Paddler making waves

Photo: Contributed

It’s been a crazy but rewarding year for local filmmaker Carey Missler.

After premiering his documentary The Paddler, Missler and narrator Bob Purdy took home the Award of Excellence in the feature Documentary Competition at the 2015 Canada International Film Festival. Now, the Kelowna local has landed a distribution deal with Visland Media.

Missler signed a deal with Visland that will see it sell The Paddler to broadcasters and media buyers throughout the world.

"There were a few distributors interested in The Paddler, but I ultimately ended up working with Visland because not only have they built a strong team, but I also knew the best people to take this local story to the world would be a local company who truly understood it,” says Missler.

The movie follows Kelowna resident Bob Purdy on his journey to change the way we live on the planet.

Owen Davies, head of distribution at Visland, says the local company is happy to be working with Missler.

"Not only is this a fantastic film with tremendous international potential, but it also tells a very important local story that means a lot to me as someone who grew up in the Okanagan," he said.

Visland will shop the film to its database of more than 2,000 broadcasters and media buyers around the world.

"The Paddler tells such a compelling story; it is the type of film that can be sold on six continents. I would also be surprised if it's not picked up by Netflix or Amazon after its initial broadcast run,” said Miller.

Meanwhile, The Paddler has also been accepted into the Los Angeles Cinefest, but this time the two eco-consious pals need the public’s help. The film needs votes for a chance at winning an award. To help out, click here.

This is the second documentary style film directed by Missler, in 2013 he premiered The Canadian Surfer Movie.

To watch The Paddler online click here.