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Peterborough Sasquatch club evolves into new Bigfoot-hunting TV show
Local Journalism Initiative
Mon, May 8, 2023 at 8:02 a.m. EDT·3 min read
The star of an upcoming TV series has never actually been captured on camera.
But Ryan Willis and the creative minds behind the new show “Sasquatch University,” which has Peterborough roots, hope to change that — they’re on the hunt for Bigfoot, the legendary cryptozoological creature that’s eluded enthusiasts while capturing the imagination of the public for years.
In 2021, Willis and like-minded students founded the Trent University Sasquatch Society, an official club that put members’ shared passion for the Sasquatch — a purported woodland-dwelling beast that’s spawned searches, skepticism and hoaxes for decades — to practice, taking to nearby forests on a quest to locate the creature once and for all. After establishing the collective, which has since grown to include over 200 students, Willis and other core members formed a research team dubbed Sasquatch University.
They harness academic practices and science to explore the phenomenon of the Yeti. And now, Willis and fellow executive members are taking their search to television.
After pitching the idea of a show focusing on the group’s efforts to uncover the truth about Bigfoot, the concept was picked up by Wild TV Network and filming began last month.
Willis, who has since graduated, will act as the show’s host. The program’s 30-minute episodes will delve into the long-standing legend by interviewing eyewitnesses and travelling to various locations across Ontario. Willis’s team will employ hunting techniques and a mix of innovative high and low-tech experiments in a bid to prove Bigfoot’s existence.
“I think viewers will really enjoy some of the eyewitness testimony once they get to hear what these people have to say,” Willis said.
Willis said the crew encountered some “spooky” activity while filming in Barrie and the Collingwood and Owen Sound areas.
“We ran into some things we couldn’t really explain; certain things when there was no one else around,” he said, offering tidbit teasers about the upcoming show. “I’ll leave it at that.”
The Trent student-turned-TV-host also doesn’t shy away from the fact that some view Bigfoot tracking shows to be filled with smoke and mirrors and made-for-television trickery.
But Willis says “Sasquatch University” is in a class of its own, he says.
“We’re working really hard to try to make something that kind of does meet up with certain scientific standards and we do take the time to talk with professionals who are actually qualified to offer opinions and make conclusions. So the main thing, at least with our show, is watch it before you knock it because I think a lot of the evidence and the people we’ve talked to are really something that will stand out to people and make people say, you know what, maybe there is something to this and these guys aren’t just running around the woods running and screaming,” Willis said.
“We’re trying to stay true to ourselves and I think we’ve done a really good job at that by staying true to the evidence and not trying to put any spins or biases on it. We’re taking the time to speak to people who are properly qualified to evaluate this type of stuff, which is something I think will really stand out to people who watch the show.”
Looking back, Willis can’t believe his small university club has led to a television show.
“Back when we started, I never would have imagined we’d go from 10 students going around the woods … to having a TV show. It’s been a wild ride.”
Filming will continue through the spring and summer. Sasquatch University is due to air on Sept. 25.
Willis encourages anyone with eyewitness accounts or potential Bigfoot encounters to contact his team at https://www.sasquatchuniversity.com/.
Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.
Brendan Burke, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Peterborough Examiner
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/peterborough-sasquatch-club-evolves-bigfoot-120234895.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNhLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGzYh6JTrw_XD3SsQk2ArFR2VwylwQjTFzbB0-DfG3KIrrAbc6CjOjKz0Zpd80mxVbTwDAbzqMiXjKog0Q-yTZrb3QFnA6L5oEYcjO-f7UUBlruAGC2GT0GhFK__ZIQghG1EgoUE65rMsh29nvYKj4slFwQnHDK4Vf5K4wLfKLXP
Local Journalism Initiative
Mon, May 8, 2023 at 8:02 a.m. EDT·3 min read
The star of an upcoming TV series has never actually been captured on camera.
But Ryan Willis and the creative minds behind the new show “Sasquatch University,” which has Peterborough roots, hope to change that — they’re on the hunt for Bigfoot, the legendary cryptozoological creature that’s eluded enthusiasts while capturing the imagination of the public for years.
In 2021, Willis and like-minded students founded the Trent University Sasquatch Society, an official club that put members’ shared passion for the Sasquatch — a purported woodland-dwelling beast that’s spawned searches, skepticism and hoaxes for decades — to practice, taking to nearby forests on a quest to locate the creature once and for all. After establishing the collective, which has since grown to include over 200 students, Willis and other core members formed a research team dubbed Sasquatch University.
They harness academic practices and science to explore the phenomenon of the Yeti. And now, Willis and fellow executive members are taking their search to television.
After pitching the idea of a show focusing on the group’s efforts to uncover the truth about Bigfoot, the concept was picked up by Wild TV Network and filming began last month.
Willis, who has since graduated, will act as the show’s host. The program’s 30-minute episodes will delve into the long-standing legend by interviewing eyewitnesses and travelling to various locations across Ontario. Willis’s team will employ hunting techniques and a mix of innovative high and low-tech experiments in a bid to prove Bigfoot’s existence.
“I think viewers will really enjoy some of the eyewitness testimony once they get to hear what these people have to say,” Willis said.
Willis said the crew encountered some “spooky” activity while filming in Barrie and the Collingwood and Owen Sound areas.
“We ran into some things we couldn’t really explain; certain things when there was no one else around,” he said, offering tidbit teasers about the upcoming show. “I’ll leave it at that.”
The Trent student-turned-TV-host also doesn’t shy away from the fact that some view Bigfoot tracking shows to be filled with smoke and mirrors and made-for-television trickery.
But Willis says “Sasquatch University” is in a class of its own, he says.
“We’re working really hard to try to make something that kind of does meet up with certain scientific standards and we do take the time to talk with professionals who are actually qualified to offer opinions and make conclusions. So the main thing, at least with our show, is watch it before you knock it because I think a lot of the evidence and the people we’ve talked to are really something that will stand out to people and make people say, you know what, maybe there is something to this and these guys aren’t just running around the woods running and screaming,” Willis said.
“We’re trying to stay true to ourselves and I think we’ve done a really good job at that by staying true to the evidence and not trying to put any spins or biases on it. We’re taking the time to speak to people who are properly qualified to evaluate this type of stuff, which is something I think will really stand out to people who watch the show.”
Looking back, Willis can’t believe his small university club has led to a television show.
“Back when we started, I never would have imagined we’d go from 10 students going around the woods … to having a TV show. It’s been a wild ride.”
Filming will continue through the spring and summer. Sasquatch University is due to air on Sept. 25.
Willis encourages anyone with eyewitness accounts or potential Bigfoot encounters to contact his team at https://www.sasquatchuniversity.com/.
Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.
Brendan Burke, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Peterborough Examiner
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/peterborough-sasquatch-club-evolves-bigfoot-120234895.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNhLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAGzYh6JTrw_XD3SsQk2ArFR2VwylwQjTFzbB0-DfG3KIrrAbc6CjOjKz0Zpd80mxVbTwDAbzqMiXjKog0Q-yTZrb3QFnA6L5oEYcjO-f7UUBlruAGC2GT0GhFK__ZIQghG1EgoUE65rMsh29nvYKj4slFwQnHDK4Vf5K4wLfKLXP
