By Michelle Ruschman
When missionaries, Mike and Libby Wild, began making videos with their four sons in 2011, no one in the family dreamed it would one day become Wild Brothers Productions. In less than 10 years, what started as a video series for friends and family in the Niceville area, has now become a multimedia business with brothers Morgan (25), Hudson (23), Kian (21) and Asher (19) at the helm. It is through their company they are bringing their adventures from around the world right to your home. They still make videos to entertain and educate our locals, but their efforts are now inspiring people around the world.
Morgan shares that growing up as missionaries positioned the Wilds to share experiences that no one else was having back home. “In 2003, my family moved to the country of Indonesia as Christian missionaries to serve the Wano, a community of approximately 1500 indigenous semi-nomadic people living in the Highland jungles. They were a beautiful people, but they were burdened by sickness and tribal warfare that led to a lot of hardship in the village.
We lived among them as students of their culture, spending the first five years just learning their language, worldview and culture. As we were building relationships, we served them through my parents’ medical clinic, even before we could speak fluently.”
Back in the United States, friends and family asked questions about their day-to-day life. In response, with their parents’ encouragement, the boys began to film their many adventures. “In 2011, on a short furlough here in America, we came back for a few months, and our parents produced a series of 15 videos for our church called Growing Up Wild. That was developed as an elective for a homeschool curriculum. This show was the starting point of our filming career.”
Over the next several years, the brothers continued to document their lives overseas, collaborating in their distinct talents and learning how to get better. Their goal was to be authentic and unscripted so their audience could truly be with them in the moment. Over those 10 years, they would grow up with scientists from around the world who provided an amazing education, footage and distinct opportunities. They were able to produce reality show content and documentaries, even partnering with Answers in Genesis. Without Wi-Fi, however, they were unable to take full advantage of the internet to reach an international audience. That would change in 2020 when COVID brought the family back to the United States. “We were in different stages of education, most of us in college. We had always imagined that we were going to go our separate ways. But, when COVID shut everything down, we were doing a lot of online school together and learned very quickly that America is expensive. We decided that instead of branching off and doing our own thing, we could take this love for filmmaking and turn it into something that would be more sustainable for us.
We already had 10 years of footage. So, that’s when we began wildbrothers.tv. It’s where people can see all our shows for a small subscription fee, and we have new content dropping every Saturday. We’re excited about the community we’re building there. Our members can engage with our content and other members, they can post their pictures and videos, and we do live stream each month. That’s the shift in our business and where we see the future.”
As a team, everyone takes turns holding the camera. But, each brother has also taken on specific roles to advance the company. Morgan and Kian are the main producers and directors, Hudson is in charge of the business and its correspondence, and Asher handles customer service while being their licensed drone pilot.
The Wild brothers’ newest show, Off the Couch Into Creation, began when they wondered if their days of adventure could ever be captured again. “When we moved back to America, we found ourselves on the couch a lot and we began to doubt that we could replicate the exploration of our childhood. About a year ago, we set the challenge to experience Niceville and our state of Florida. It set us on an amazing journey where we are learning that you don’t have to be on the far side of the world to have adventure. Locals will be excited to see how the show highlights the natural beauty and iconic atmosphere of Niceville, Bluewater Bay and Destin.”
What makes Wild Brothers Productions unique is the message that faith, scientific discovery and adventure go hand-in-hand. “Our brand, in a nutshell, is Real Faith, Real Adventure. On the screen, we want to show what a holistic Christian life looks like. That life has adventure and excitement. Too many people use faith to disrupt communities. We want to bring back unity through what we do.”
Have ideas or access to new adventures? Connect to the Wild Brothers community, starting with a free trial, at wildbrothers.tv, subscribe to their YouTube channel (The Wild Brothers), find them on Instagram and Facebook (@thewildbrothers) or download their app (Wild Brothers TV).
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