Kent Brown and Donny Love have long shared a passion for Newfoundland and Labrador, one that has only deepened since filming their popular television show, Adventures Unknown.
“You would think that we would have to move on from Newfoundland because we’ve done so much here, but we found that there are endless things to do, and we can be filming this show here at home for the next 15 years or more. There’s always some sort of adventure to tackle,” Donny says in a sit-down with Downhome.
Reflecting on the humble beginnings of the series, which started as a spark of an idea with Kent in Donny’s basement, the series star and creator marvels at the program’s reach today through parent network NTV.
“The market penetration of this show is huge and that’s not because of me, but just because the show is about Newfoundland and everyone loves to see different parts of Newfoundland and Labrador and people are so proud of Newfoundland that they love to show off their area of this province. It’s not hard to find somewhere to go and tape an episode.”
When asked about the danger of some of his adventures, Donny pauses. “There’s some aspects that are dangerous but I’m with professionals. But anything can happen. Like the ice wall piece. I was like, ‘This is pretty crazy.’ I was 250ft up overlooking the North Atlantic on a sheet of ice and I had that feeling of almost panicking and I thought I was in trouble. That was scary,” he admits, adding that other adventures are more relaxing by comparison.
The premise of the show, he continues, is to get him out of his comfort zone but it’s also about getting out and enjoying Newfoundland and Labrador.
“In every community, there’s so much activity going on, especially in the summer. It’s amazing because you are learning a lot about the island and sharing it with others. I remember one of the shows, I think it was in Smuggler’s Cove, and learning about the history of the pirates in the Burin area. Yes, we’re going to see some beautiful scenery, but there’s also history there as well,” he explains, adding that he’s gained an appreciation for rural parts of the province since taping Adventures Unknown.
“People live their best life on the water. Taking their family and friends and getting out and just doing things in nature. The show is beautifully filmed. It’s stunning to look at thanks to Ken, and we truly film the scenery like it’s a fashion show. I mean, and as you know, the thing about Newfoundland is that everywhere you go there’s coastline and nature and beauty. We love spending time shooting communities and documenting them,” he says.
Teasing that he’s ready to ‘jump right into season five’, Donny says what fans can expect as the seasons keep stacking up will remain ‘unknown’.
“The fun of this show is that no one knows where we will be or what we will do, but I can promise that what we are planning as we forge ahead is some amazing adventures with some incredible people in some beautiful areas of the province,” he shares, tipping his hat to the folks behind the scenes who he calls the real stars of the show.
“Kent and I learned so much stuff by doing it and now 20 years later, here we are and we have a team of people who help us out on editing and that type of thing, and honestly, they are so valuable to what we create,” he said.
The life Donny has chosen isn’t easy, as portrayed in his other project and show Reno My Life, which also aired on NTV.
“I’ve been up and I’ve been down and I just keep going. The best advice I can offer is this: Just don’t let people stop you because most people will say you can’t do that or you can’t do this, but if you know in your heart you can, then go with your heart.”
The trick, he says, is to live a life of no regret.
“Don’t look back and say you should have. Build a great team around you as you can’t do things alone. I get emotional when I think back on my journey. It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fun,” he admits.
“When someone says they watch the show with their family, that’s all I need to stay motivated. And I don’t mind sharing what I have learned with others. Support other people and other people’s ideas and share the knowledge you have. Life isn’t a competition. The more people doing good things and the more people out there creating, the better and richer and sweeter life will be.”
Catch ‘Adventures Unknown’ this fall Sundays on NTV and on the NTV+ app
