Craig Ferguson and Shark Week

Craig Ferguson is totally, and I mean TOTALLY funny!





He is also a genuinely great guy.
This is not acting. The man has obviously had a wonderful, mind changing experience and has also got the talent for communicating it in simple and moving words.
Check it out – it very much reflects the reaction of many of our clients which is certainly one of the most gratifying aspects of our job.



See what I mean?

Just a couple of thoughts.

This is not what “Sharks” are.
In fact, this is not even what Caribbean Reef Sharks are!
Shark feeding dives got nothing to do with a natural situation. This is very obviously a highly conditioned group of animals that despite of all the pushing and wrangling for position are extremely docile because they are comfy with the presence of humans and intimately acquainted with the routine.

And yet, the feeders are fully garbed in steel mesh and wear protective helmets, and for good reason!
They do this because that’s the only long term sustainable way of doing this safely. Caribbean Reefs and their Indo-Pacific cousins, the Grey Reefs are the poster children for Shark feeding frenzies and consequently, feeding them is extremely risky. Yes they are strictly piscivorous and will not, ever, attack anybody with the intent of devouring him: but they are highly competitive and when presented with the scent of Fish, they can just simply go berserk and snap at anything they may take for food and possibly, for a competitor. I’ve seen this happen many times, mostly with non conditioned and totally wild animals – not nice!
Do not try this at home - Seriously!

And then, there’s this.
This it how you do it. Forget the romantic drama, the stupid pseudoscience, the gory scenes of finning, the ever raised index finger, the soap box and the pontificating. This is how you reach out to millions by portraying a famous but apart from that, completely ordinary dude doing something special and understanding something important in the process. So much like those stellar BBC clips I posted a while ago. And yes, I’m repeating myself!
Think about it.

Finally, and grudgingly! kudos to Discovery Channel.
I fully agree with Patric, this is great pro-Shark programming.
Let’s just hope this is the start of a learning curve about re-gaining the trust and the respect of their audience and elevating the brand to where I ought to be positioned.

Discovery Shark Week - same old same old!

Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag.

I just had a look at this year's Shark Week lineup and nothing has changed.
Underwater Thrills and Oceanic Dreams are uncharacteristically mellow. Like me, they're probably tired of wasting time on the subject, as despite of hopeful signs like the management re-shuffle, etc, Discovery appears hell-bent on once again focusing on attacks and thus, reducing the animals to dangerous man-hunting monsters.

As to whether this may be educational?
What education??? What can anybody possibly learn from this rubbish?

Oh well, as I said, I'm tired of this shit.
Cris Palmer and Peter Kimball over at the Huffington Post basically say it all. Great post and kudos for having brought this to the mainstream media.
Excerpts below, links and italics are mine, not theirs.

"Teeth of death," "Shark feeding frenzy," "The Worst Shark Attack Ever." It is that time of year again, when the Discovery Channel brings out shows like these as part of its annual "Shark Week" programming. This week of bloody feeding frenzies and vicious shark attacks is part of a larger trend in nature programming. Instead of seeking to educate or to promote environmental conservation, these shows focus only on presenting graphic, sensationalized animal violence.
Programs like those in Shark Week -- while they might garner high ratings and attract advertiser dollars -- all too often mislead the audience, exploit animals, and fail to promote conservation.

We applaud Discovery Channel's partnership with Senator John Kerry to help end shark finning, but the general effect of the graphic Shark Week programming is not to promote conservation but to instill fear, terror, and hatred in the viewer.

Networks, studios, and filmmakers need to improve the quality of their work and invest in nature shows that encourage conservation and entertain without misleading.
However, viewers must also take responsibility for the programs they watch. We cannot expect to see more ethical, responsible filmmaking as long as we continue to support those shows that sensationalize and exploit animals.

Shark Week - Prologue

Quite a coup by Discovery!

Craig Ferguson is one of my favorite comedians.
He must be one of the most pleasantly witty people out there and I was happy, and surprised to discover that has signed up to be this year's host for Shark Week.



I must also agree with George that so far, the promo we get to see is admirably neutral and like the South African clip, hinting at some genuine nature programming as opposed to the usual Shark attack garbage.



And yes, I did also like the idea of the video contest and look forward to the submissions. Shark NGOs: make us proud, here's the chance at getting out some great pro-Shark media!

Still, the whispers about Shark Porn are not going away.
Will it thus be a bag of mixed programming?
As always, we shall see!

So, what's it gonna be?

I was pleasantly surprised by this.



So, what's it gonna be?
Another Discovery Shark Week filled with gore, attacks and asinine presenters, or a look at Sharks by a channel who makes a living by educating people about the wonders of our fragile planet - and this, without deceiving their audience?

This time, I'm moderately optimistic.
We were contacted about two productions for Shark Week and although both didn't eventuate (we simply had no space on short notice), both looked fun, entertaining and respectful of Sharks. I also hear that there has been some re-shuffling within Discovery and that the worst pornographers have been removed - but then again, there are whispers about Shark Porn being filmed in SA, and that everybody has been ordered to be very very quiet about what is being planned.

So I guess that as always, we shall see!
But as a gesture of good will, we've removed the petition from our website - at least temporarily!

PS: As chance would have it, more information has just been published here. Having obtained the seal of approval from Oceana is great news - now let's see if they deliver!