Capilano grads Lexi Wuthrich and Brady Keeler take a cross-Canada trip to film North of 49
Sarah Schmidt // Contributor
Lexi Wuthrich is a 22-year-old graduate of Capilano University’s Motion Picture Arts (MOPA) program and the Business Administration and Management Diploma. She and her boyfriend Brady Keeler, also a 22-year-old graduate of MOPA, are currently traveling across the country creating their short lm North of 49. The film, which bears the same name as their popular Instagram page, attempts to capture the vastness and diversity within Canada.
Now halfway through their trip which began on July 27, the couple is taking a road trip across Canada and back, camping and staying with family and friends along the way. Their accommodations allow them to extend their trip over three months while keeping it affordable for the two recent university grads.
Originally, the two had hoped to gain funding through StoryHive, a company dedicated to helping support lm makers in BC and Alberta, and were using their social media pages to help build a portfolio. The determined couple, along with the help of their family members, saved up enough money for their trip without a grant. Using social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, they continue to promote the lm while journeying across Canada. @explorenorthof_49, Wuthrich and Keeler’s Instagram page, is an inspiring visual representation of how far they have already come since leaving Vancouver nearly three months ago.
With hopes to someday work in film, Wuthrich studied and received diplomas in both MOPA and Business Administration. Although she graduated in 2016, she’s going to return to CapU in January of 2018 to further her studies in marketing. Travelling the country, trying to spend a week in every province and preparing their film has reaffirmed the educational choice that Wuthrich made, as it has inspired her to succeed in both her passion and career aspirations.
Currently on the road between Quebec and Ontario, Wuthrich and Keeler are nearing the end of their travels. They will be passing through Saskatoon, Edmonton, Jasper, Banff, Cranbrook and Kelowna before coming back to Vancouver. After a long four months, the couple will be arriving home towards the end of October.
“If you have the opportunity, just do it,” said Wuthrich. Traveling allows you to grow your knowledge both geographically and culturally, she explained. Being fortunate to grow up in a family environment that nurtured her love for traveling, they have always advised her “travel while you’re young, there’s never going to be a perfect time or enough money, you just have to do it.”