We were lucky to catch up with Eric Brittingham recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, appreciate you joining us today. Risk taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
It was the year 2020 with the Summer Reading Tour fast approaching and we had over 75 LIVE Animal Shows booked for Public Libraries, Camps, and Festivals – all seemed right with the world and the programming schedule for that year was the best we had ever seen. However, prior to March 2020 – news was starting to bubble that there was a growing health concern and possible epidemic that could quite possibly change the ability to gather in social settings. Anticipating the worse and hoping that LIVE Bookings would not start to drop like flies, I took a leap of faith at the risk of losing our entire business and began quickly producing the very first VideoVenture – Amazing Adaptations via my phone in anticipation of our library, camp, and festival clients contacting us to say they would have to cancel our LIVE Appearances. Sure enough, March 2020 hits and the phone is ringing off the hook, our Email box is blowing up and the clients are in a panic. The RISK we took became a REWARD! “Do you have any Virtual Programming?” the clients would ask – “Can you present Virtually via ZOOM?” the camps and festival organizers would quip. Calmly and confidently, I would reply, “Absolutely, we have just produced our GOIN’ WILD VideoVenture entitled “Amazing Adaptations” for purchase, would you be interested in booking that in the place of our LIVE Animal Show to share with your patrons, campers, and audience?” The PIVOT and not remaining stuck in our comfort zone, paid off beyond our imagination, recovered a majority of our bookings, and ultimately saved our entire business and company during the pandemic and even broadened our skills and reach as well. Amazingly, that one VideoVenture created on a Smartphone even received a 2023 GOLD Telly Award for Nature and Wildlife, a 2023 SILVER Telly Award for Children’s Programming, and another 2023 SILVER Telly Award for Education and Training – absolutely mind blowing! Taking RISKS can definitely be a daunting and scary realization, however it can also be life changing and a career saver at times – this RISK certainly produced REWARDS that were never expected and we are grateful that we took that leap of faith!!
Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hello there, I am Eric Brittingham – a.k.a “Mr. B” from Wildlife On The Move and I have been “Bringing Science to Life” through LIVE and VIRTUAL Animal Education Programming for schools (including public, private, & home school), daycares, libraries, festivals, churches, scouts, corporate events, birthday parties, celebrations, social media, and television for over 18 years in Texas and Beyond.
“Bringing Science to Life” with and through Wildlife On The Move Animal Programming is my passion and personal mission that I have been blessed and honored to have been entrusted with and is the dream career for me! Life is certainly a journey through time and chapters – a marathon, not a sprint, however, ultimately reaching one of the checkpoints along my life’s excursion has been the ability to provide LIVE and VIRTUAL Animal Presentations throughout Texas and beyond as my full-time paying job. This is tremendously rewarding and a gift that finally came true after 10 years in the corporate world and due to my rich immersive childhood experiences visiting zoos, aquariums, theme parks, state parks, national parks, the taking on risks, trying new and challenging full-time day jobs to pursue this passion part-time, while volunteering along the way at Zoos and Nature Centers, as well as meeting and working with great influencers, mentors, friends, and colleagues along this professional super-highway has been the ultimate adventure and a very fulfilling quest that continues on and hopefully will be able to be passed on to others to continue its legacy.
The thought process behind starting this WILD Business was sparked and inspired by encountering so many under-funded school budgets that negatively impacted the ability for students to embark on beneficial, experience-based field trips and the desire to share my passion for animals, nature, and science with others in an entertaining and educational way. So, in 2005 with the help from my long-time professional mentor and friend K.C. Rudy (our President and Presenter Emeritus now), we created and launched Wildlife On The Move in order to introduce STEM Based Learning & LIVE Animal Encounters to those that could not afford to take field trips offsite due to budgetary constraints and began bringing Fun, Science forward field trips to those under-resourced and under-funded groups. We also work very closely within the Public and Community Libraries throughout Texas and beyond and are extremely passionate about promoting literacy through our “GO WILD for READING” Bookmarks and drive home the importance of overcoming fears through education and experience at our various programs.
“We Only Fear What We Don’t Understand. The More You Read and Experience, The More You Understand and The Less You Fear, The More Difference You Can Make In The World.” – Eric Brittingham, Wildlife On The Move
For over 18 years, Wildlife On The Move has been providing LIVE Animal Presentations with several Program Offering Themes all aligned within the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills requirements: Amazing Adaptations, Boas vs. Pythons, Cool, Cold-Blooded Critters, Tails and Tales from Wildlife On The Move, The Unhuggables and LIVE Animal Interaction Stations, plus in 2023 we have added Roaming Reptiles and Friends, as well as the LIVE Animal Encounter Photo Booth. All of these programs are intended to help groups and their audiences GO WILD in a Fun, Educational, and Entertaining way. In 2020, we made the most important decision and pivot we could have made along this WILD Journey when the Pandemic hit – we quickly learned how to create, produce, edit, market, and highlight our VIRTUAL arm of the business through GOIN’ WILD VideoVentures entitled Amazing Adaptations, Boas vs. Pythons, and Tails & Tales allowing us the ability to REACH and TEACH beyond Texas and beyond the need to appear in person and those Virtual Videos are still available today, and the even more exciting news is that the Amazing Adaptations VideoVenture was just recognized as the 2023 GOLD Telly Award Winner for Nature & Wildlife Programming and was awarded two SILVER Telly Awards for Children’s Programming, as well as Education and Training. Another fantastic feature we developed and provide for Home Schoolers and Exploration Opportunities anytime while at Home is our exclusive video content featured on Patreon at www.patreon.com/
Beyond the LIVE and VIRTUAL Programming, we provide, Wildlife On The Move is home to over 50 non-releasable Animal Ambassadors that have come to us as discarded, rescued, abandoned and injured wildlife and pets that serve in the role of educating and influencing an understanding of the plight of their wild counterparts, as well as help dispel myths and allow people of all ages to overcome their fears of animals. The fee based LIVE Animal Presentations and Events that we provide assist in the funding for food, husbandry, housing, and veterinary care for our critter collection and as a non-profit organization we also rely on outside donations, financial sponsorships, and gifted supplies/items to ultimately operate and provide the highest level of care and best quality of life for our Animal Ambassadors. We have trained over 15 Wildlife Wrangler Volunteers over the years to assist with daily maintenance and care and currently have an amazing part-time Critter Caretaker that oversees and implements daily feeding, cleaning, and husbandry operations for our Animal Ambassadors.
I have so much to be proud of along this 18-year journey and chapter of my life – Traversed over 220,000 miles, presented to over 610,000 people, worked with a wide-array of animals from all over the world, professionally endorsed by my hero and mentor – Jack Hanna, recognized with GOLD – SILVER – BRONZE Telly Awards for our Video Programming, built and maintained a strong, healthy Animal Ambassador Program, influenced/endorsed over 10 Animal Care Volunteers to pursue animal related careers, maintained long-term relationships with returning clients, and yet there is so much more to do and I am really proud to announce that due to all the success and growth along this excursion, we have been able to expand the scope of our business and will be taking that to the next level by launching the WILD for the WORLD Conservation Branch in 2024 as a way to Raise Awareness and Funding for Conservation Projects in Texas and Around the World, as well as,
Restore Natural Habitats to ensure wildlife survival and a healthy planet.
“In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.”- Baba Dioum
For the BEST in LIVE and VIRTUAL Animal Programming – Wildlife On The Move is the organization for you and your Special Events! We are proven, professionally endorsed, highly recommended, knowledgeable, fun, organized, prepared, educational, professional, entertaining, licensed, permitted, and insured. Most importantly, we are well traveled and experienced in the LIVE Animal Outreach business and over 610,000 people have enjoyed our entertaining and educational programs and we are confident that you will too! JOIN the ADVENTURE, SUPPORT the CAUSE, and BE a WILD CHILD for Animals, Humanity, and the World!
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Our reputation within our wide-range market of serving schools, daycares, libraries, festivals, churches, home school groups, corporate events, birthday parties, television, and social media has been helped by our ability to build relationships – foster those relationships over the years and deliver on what we promise consistently each and every time. We pride ourselves on prompt service – quick response time to program inquiries, clear communication about program offerings, expectations, and logistics, plus we make it a point to always thank our clients with a follow-up emailed thank you note and evaluation. Beyond that, I believe the amazing word of mouth references, referrals, and positive endorsements of our programming – product – brand and the extras we offer that others don’t certainly sets us apart and has solidified our reputation for BEST in the BUSINESS!
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Yes, absolutely! I have to lead off with thanking my long-time hero and mentor Jungle Jack Hanna for inspiring me to pursue my passion and follow my dreams when I first met him at Sea World San Antonio and with his encouragement and support that day, inspired me to lead in this industry the way I do thanks to his selflessness – professional presence – suggestions for success – years of service – many high-quality video productions: Animal Adventures – Into the Wild – Wild Countdown and his book “Monkeys on the Interstate” to name a few. I also need to credit and give a big thanks to The Crocodile Hunter – the late, great Steve Irwin as a huge influencer on my pursuit of presenting wildlife and mis-understood creatures the way I do. He was one-of-a-kind and an amazing Wildlife Warrior! Another great book that has inspired and impacted my management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy is Inside the Magic Kingdom and especially, Walt Disney himself. Although there have been many other books or resources over the years I am sure, but time has gotten the best of my memory on some – the TRUE BOOKS & RESOURCES I haven’t forgotten are the open ones – the open “human” books that share and care to help one learn and grow, so with that being said, Special Thanks To: Mom and Dad B, Susan, Nanny & Granddad, Nanny Peggy, Col. Fred Abt, Jim Cain, Gordon Bade, Chris Willshire, Carlos Garcia, James Miculka, Ray Mesa, Ron Wilkins, Sharon Solanik, Donna Guerrero, Dr. Tom Franks, Dr. Dan Angel, Dr. Steve Westbrook, Dr. Pat Robertson, Dr. John Thornton, K.C. Rudy, Richard & Sylvia Greene, Jim & Dana Jones, Tim Brys, Jeff Corwin, Dr. Jane Goodall, Jim Fowler, Jim Dunlap, Nigel Marvin, Dave and Sue Kleven, Steve Martin, Lyndsey & Simon McNeny, Paul the Trombonist, Jenny Anchondo, Bryce Dooley, Kevin Jackson, Roger Robinson, Brannon “Frog” Jahnke, Matt Pittman, Chet Garner, Dave Ramsey, Andy McQuitty, Robert Morris, Tim Hawkins, Jeff Dunham, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, George Dunham, Craig Miller, Gordon Keith, Corby Davidson, Mike Rhyner, Dirk Nowitzki, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Alex, Geddy, and Neil and of course GOD and J.C. There are so many more to list and please know that if you are not listed here, that so many of my family, friends, and colleagues have had significant impacts on my management and entrepreneurial style and philosophy – thanks and I hope those of you reading this find those resources too beyond the books – but always remember to GO WILD for READING first and thank those that help you along your journey called life! Thanks to ALL my MOVErs and SSShakers out there you have been inspirational and navigated my way with impact!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.wildlifeonthemove.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eric.wildlifeonthemove/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveanimalshows
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbrittingham22/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrb_wotm
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7k4W9fMMv4MpHUhv4yTK8Q
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/AnimalAdventures https://mygivingcircle.org/wildlife-on-the-move https://www.northtexasgivingday.org/wildlife-on-the-move https://www.facebook.com/wildfortheworld/
Image Credits
Wildlife On The Move Mary Vinson-Hood County News