Entry 298-1
Being Behind and In Front of the Camera with Strike King’s Kelly Gotch
Editor’s Note: Kelly Gotch, one of the newest members of the Strike King family and co-host of the “Step Outside” TV show on the Outdoor Channel produced in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), will host “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch,” produced by SchaZam Productions, premiering on the Pursuit Channel in July 2009. For the past 3-1/2-years, Gotch has hosted and produced “Michigan Out-of-Doors,” one of the first outdoor TV shows in the nation that actually began in the 1950s.
Part 1: Who is Kelly Gotch?
Question: Kelly, tell us about yourself.
Gotch: I’m a hunter and a fisherman, a videographer and a TV producer.
Question: Kelly, how did your love affair with the outdoors begin?
Gotch: From a young age, my family encouraged me to be in the outdoors. People are born with certain passions, and I was born with an intense passion for the outdoors. When I was young, I begged my dad to take me fishing every day. My fondest childhood memories are of late afternoons when neighborhood friends would stop by with a nice buck they’d taken that morning, and we’d gather to admire the buck and hear their hunting stories.
I grew up in Ortonville, Michigan, a tiny country paradise, where hunting and fishing was a major part of our lives. When somebody took a deer, we’d talk about it all night. 
Even though I was too young to hunt during those neighborhood gatherings, the feelings associated with hunting hooked me. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the hunters, the outdoors and all the excitement a successful day in the field created for everyone.
Question: What’s your role at Strike King?
Gotch: Strike King Lure Company owns the SchaZam Production Company, the producer of “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch,” airing on the Pursuit Channel in July 2009. “The Guide Series” shows are different from other outdoor programs because the focus is primarily on the lives of the fishing and the hunting guides and how they find game and fish for their clients. 
This show is a behind-the-scenes, up-close-and-personal look at what’s required to be a professional guide. Most outdoorsmen stuck in offices, dream of living the life of a guide. On “The Guide Series with Kelly Gotch,” we’ll show the viewers the reality of a guide’s life and how hard we work before and after a hunt and/or a fishing trip to provide a quality outdoor experience for our clients.
Next: An Angler and a Hunter
Contents:
- Part 1: Who is Kelly Gotch?
- Part 2: An Angler and a Hunter
- Part 3: I'd Rather Be Fishing
- Part 4: One of the Boys
- Part 5: The Future for Kelly Gotch
