Rejected TV Pitch to the World’s Wildest Animal Encounters | Mark Vins

Mark Vins is the co-founder and host of Brave Wilderness, one of the biggest wildlife channels on YouTube. Mark joins Ken to explain how a rejected television concept became a global media brand, why a video featuring the “cow killer” velvet ant gained hundreds of thousands of subscribers in a single day, and what it actually feels like to be stung by a murder hornet, bitten by a giant centipede, and envenomated by some of the world’s most painful creatures. He shares the safety protocols behind the videos, the risks of anaphylaxis, the physical toll of spending nearly 300 days a year traveling, and the lessons Brave Wilderness learned after entering the Hollywood and television system. Mark also takes Ken behind the scenes of filming mountain gorillas alongside armed rangers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and making his first feature documentary, Reef to Ridge, in the Galápagos. The film follows the ecosystem from the ocean floor to the summit of Wolf Volcano, where fewer than 300 rare pink iguanas remain. This is the story of turning childhood exploration into a global wildlife platform—and using viral entertainment to bring millions of people closer to the natural world. Thank you to our sponsors Our Title Sponsor ROKA: www.roka.com/ Code “RIDEOUT” Athletic Nicotine: https://athleticnicotine.com/rideout Code "RIDEOUT" Ken’s book now available here: https://www.theothersideofhard.com/ Chapters (00:00) Meet Mark Vins (00:46) What Is Brave Wilderness (01:44) Ohio Roots And Tennis (03:09) Film School And Early Hustle (05:20) From TV Rejection To YouTube (09:07) Sting Videos Go Viral (12:03) Sponsor Break Roka(13:43) Cow Killer Explained (16:34) Filming The Sting Safely (19:30) Anaphylaxis And EpiPens (26:46) Travel Life And Costa Rica (29:13) Poison Frogs And Toxins (32:59) Snakebites And Deadliest Snakes (37:12) Terrifying Cave Diving (38:13) Focus Supplement Ad (38:59) Hollywood Agency Lessons(45:47) Venom Basics Explained (47:04) Murder Hornet Nightmare (52:56) Centipede Bloodbath (56:42) Scorpions Fish and Fireworms (01:04:36) Gorillas and Ranger Risks (01:13:44) Rangers Fitness Talk (01:13:50) Favorite Trips Japan (01:14:42) Galapagos Feature Reveal (01:16:29) Wolf Volcano Expedition (01:17:51) Sharks And Finning (01:21:33) Dehydration Survival Stories (01:24:02) Pink Iguana Deep Dive (01:25:25) Volcano Tourism Risks (01:28:30) Peruvian Amazon Off Grid (01:30:49) Sandflies And Leishmaniasis (01:33:45) Global Wildlife Hotspots (01:35:27) Predators And Mountain Lions (01:42:04) Future Films And Running (01:45:13) Bee Swarms And Safety (01:48:05) Final Thanks And Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices