About

We're breaking the rules

The traditional role of wildlife documentary makers – to observe, capture and stand back, no longer makes sense in our changing world. With nature at breaking point, simply observing is no longer a luxury we can afford. 

At The Barking Gecko, when the cameras stop rolling, the real work often begins. Our team rolls up their sleeves to support the people and ecosystems we film – not as a PR stunt, but because we got into this game to help wildlife, and it’s time to make sure we’re doing that. We’ve helped rescue pythons from farms, we’re supporting the clean up of plastic from the African bush and we’re working with scientists to transform the way camera technology is utilised in the field. 

We’re no longer just filming in wild spaces – we’re building lasting partnerships that protect them. While conservationists share their time and expertise with us, we share our profits, expertise and airtime to make them co-creators. Afterall, if it wasn’t for their work, we wouldn’t have any wildlife left to film.  

We are conservationists who make films, not filmmakers dabbling on the fringes of conservation. But make no mistake – the films we create will be cinematic, ambitious and world class. We believe that doing the right thing shouldn’t come at the expense of quality – it should enhance it.

Our Ethos

We believe nature storytelling should give back more than it takes. 

We’re not just here to film the wild, we’re here to save it. Every decision we make, from lens choice to logistics, is shaped by a single guiding principle: impact first. That means hiring and training locally, supporting grassroots conservation, and building partnerships that last long after the cameras stop rolling.

We’re not trying to fit into the traditional production model. While others measure success in views and awards, we measure it in animals saved, habitats restored and in how many future conservationists we’ve helped to inspire. 

We’re not content with being passive observes. That’s not a luxury we can afford anymore. Not while the earth is on fire.

We refuse to hide behind our cameras and watch the world burn. When the natural world loses, we all lose. It’s time we all realised:

We are a part of nature, not apart from it.

Meet The Founders

Get to know the team that is building a brighter future for the natural world through the power of stories

Troy Reid

Cinematograher

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Benedict Rickards

Zoologist

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Tom Richards

Producer

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Talk To Us

Are you interested in what we’re doing? We’d love to hear from you, if you’ve got ideas, what to become a partner, or just feel like grabbing a coffee and having a chat, we’d love to!

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Troy Reid

Cinematograher

Troy Reid started his career in marketing. With a strong background in business and marketing he built one of Zimbabwe’s own Apple dealership from the ground up but something was missing. He was losing his connection to the wilderness of Zimbabwe he’d enjoyed as a child so he sold his business and followed his passion Wildlife Filmmaking.

Having worked on a huge variety of wildlife shows over the years, Troy has always been left wanting to have done more for the people who have given their time, expertise and sometimes their lives to save the wild. It’s this sense of duty and justice which drives him on The Barking Geckos mission to leave a lasting impact wherever we go!

Benedict Rickards

Zoologist

Benedict Rickards – Founder, Chief Gecko Wrangler

Benedict is the loudest thing in the bush… and that’s saying something. A Zoology graduate and unapologetic animal nerd, he’s worked on everything from epic natural history documentaries to fast-paced children’s TV (because, cliché or not, getting kids hooked on nature is the best way to save it).

Armed with an endless supply of wildlife facts, boundless energy, and absolutely no concept of an “inside voice,” Benedict brings wild enthusiasm to every project. When he’s not behind the camera or cooking up new ways to tell nature’s stories, you can find him on the ultimate frisbee field — as if he wasn’t already cool enough.

Tom Richards

Producer

Tom is a wildlife and conservation documentary producer who for the last decade has produced multi award-winning blue chip and expedition–based natural history series such as Earth at Night in Color, Earthsounds and The Wild Ones. He’s made films for Apple TV+, the BBC and Sky TV as well as his own independent films for YouTube.   

Outside of the day job he’s also an activist – whether that’s running the Extinction Rebellion Bristol Media team during Covid, or as a co-organiser for grassroots collective Filmmakers For Future: Wildlife working with the wildlife filmmaking industry to speed up the transition to greener, non-extractive and more impactful working practices.  

It’s his love of challenging the status quo that brought him here, to The Barking Gecko. 

Show Not Tell

“ I am the Co-Founder and Marketing Director of a company called Ele-Collection. Story telling is extremely important to our success. We’ve worked with a handful of production companies in the past, and I must say, Barking Gecko is in a league of its own. Their creativity, organisation, flawless equipment and vision are bringing this industry into a new chapter. One where partnered projects are given more than ‘exposure’ or simple content. Barking Gecko took their time to understand our needs before creating a video that genuinely brought us closer to our goals. It’s been the most successful piece of content we have released to date with over 145,000 views (and climbing). If you would like to have your view of film production changed, give Barking Gecko a shot. ”

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