A Westlock-born videographer who recently launched a $50,000 YouTube series has just released a pilot episode for a new show, much of which was filmed in the Westlock area.
Frick, I Love Nature is the second brainchild of Stephen Robinson, who previously finished a six-episode series dubbed How to Learn Anything, which grew out of his 52 Skillz project where he tried to learn a new skill each week.
“I was hanging out on Vancouver Island with my girlfriend and I just kept exclaiming ‘Frick, I love nature!’” said Robinson. “Then I thought it would be a really funny show, a ridiculous nature show that’s also informative. There are too many nature shows that are too serious.”
This time around Robinson is staying behind the lens, instead letting Edmonton-based Rapid Fire Theatre Improv virtuoso Gordie Lucius host the program. Most of the narrative portions of the video, mainly of Lucius narrating where the show is going next, were shot in the Westlock area. In the pilot, Lucius explores the variety of adaptations wildlife has to beat the cold, dark Alberta winters.
To produce the new show, Robinson accessed a $10,000 grant from Telus to cover paying a falconer, renting the camera equipment and travelling to locations.
Robinson explained that both the momentum for the new show as well as meeting its host came out of the success of his last series.
“(Lucius) actually hosted the screening of How to Learn Anything and he was really funny, so I approached him and he was into it,” he said. “We had $10,000 to put towards the show, but the fact I had done 52 Skillz definitely helped in getting that money, because I’ve done things they liked before.”
Should the series take off, Robinson said he has a number of things he’s hoping to explore, ranging from unique plant species in Alberta to discussing mountain goats and how they can walk along near-vertical surfaces. Another idea in the works is putting a 360-degree camera on the back of a hawk to get a visual experience of what it is like to fly like a bird.
Robinson is also preparing for production of Season 2 of his breakout show How to Learn Anything where, among other accomplishments, he finally debuts his cake-making robot.
“The cake baking robot I learned how to make in Season 1 and failed at making is finally complete, so I’m really excited to post a video about that and share the failures that led to finally be able to eat and enjoy a cake made by a robot,” he said. “It’s going to be super amazing.”
