Boiling Point - Episode 035 - Andrew Tidby

Introducing Andrew Tidby 

Andrew Tidby is a filmmaker, explorer, space worshiper, and our host Greg’s BFF.  Through the course of events, Andrew has many amazing experiences and stories to tell.  For example, he and Greg produced a show called “Planet Luxury” which showcased the world’s most expensive luxury items and the people who own them.  Andrew has had over a decade of experiences while traveling the world and telling stories, but some of his greatest life lessons come from the past year or so working and learning with astronauts.

A little over a year ago, Andrew was thinking up new shows he could pitch to networks around the world.  He decided to try and pitch a show for kids on one of his greatest passions, space.  So, at 2 am one morning, he started to film a pilot episode of his new show.  He brought the idea to Canada’s National Film Board, who loved the idea and wanted to produce a series called NFB’s Space School.  Space School would lead to schools ditching boring textbooks on space and give students to learn from an interactive online experience.  The government paired Andrew with one of Canada’s most famous astronauts, Chris Hadfield, as he trained to become the commander of the International Space Station.  Andrew followed Chris and a number of other astronauts around for a year and what he learned from these “rocket men” was how humble, happy they were and that they had a passion for continuous learning.

Andrew was astounded by their lack of “showiness” for all they have accomplished and have seen.  Andrew remembers them asking him about his life and experiences, but often they were quite quiet about themselves.  One example of this was astronaut Jeremy Hansen.  Though Andrew has spoken with Jeremy a number of times, he didn’t know about some of his most harrowing experiences until Jeremy’s mother told him.  Jeremy works as a test pilot for the Canadian Forces when not preparing for space, and one of his jobs is to figure out how to stabilize planes that go into uncontrollable spins while in flight.  Jeremy would put himself into an uncontrollable spin and calmly communicate with the tower, “code 13”.  Though Jeremy was seconds from death, he would always calmly pull out of his situation.  Andrew was struck by how so an amazing man with such an amazing story could be so humble.

After Andrew spent a year shadowing Chris Hadfield, the commander went into space for his mission.  Then Andrew gets a call from the International Space Station, one of the most memorable calls of his life.  It was Chris Hadfield and conference called with David Bowie, and they want Andrew to produce the world’s first music video filmed in space, “Space Oddity”.  Within weeks the video that was produced had millions of hits and became a viral sensation.

In this episode

Andrew tells such how his NASA experience changed the way he thinks about life.  He also reflects on the steps he took throughout his life to get to the point of producing the world’s highest music video and what he thinks about those who think they deserve instant gratification in their career paths.  Greg and Dave are reminded of the importance of listening for the stories of others and the difference of having humble pride and “showiness”. 

Links and References

Tidby Pictures

Andrew's Email

Andrew's Twitter

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