since become synonymous with Brave Wilderness Mark. They spent six years perfecting the concept, shooting and editing hours of footage, before launching their YouTube channel in 2014. They did it while maintaining full-time jobs.
“We had both day jobs which were amazing in that our respective bosses gave us a lot of leeway when it came to using our vacations to go on filming trips, or taking meetings or interviews during the day to present projects", explains Laivins. , who calls those years “Plan B to get to Plan A.”
2. Anticipate change and seize unexpected opportunities.
As any entrepreneur knows, business plans often change. The partners originally planned to create an independent film. When the economy took a downturn in 2008, market opportunities withered, especially for two guys from Ohio. Television became their second best option, but before anything materialized they were introduced to digital media.
“[Digital media] was something that happened by accident. And we're so glad that's the case, because that's why we're as successful as we are today,” Peterson said. According to him, today's kids don't know what cable is, "[b]ut if you ask them if they have an iPad or a smart device and what they're watching, they'll tell you. say, YouTube. »
3. Take advantage of your unique strengths and skills (even if they are unusual).
Peterson never intended to be on camera. “When you start developing an animal show,” he explains, “you think to yourself, Wow, that would be great to cast someone as an animal adventure host , but it's not something anyone can do. Since Peterson could catch and present animals, the team built the concept around his unique skills, while taking advantage of his strengths:a charismatic personality and an engaging storytelling voice.
Mark stayed behind the shooting from the camera, while also directing and producing episodes. Mario Aldecoa, wildlife biologist and photographer, who also became a familiar Brave Wilderness face , became the company's first full-time employee. The team continues to grow as each member moves from Plan B to Plan A, bringing with them a variety of strengths and skills.
4. Create a streamlined process and never sacrifice quality.
To keep their audience – known as the Coyote Pack – hungry and engaged, the team group produces and releases two new episodes a week. On their last trip to Costa Rica, they filmed 18 videos in 10 days. "These aren't just your standard vlog videos," Laivins explains. “They are narrative stories with a beginning, middle and end. ”
But quality is never sacrificed for quantity. Using a streamlined and refined process the team has honed over the years, each episode includes music, voiceover narration, sound effects, and color correction. “We put into each episode what a director can put into an entire feature film,” Laivins says.
5. Replicate the grandeur and culture that surrounds it.
“We come from a generation of people who grew up with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas,” says Peterson. They looked at what these filmmakers did with their film franchises and how they captivated their audiences, and replicated their techniques to reach a new generation of kids in the digital space.
“What people like Steven Spielberg have done very effectively, in addition to creating incredible products with incredible quality, is that they have been able to create a culture around their projects”, explains Laivins. YouTube makes it easy for the team to communicate and engage with their fans, creating a like-minded culture.
6. Surround yourself with people who share a common vision and passion.
Although experts often warn against starting a business with friends and family, the gamble has Brave Wilderness team. “We were all friends before we went down this road,” says Peterson. Even though they were told it was a dangerous thing to do in the business world, then and now they all share a common vision and dream:to be able to travel the world and educate people about animals and promote conservation.
Passion can separate a great company from a mediocre company. Peterson also credits persistence and commitment for the success of Brave Wilderness . "The biggest lesson is just to always know that even when people tell you no , that does not mean that it is impossible. When something is going well, he said with familiar enthusiasm, keep going. “Eventually, this will lead somewhere good. »
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Photos courtesy of Wilderness Productions
