Casey Anderson (naturalist)

Last updated
Casey Anderson
CaseyInSvalbard.jpg
Casey Anderson in 2013
Born
Alma mater Montana State University
Spouses
(m. 2008;div. 2012)
Stephanie Gazda
(m. 2016)
Children3
Career
ShowExpedition Wild
Network National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, and syndication
ShowAmerica the Wild with Casey Anderson
Network Nat Geo WILD
CountryU.S.A.
Website caseyanderson.tv

Casey Anderson is an American filmmaker, wildlife naturalist, and television presenter known for translating human relationships with the natural world and wild animals to various audiences. He has been a host and executive producer of the Nat Geo WILD channel television series, Expedition Wild and America the Wild with Casey Anderson, and for raising Brutus the Bear, a grizzly bear that he rescued and adopted as a newborn cub. [1] Brutus and Anderson have appeared in many films, documentaries, television commercials, and live educational shows across the United States.

Contents

Early life

Casey Anderson was born and raised in East Helena, Montana. He is a fifth-generation Montanan and was interested in animals from an early age. [2] [3] He attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, in 1995 and studied wildlife biology. [4]

After college, Anderson worked for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks as a wildlife rehabilitation technician, and for several privately owned wildlife parks as an animal keeper and trainer. [4] In 2002, he adopted an orphaned grizzly bear cub, Brutus, from an overcrowded wildlife park named Yellowstone Bear World [5] where the cub was destined to spend his life in the park; the bear lived in a sanctuary Anderson built just for him near Anderson's home, until February 2021 when he died at 19 years old. [6]

Career

Brutus the Bear and Montana Grizzly Encounter

Anderson is the founder of Montana Grizzly Encounter Rescue and Educational Sanctuary in Bozeman, Montana. [2] Anderson founded the sanctuary in 2004 as a place to raise Brutus, rehabilitate grizzlies rescued from bad captivity situations, [7] and aid in the study of grizzlies. Brutus lived at the sanctuary, along with several other grizzlies. [8]

Anderson served as the handler for Brutus, who has appeared in a number of television commercials, documentaries, and films. Anderson wrote a book, The Story of Brutus: My Life With Brutus the Bear and the Grizzlies of North America (Pegasus Books, 2010), about his relationship with Brutus, the founding of the Montana Grizzly Encounter sanctuary, and his observations about life in the wild and the preservation of bears.

Television host and producer

Anderson has been involved in film and television production since the 1990s. He worked as an actor, crew member, animal wrangler, and/or consultant for several programs produced by syndication company Associated Television International (ATI), including leading two expeditions to Botswana's Okavango Delta for the ATI series Untamed!. [4] [9]

In 2006, Anderson starred along with his bear Brutus in "Expedition Grizzly," an episode of the documentary series Wild for National Geographic Channel. The episode, for which Anderson was also associate producer, focused on his relationship with Brutus and a year-long project they undertook to observe and understand the habits of wild grizzly bears living in Yellowstone National Park. He subsequently became the regular host and producer for the long-running wildlife documentary series Expedition Wild, which has covered many different animals including mountain lions, wolves, wolverines, and several species of bears. Some episodes have also focused on the wildlife of particular areas such as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. Originally airing on the National Geographic Channel and later on its sister station Nat Geo WILD, Expedition Wild has been widely syndicated, including on ABC as part of Litton's Weekend Adventure , on The CW, and online via Hulu.

In 2013, Anderson became the executive producer and host of a new Nat Geo WILD documentary series, America the Wild with Casey Anderson, which featured Anderson traveling across North America, focusing on the particular wildlife and ecosystems of different regions. Episodes of America the Wild have also aired in syndication under the Expedition Wild title.

In the spring of 2015, Casey established VisionHawk Films, [10] [11] a production company based in Bozeman, Mt. [12] His company has produced three films with the Smithsonian Channel, "The Mountain Lion and Me", [13] "Into the Puma Triangle", [14] and "Growing Up Grizzly: a tale of two orphans". [15] With VisionHawk Films [16] Casey has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2022 for Cinematography with Legends of Ice Mountain [17]

Anderson was formerly an executive producer and host at Grizzly Creek Films, the production company that was responsible for creating the series Expedition Wild and America the Wild. [18] As of July 2015, Anderson is currently an executive producer and part owner of VisionHawk Films, a new Montana-based film production company specializing in epic Natural World History filmmaking. [16]

Other television work

Anderson frequently appears as himself on reality television shows, particularly those involving nature and animals. He was a featured survival expert on the Discovery Channel reality show Dude, You're Screwed , [19] and guest starred (with his then-wife Missi Pyle) on a 2010 episode of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan on the Nat Geo Channel. He has been a recurring guest on talk shows including Late Night with Conan O'Brien , Conan , Fox & Friends , and Good Morning America , presenting a variety of animals including bears, baby coyotes, a wolf, a bobcat [20] and a Eurasian eagle-owl.

In 2013, Anderson appeared on two episodes of the reality show Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life as "Casey", a "bear man" who was Kesha's possible new romantic interest. The second episode ended with the couple deciding not to pursue a relationship. [21]

In 2018, Anderson appeared with Josh Gates on Gate's show "Expedition Unknown: Hunt for the Yeti". They traveled together via helicopter to the area in Butaan where Anderson had pictures of Yeti tracks. No actual Yeti was observed, however, a footprint was documented and other peripheral evidence was observed.

Feature films

Anderson and Brutus both made their feature film acting debuts in the independent film Iron Ridge (2008), a wilderness rescue drama filmed location in Montana using an all-Montana cast and crew and financed by Montanans. Anderson played a hunter from the city who travels, with a friend, deep into the backcountry of Montana, while Brutus played a bloodthirsty grizzly bear encountered by one of the hunters in the wild. [22] [23] [24] Although Anderson played a supporting role, he and Brutus were prominently featured in the advertising for the film. [25] [26]

Personal life

Anderson married Stephanie Gazda in August 2016. [27] The couple live in Paradise Valley, Montana with their two daughters and son. [28]

Anderson was previously married to actress Missi Pyle from 2008 to 2011. They met in 2007 during the making of the film Pretty Ugly People (2008), in which Pyle starred, Brutus had a small role, and Anderson worked as animal trainer. Brutus the Bear was best man at their wedding, which was held in September 2008 at Holland Lake Lodge in Montana where the couple met. [29] [30] [31] In 2013, Pyle confirmed in an interview that the couple had broken up. [32]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 Iron Ridge Jake Munro

Television

YearTitleEpisodeEpisode TitleRoleNotes
2006 Wild Season 1"Expedition Grizzly"HimselfWith Brutus the Bear
2010–2014Expedition WildSeasons 1-4Multiple episodesHimself (host)Some episodes also feature Brutus the Bear
2010 Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan Season 7, episode 3"Ellie and J.J. and Oscar"
(alternate title: "Grizzly Dogs")
Himself (guest)With Missi Pyle
2013-2015America the Wild With Casey AndersonSeasons 1-2Multiple episodesHimself (host)
2013 Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life Season 2, episode 7
Season 2, episode 8
"Bearman"
"Meet the Fam"
Himself (as "Casey")
2014-2015 Dude, You're Screwed Season 2Multiple episodesHimself (cast member)
2017 The Grand Tour Series 2Episode 3Himself (Guest)
With Hugh Bonneville
2018 Monster Encounters Season 1Himself (Host)
2018The Mountain Lion and MeFilmTracking a mountain lionHimself (Guest)
Smithsonian Channel [13]
2020Into the Puma TriangleFilmA pride of pumasHimself (Guest)
Smithsonian Channel
2022 Growing Up Grizzly - A Tale of Two Orphans FilmCasey, Max & PepperHimself (Guest)
Paramount Plus & Smithsonian Channel

Related Research Articles

National Geographic is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Entertainment and National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%), with the operational management handled by Disney Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Treadwell</span> American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, and documentary filmmaker (1957–2003)

Timothy Treadwell was an American bear enthusiast, environmentalist, documentary filmmaker, and founder of the bear-protection organization Grizzly People. He lived among coastal brown bears, a population of grizzly bears, in Katmai National Park, Alaska, for 13 summers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missi Pyle</span> American actress and singer

Missi Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in a number of successful films, including Galaxy Quest (1999), Bringing Down the House (2003), Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), The Artist (2011), Gone Girl (2014), Captain Fantastic (2016), and Ma (2019).

The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Montana on the Missouri River. The refuge surrounds Fort Peck Reservoir and is 915,814 acres (3,706.17 km2) in size. It is the second-largest National Wildlife Refuge in the lower 48 states of the United States, and the largest in Montana. Created in 1936, it was originally called the Fort Peck Game Range. It was renamed in 1963 after Montana artist Charles M. Russell, a famous painter of the American West. In 1976, the "range" was made a "refuge".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center</span> Zoo in Portage, Alaska, United States

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation, research, education, and animal care. The center is located on about 200 acres (81 ha) at the head of Turnagain Arm and the entrance to Portage Valley, Milepost 79 of the Seward Highway, about 11 mi southeast of Girdwood. The center is in the Municipality of Anchorage on the approximant border of the Kenai Peninsula and the Kenai Mountains to the south and the Chugach Mountains to the north.

Khutzeeymateen Provincial Park, also known as Khutzeymateen/K'tzim-A-Deen Grizzly Sanctuary, is a Class A provincial park located in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. The park, within the purview of BC Parks, was established on August 15, 1994, to protect critical habitat for the region's grizzly bear population and the largest contiguous stand of old-growth Sitka spruce in the world. It was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on August 17, 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Valley (Montana)</span> River valley in Montana, United States

Paradise Valley is a major river valley of the Yellowstone River in Southwestern Montana just north of Yellowstone National Park in Park County. The valley is flanked by the Absaroka Range on the east and the Gallatin Range on the west.

Stephan K. Miller was an American animal trainer, wrangler, and stunt double who was killed by a bear while making a promotional video.

Brutus, also called Brutus the Bear, was a grizzly bear who was adopted as a newborn cub by the naturalist Casey Anderson, star of the National Geographic documentary Expedition Grizzly.

Deadly... is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson as co-host on Live 'n Deadly, and Barney Harwood as co-host on Natural Born Hunters. The strand began with a single series known as Deadly 60, and has subsequently expanded into a number of spin-offs, re-edits and follow-up versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Prairie</span> Nature reserve in Montana, United States

American Prairie is a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, United States, on a mixed grass prairie ecosystem with migration corridors and native wildlife. This wildlife conservation area is being developed as a private project of the American Prairie Foundation (APF). This independent non-profit organization aims to include over 3 million acres (12,000 km2) through a combination of both private and public lands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grizzly bear</span> Subspecies of brown bear

The grizzly bear, also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.

Operating as a nonprofit environmental land trust, The Vital Ground Foundation protects and restores North America's grizzly bear populations by conserving wildlife habitat. Founded in 1990, Vital Ground operates in the belief that the grizzly bear, an umbrella species, is nature's barometer of a healthy and complete ecosystem, and that conserving grizzly bears and their habitat is key to ensuring diverse and healthy landscapes.

<i>Iron Ridge</i> (film) 2008 American film

Iron Ridge is a 2008 American independent wilderness survival drama film written and directed by Stu Brumbaugh. It marked the feature film debut of naturalist and television host Casey Anderson and his bear Brutus. The film was "100% Montana-made", having been shot entirely on location in Montana with a cast and crew entirely from Montana, entirely financed by Montanans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bart the Bear 2</span> Kodiak bear that appeared in several films

Bart the Bear 2, also called Bart the Bear II, Bart 2, Bart II, or Little Bart was a male interior Alaskan grizzly bear who appeared in several films and television series, including An Unfinished Life, Into the Wild, Evan Almighty, We Bought a Zoo, Game of Thrones, and most recently Into the Grizzly Maze. His trainers were Doug Seus and Lynne Seus of Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife, Inc., in Heber City, Utah. Bart 2 was named after the earlier Seus-trained Bart the Bear, although the two bears are not related.

Frank Cooper Craighead Jr. and John Johnson Craighead, twin brothers, were American conservationists, naturalists, and researchers who made important contributions to the studies of falconry and grizzly bear biology. The brothers were born in Washington, D.C., where both graduated from Western High School in 1935. The brothers began collecting and identifying animals and plants they found alongside the Potomac and soon expanded their interests to birds and hawks. They traveled west in 1934 to begin studying falconry. After World War II, during which they were employed as survival trainers, they each married and resumed their work in falconry. During the 1950s, the Craighead brothers expanded their work to other animals, including many species living in and around Yellowstone, and eventually separated.

Thomas D. Mangelsen is an American nature and wildlife photographer and conservationist. He is most famous for his photography of wildlife in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as he has lived inside the zone in Jackson, Wyoming, for over 40 years. In 2015, he and nature author Todd Wilkinson created a book, The Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek, featuring a grizzly bear known as Grizzly 399, named so due to her research number. He has been active in the movement to keep the Yellowstone area grizzly bears on the Endangered Species List. Mangelsen is also known for trekking to all seven continents to photograph a diverse assortment of nature and wildlife. A photograph he took in 1988 titled, "Catch of the Day" has been labeled "the most famous wildlife photograph in the world". In May 2018, he was profiled on CBS 60 Minutes. He has received dozens of accolades throughout the decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grizzly 399</span> American grizzly bear

Grizzly 399 is a grizzly bear inhabiting Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest. She is followed by as many as 40 wildlife photographers, and millions of tourists come to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to see her and the other grizzly bears. Grizzly 399 is the most famous brown bear mother in the world, with her own Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

References

  1. "Meet Casey Anderson - and his best friend, an 800-pound bear". LA Times. 2009-05-03. Retrieved 2015-05-10.
  2. 1 2 "Casey Anderson: Naturalist — Grizzly Guy" (official Casey Anderson website). Archived May 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Accessed May 10, 2015.
  3. Gleason, Meg (March 8, 2012). "Get to Know Casey Anderson". National Geographic . Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Casey Anderson Resume, buck-fever.tv, accessed May 10, 2015. Archived 2015-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
  5. Alex (2021-05-16). "Bear World Cubs: Take a Tour of 100+ Missing Bears". ScholarDay. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  6. "Montana Grizzly Encounter on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 2022-04-27.[ user-generated source ]
  7. Therriault, Ednor. Montana Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities, and Other Offbeat Stuff. Morris Book Pub., 2010, p. 198. ISBN   978-0-7627-4302-5.
  8. Montana Grizzly Encounter website. Grizzlyencounter.org, accessed May 11, 2015.
  9. National Geographic Events: Speakers Bureau - Casey Anderson, Naturalist, TV Host. Accessed May 11, 2015.
  10. Alcinii, Daniele (September 30, 2015). "Former Nat Geo Wild host launches VisionHawk". Real Screen. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  11. "VisionHawk Films". VisionHawk Films. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  12. Service., United States. Army Map (1974), Bozeman, U.S. Geological Survey, OCLC   268794238 , retrieved 2022-11-03
  13. 1 2 "Smithsonian Channel readies "The Mountain Lion And Me"" . Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  14. "Amazon.com: Into the Puma Triangle : Various, Smithsonian Channel: Movies & TV". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  15. "Paramount Press Express | Smithsonian Channel | Growing Up Grizzly". www.paramountpressexpress.com. October 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  16. 1 2 "VisionHawk - Our Team - Casey Anderson Executive Producer" (official website). Archived July 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Accessed June 30, 2015.
  17. Piña, Christy (2022-09-30). "'The Rescue,' 'The First Wave' Among Top Documentary Emmy Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  18. "Grizzly Creek Films: Meet the Crew - Casey Anderson" (official website), grizzlycreekfilms.com, archived at archive.org Feb. 12, 2015. Accessed July 1, 2015.
  19. Nededog, Jethro. "Discovery Survival Series 'Dude, You're Screwed' to Return in October with 3 New Dudes (Exclusive)." TheWrap.com, Oct. 10, 2014, accessed May 20, 2015.
  20. Ganzert, Robin, and Allen and Linda Anderson. Animal Stars: Behind the Scenes With Your Favorite Animal Actors. New World Library, 2014, p. 240. ISBN   978-1-60868-264-5.
  21. Donnelly, Matthew Scott, "'Crazy Beautiful' House Rules: New Boyfriends Must Be Approved By The Family Tribunal", MTV Shows Blog, remotecontrol.mtv.com, Dec. 18, 2013, accessed May 15, 2015.
  22. "Feature Film 'Iron Ridge'" (official website). Yellowwoodfilms.com, accessed May 11, 2015.
  23. Franz, Zachary. "Hundreds of People, Plus One Bear, Attend 'Iron Ridge' Premiere." [ permanent dead link ] Great Falls (Montana) Tribune, Mar. 28, 2008, accessed May 11, 2015.
  24. "Cool Montana Stories: Iron Ridge." Montanakids.com, accessed May 11, 2015.
  25. Montana Film Office, "Montana Filmography: 2006" (gallery of movie posters showing original "Iron Ridge" poster). Archived 2015-05-07 at the Wayback Machine Montanafilm.com, accessed May 11, 2015.
  26. "Iron Ridge" DVD (item page showing image of DVD packaging). Amazon.com, accessed May 11, 2015.
  27. McIntyre, Bruce, "Casey's Ministry", choicesdomatter.org, June 4, 2015, archived at webcitation.org, July 2, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015.
  28. Anderson, Casey, photograph and post on official Casey Anderson personal Facebook page, Facebook.com, April 26, 2015, archived at archive.org July 2, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2015.
  29. Tate & Brunson, Pretty Ugly People Recent News: Missi Pyle & Casey Anderson Marry at Holland Lake." Prettyuglypeople.blogspot.com, uploaded Sept. 16, 2008, accessed May 11, 2015.
  30. "Weddin' on the Prairie." Smithandpyle.com, Sept. 9, 2008, archived at archive.org Oct. 6, 2011. Accessed May 11, 2015.
  31. Cohn, Jessica. Time For Kids: Wild Work! Animal Trainers. Teacher Created Materials, 2013, p. 24. ISBN   978-1-4333-4942-3.
  32. Sokol, Robert. "Missi Pyle Rides Life's Curves to Cabaret Act in The City." Archived 2013-12-28 at the Wayback Machine San Francisco Examiner, Aug. 6, 2013, accessed May 10, 2015.