In episode 328 of The Just Checking In Podcast, we checked in with Declan Burley.
Declan is a filmmaker, conservationist and wildlife camera operator.
We came across Declan through his role in the incredible series on Apple TV, ‘The Wild Ones’, where he stars alongside former Royal Marines Commando Aldo Kane and Congolese cinematographer and cameraman Vianet Djenguet.
Declan’s role in the show was as a camera trapper, where they tried to capture six incredibly beautiful but rare, endangered animals on film across the world.
The Wild Ones team used the footage of each animal to show to the local communities that live in their habitats and prove to them that they are worth saving. As a result of each episode, conservation efforts have been stepped up in every one of those respective countries, as a direct result of Declan, Aldo, Vianet and their crew’s efforts.
Declan’s journey into filmmaking didn’t follow the route of some of his more privileged peers.
After being kicked out of college at 17 years old in his hometown of Luton, he had no idea what he wanted to do in life. One day, hanging out with his friend, he told him ‘I’m going to become a cameraman’. His friend laughed in response, and his origin story was confirmed.
Despite his diagnosis of dyslexia, he went to a different college and completed a B-Tech in Media Studies, before going to Bournemouth University to study TV Production.
Whilst Dec was at uni, he realised he wanted to get involved in wildlife filmmaking.
Bournemouth funded him to travel to the Peruvian amazon rainforest for three months which in his words, ‘changed everything’.
In this episode, we chart this journey, from college to university, amazon rainforest excursions, working on Sir David Attenborough’s ‘Frozen Planet 2’ in 2018/2019, how Covid-19 affected his career, and a deep dive into The Wild Ones series.
We also discuss classism and access in the filmmaking industry, accentism and how he leaned into his his working-class background and owned it to secure opportunities for himself.
For Declan’s mental health journey, we discuss a diagnosis of testicular cancer in 2017, the chemotherapy and surgery he went through to resolve it, fatherhood, resilience and anti-fragility.
As always, #itsokaytovent
You can watch The Wild Ones on Apple TV here.
You can find out more about Declan’s work here.
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