Telling Fish Tales: A Family Affair for Wild Angles TV Producer Andrew Dunning
Toronto Film School alumnus Andrew Dunning discovered his passion for telling a story through the lens of a camera at an early age – a gift passed on to him by his father.
“My dad had a darkroom in our basement when I was a kid,” said Dunning, recalling his formative years growing up in Toronto’s East York community. “Photography was my first love. While all the cool kids were out playing road hockey and stuff, that’s what I did. I always had to create something and tell stories.”
Today, the 2020 online Video Production graduate carries on the family tradition for creative pursuits by captivating audiences with far-off outdoor adventures as the executive producer and chief cameraman of Wild Angles TV, a fishing show written, produced, and managed with his wife, Debbie, and sons Aedan and Liam.
Season 2 of the show is currently wrapping up production of its final few episodes this summer, where the Dunnings tangle with powerful lake trout, gigantic northern pike and fly fish for Arctic grayling.
The 13 new episodes will debut on Wild TV in early 2024.
SHARPER SKILLSET
After a 14-year military career in the Royal Canadian Regiment and a successful stint as an occupational health and safety consultant, Dunning started Dunning Imagery Productions.
Despite his company successfully operating for the past seven years, the resident of Diamond Valley, AB chose Toronto Film School’s online program to expand his skill set while still being able to run his business.
“I was already in film production, but I wanted to learn more and have formal training to enhance our company and bring more to the table for my clients,” he said.
The training paid off immediately, especially while filming Wild Angles, where the conditions are not always favourable when shooting in remote settings.
“If your sound isn’t good, you don’t have a story. That is one of the challenges you face when dealing with wind, adverse conditions, and a moving boat,” Dunning said. “When I attended TFS, they covered everything, and that was awesome in terms of dealing with situations like that.”
The idea for Wild Angles came from Aedan, a professional fishing guide at Cree Lake Lodge in northern Saskatchewan, who had previously worked on a fishing TV show.
Inspired by the storytelling style of renowned television producer and outdoor guru Jim Shockey, Dunning and family set out to capture the adventurous side to angling and “not just catching fish and filling the boat.”
PASSION FOR WRITING
Dunning admitted to discovering another passion he never knew existed while attending classes at TFS.
“I didn’t realize I had this huge passion for writing. I really enjoyed it,” he said. “The teachers were instrumental in bringing that out of me.”
Dunning hopes to put those skills to use in another project where he combines his military background with the outdoors to host a veterans fishing show.
“We’re looking at developing a show where I travel across Canada, meet up with veterans, and fish while hearing a bit about their stories. Instead of just having this one day a year on Remembrance Day,” he said. “The goal is to show Canadians that veterans are real people and to help them get to know them better.”
