About No Opportunity Wasted
"No Opportunity Wasted " is a new CBC series inspired by the book and personal life philosophy of "The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan. In each episode, two challengers, who do not know they have been chosen, will be surprised by Bruce Kirkby and asked to take on Phil Keoghan’s 72-hour NOW challenge. With their schedules cleared and all excuses eliminated, the two challengers, total strangers with a common goal, must work step-by-step to complete a series of time targets that will push them to the extreme and help them complete their challenge.
Phil Keoghan hand-picks Canadian adventurer Bruce Kirkby as the Guide for the new CBC series "NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED"
Toronto. June 5, 2007 – NOW Canada Productions announces that Phil Keoghan has personally selected Canadian adventurer Bruce Kirkby to facilitate each NOW challenge on the new CBC series "No Opportunity Wasted ". Phil Keoghan chose Bruce Kirkby as the Canadian guide for NOW from hundreds of applicants because he embodies the NOW philosophy. Inspired by the book by and personal life philosophy of Phil Keoghan, each 10 x 30’ episode of "No Opportunity Wasted " gives challengers 72-hours to accomplish something they never thought possible. The series premieres on CBC Television in October 2007 and is produced by NOW Canada Productions Inc., a Suddenly SeeMore Productions Company. Phil Keoghan will act as the series’ executive producer. Critically acclaimed versions of the series have aired in the US and New Zealand.
"Put simply, Bruce gets the NOW philosophy, " says Phil Keoghan. "Over a decade ago he decided to live life NOW and since then, he has jumped from one adventure to another. He’s also convinced those around him to ditch the excuses and do the things they’ve been putting off for years. "
The "No Opportunity Wasted " Guide search took place last spring when an open casting call went out to Canadians who live a NOW lifestyle. From hundreds of applications, a shortlist of six people auditioned in-person in Toronto. Phil Keoghan then selected Bruce Kirkby based on his audition and his adventurous and well-traveled background. "Bruce Kirkby brings the perfect balance for this show, both in terms of his adventurous no opportunity wasted spirit and his ability to guide Canadian NOW challengers as they step outside their comfort zones and face their physical and emotional personal NOW journeys, " adds Keoghan.
An adventurer, photographer, author and motivational speaker, Bruce Kirkby has done it all, from guiding weekend kayak trips in BC to being part of a team that successfully summitted Mount Everest. Born and raised in Toronto, Bruce’s parents introduced him to the wilderness at an early age. After graduating from university with a degree in Engineering Physics, Bruce remained at his first office job for less than six months before pursuing an uncertain future in outdoor adventure. Since then, Bruce’s travels have taken him to Tibet, Bhutan, Iceland, the Galapagos Islands, Borneo, Myanmar, Bali, Sikkim, China, Ecuador, and Mongolia to name a few. He has published two books including The Dolphin’s Tooth: A Decade in Search of Adventure and Sand Dance and By Camel Across Arabia’s Great Southern Desert. His award-winning photographs have appeared in National Geographic, MacLean’s, American Photo, Men’s Fitness, Outside and Explore. He has also acted as the editor-at-large for Outpost Magazine. He is currently a contributing editor for Explore.
About Bruce Kirkby
In 1991, after graduating university and spending only six months in a boring engineering job, Bruce ditched the nine-to-five life, packed his rusty pickup, and headed west in search of adventure.
He has been going full tilt every since.
The journeys that followed have taken him to every corner of the planet from Everest to Arabia, Ethiopia’s Blue Nile Gorge to the rivers of the Arctic. Bruce has ridden horses across Mongolia and camels across Arabia’s legendary Empty Quarter, the world’s largest sand desert. He has crossed Iceland by foot, explored the remote eastern coast of Greenland by sea kayak, has been taken hostage by bandits, attacked by crocodiles, and chased through the remote Mergui Archipelago by Myanmar’s army.
In addition to his adventures, what sets Bruce apart is his ability to share these journeys with others as a professional photographer, writer and motivational speaker. Bruce’s photographs, novels and tales take people places they might not normally see, introducing characters and cultures along the way and revealing the challenges and joys of life on the road. Enthusiasm and excitement are Bruce’s trademarks, and they come across in everything he does.
Just ask anyone who has met him. Bruce spontaneously shares stories about anything and everything, making his an exceptional storyteller. If they involve travel or adventure, all the better. His optimistic, down-to-earth approach is what allows him to embrace the road less traveled, with all its ups-and-downs.
Until leaving his office job in 1991, Bruce began his adventure career as a raft and wilderness guide. This was followed quickly by sea kayaking expeditions on British Columbia’s west coast, exploratory descents of Guatemalan rivers, and kayaking and snorkeling trips through the cayes of Belize’s Great Barrier Reef.
Next came mountaineering, climbing throughout Canada and around the world, twice reaching the summit of Mt. McKinley (North America's highest summit), and joining a 1997 Canadian expedition to Mt. Everest.
Along the way, Bruce discovered his knack for photography. In 1997, MacLean’s printed several of his Mt. Everest photographs as part of a cover story. Since then, his shots have appeared in American Photo Magazine, Men’s Fitness, Outside and Explore. National Geographic selected one of his images as a “Top Adventure Photograph of the Decade”.
And then there was the desert. In 1998, Bruce and two partners, Jamie and Leigh Clarke, began planning to cross Arabia’s Empty Quarter, a journey that had only been done once before, 50 years earlier. A year later, on March 12, 1999, the tired and dusty team of three Canadians, three Bedouin, and 12 camels completed a traverse of the Arabian Peninsula.
Upon returning home from Arabia, Bruce decided to try his hand at writing. His account of the journey, “Sand Dance, By Camel Across Arabia’s Great Southern Desert” (McClelland and Stewart, 2000) spent 14 weeks on the national bestseller list. In the years that followed Bruce acted as Editor-at-Large for Outpost Magazine and monthly columnist for Up! (West Jet’s Inflight magazine). Currently he is a Contributing Editor with Explore. His second book, “The Dolphin’s Tooth; A Decade in Search of Adventure” was also a bestseller. Bruce has also received four National Magazine Writing Nominations for his work.
Today, Bruce remains in the field, with journeys to Tibet, Bhutan, Iceland, the Galapagos Islands, Greenland, Borneo, Myanmar, Bali, Sikkim, China, Hong Kong, Ecuador, and Mongolia. He will now take his adventurous spirit and fun loving ways to television as the Canadian guide on CBC’s “No Opportunity Wasted”, a series based on the book by and personal life philosophy of “The Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan.
While not in the field, Bruce lives in Kimberley, British Columbia, where he manages to spend at least half his day outdoors. For more information, please visit www.brucekirkby.com
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About Suddenly SeeMore...Productions
Suddenly SeeMore...Productions Inc. is an award winning television production company with extensive experience in broadcast and cable television in both Canada and the U.S. Since its inception in 1993, Suddenly SeeMore...Productions Inc. has created and launched five series and over two dozen documentaries for a variety of broadcast clients. The team is award winning and Emmy nominated. Suddenly SeeMore... Productions Inc. has shot in over 40 countries and is a specialist in travel, adventure, documentary and reality television. For more information, please visit http://suddenlyseemore.com/ .
