Hello all,

really nice to read some of the various thoughts about my show Survivorman. It's been a long haul. I am currently about to negotiate for a second season.

A lot of your comments are right on and I see that everyone pretty much 'get's it'. It's not easy putting a show about survival on air. If it's done by a TV producer it often barely glances the truth of survival and is completely sensationalistic. If it's done by a survival pro - it is often dry and didactic. I personally love the survival instructional videos I have - but like many of you I'm hard core and could watch that stuff all day - the general TV audience would never go for that. Someone said we are smaller than a small niche - and that's true - same goes for trying to get something on about canoeing - pretty tough to do.
But for whatever reason what I've done feeds enough of the issues to make it a successful show.
Ive said this before: - If there's one thing I did not want to be - it's known as a survival guru - that was never my point - I just want to fumble and bumble like anyone would out there - in other words I have to purposely make some mistakes so I can show SOME ways of overcomoing them - and don't forget I have a bunch more shows to do so I can't play all the trump cards every show. I have three ways things happen out there while I am running all the cameras to get this show done: 1) I do some things really well and I show them that way - and oh boy don't I look cool 2) I have some things I do really well but I don't show them that way because it would be too misleading to show doing something easily when it may have taken me 3 months to master and 3) my favourite - showing things I have really never tried before - and I PURPOSELY DO NOT practise them before hand so the viewer sees it for what it is - someone in a challenging situation trying something for survival they have never actually done before (like the gasoline fire in the Plane Crash episode)....I love when I have those opportunities...
Often - I just don't have the time to do all the things I could do - I have to clean five camera lenses - change five batteries, change five tapes, unclog five heads - oh yeah - and then I need to make my shelter and get my fire going for real!!.....so I know you are yelling from your couch 'why doesn't he.........' .......I just don't have enough time....and no - I am not going to stay out there for longer - I miss my family too much for that!!!
Folks, be happy that I can get anything even remotely, PROPERLY, survivalish on TV. It's a challenge and a half to appease all parties. BUT - and I really empathize with Ron Hood here - I am only able to do what I do because I am unmovable on how my shows will look in the end - and even then there are things I will always flinch at. I think what Ron does is fantastic - far more hard core than I and his experience speaks for itself. I wish, Ron, you and I could have chatted (met) before you took on the project that I have been reading about - I haven't seen the show myself.
For my part, my production relations at Discovery are fantastic - they give me my free reign pretty much and usually fall in with good feedback and comments on my rough cuts.
When it comes to the truth of survival (in my opinion of it anyway) I stand my ground with the networks - and they trust me - plus - I am the producer.

I get a lot of emails from navy Seals and armed forces survival instructors thanking me for showing the failures. I really feel good about that.
You know...no one is going to make a spring loaded trap when they're alone, scared, hungry and trying to survive......just us hard cores. That said - I do hear you all - more detail when possible - I agree - and less pulling a pouch across the ice - I agree. I'm going to Australia next and South America.
Oh and BTW - that mountain show takes a lot of flack - it was a real tough one to shoot - a lot of problems - especially the weather - my least favourite in the end in terms of what I showed and how I showed it.
I also get emails from parents who say their kids desperately want them to take them out camping because of my show.....hey man - if I can help get kids outside again....well then.....
So, since you all are strongly interested in survival for survivals sake - know this - if I do do more shows - I will still try to show - how average people can get through a situation....plus a few cool tricks as an instructor...plus whenever possible - throwing in some cool take home info that works for the particular location, situation I am dealing with. The filmmaking side is the biggest challenge of it all. I probably wont ever show survival with a full kit - because in truth - it would just make it too easy - more like a camping trip - hell that is how I camp.....so then....no challenge - no show....know what I mean.
Love this web site!!! Love the feedback to my show. Here's mine if Doug doesn't mind it being on: www.lesstroudonline.com
Well I have to go and join my kids on a tubing hill - but that's survival of another sort!

take care all

Les