Utah family to be featured in outdoor film

Utah family to be featured in outdoor film

(Aly Nicklas)


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SALT LAKE CITY — When 10-month-old Huck Gaynes was just four days old, his mother, Brooke Froelich, took him hiking.

A rock climber, mountain biker, skier and trail runner, Froelich was active throughout her pregnancy and takes Huck hiking regularly.

"I think it's so important for mental and emotional and spiritual development to be spending time outdoors and spending time in the grass and in the dirt playing," Froelich said. "... So much now, kids are connected to TVs and screens and I think a lot of children are losing that connection to trees and dirt and just playing outside."

Froelich and her son are two of the stars in an upcoming film centered around getting kids in the outdoors with their parents, according to film producer and director Aly Nicklas, who owns Nova Productions with her co-producer and director, Alisa Geiser.

"Born Wild" will be a series of short films with its first episode featuring three mothers and their kids.

Nicklas is a filmmaker and environmentalist whose connection with the outdoors started early. She grew up in Alaska with very active parents who took her skiing in the winter and fishing in the summer.

The film explores why and how these moms make their children's lives outdoor-centric and the impact it has on both the kids and the parents. It'll also touch on how engaging with the natural world can have a positive impact on raising children.

Geiser said these women are great role models, are relatable and are authentic with their stories.

"...They're doing things that … I think any parent can relate to," Geiser said. "And what we really hope for this first film is that they will provide this prescriptive, actionable advice for other parents that makes them see how accessible this is and how not just valuable it is to take your kids outside or even just let them go outside to play, but how realistic that is, and that it's something that anyone can do and give them information that really empowers them."

(Image: Aly Nicklas)
(Image: Aly Nicklas)

For the film, Nicklas and Geiser met up with Froelich and Huck as they rock climbed, hiked and camped near Moab with other women and mothers, Geiser said.

"I hope that as Huck spends time outdoors that he'll have more of a love for this world and he'll feel more motivated to want to take care of it and to want to preserve it," Froelich said. "... I hope it teaches him a lot about himself and pushing through challenges and I hope it teaches him about community and working with others and sharing, and I just hope it is a big part of his spiritual and mental and emotional development."

A Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the first episode of "Born Wild" launched Wednesday and has raised more than $4,000 as of Friday morning.

Nicklas and Geiser plan to premiere the first episode at a film festival in the spring of 2016.

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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