Media Release
TOBERMORY (April 7, 2026) — Beneath the surface of our lakes and rivers lies a vast, unseen world that supports the water, wildlife and communities we depend on. Award-winning filmmakers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick are setting out to reveal it in their most ambitious project yet: Hidden Below: The Great Lakes — a new TVO Original wildlife documentary exploring the Great Lakes watershed.
Production is already underway, with Drebert and Melnick deploying next-generation underwater drones capable of reaching the deepest depths of the lakes.
Over the next two years, the team’s cameras will capture a hidden world of survival and spectacle — deepwater sculpin guarding their nests hundreds of metres below the surface, rare lake trout with oversized fins gliding along the cliffs of unexplored submerged mountains, flocks of ducks plunging into dark waters for fish eggs, and vast schools of gizzard shad fleeing lethal cold in numbers rivalling the greatest wildlife migrations on Earth.
For a project of this scale, Drebert and Melnick will not be working alone. Hidden Below is being created in collaboration with a network of scientists, conservation organizations and community partners across the Great Lakes region. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the project’s Lead Impact Partner, contributing scientific expertise and helping translate discovery into lasting freshwater conservation.
“Healthy freshwater systems support our communities, our economy and the wildlife we depend on — yet much of this world remains out of sight,” says Aaron Bilyea, Chief Marketing Officer, Nature Conservancy of Canada. “Hidden Below brings these critical ecosystems into view, helping people better understand both their importance and what’s at stake. As Lead Impact Partner, the Nature Conservancy of Canada is proud to support this work and to collaborate with partners to advance lasting conservation across the Great Lakes and beyond.”
“Freshwater life is among the most threatened on Earth,” says Yvonne Drebert, Producer. “Yet our TV screens are filled with coral reefs and ocean giants, while the vibrant life of freshwater ecosystems remains largely unseen. Hidden Below is about changing that.”
First Production Breakthrough: Coaster Brook Trout in Lake Superior
The team has already achieved an important early milestone.
Last fall, working closely with Parks Canada staff in the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, the filmmakers documented Coaster Brook Trout spawning near the epic outer islands of the protected area.
Coaster Brook Trout — found only in Lake Superior — are a brilliantly coloured symbol of healthy freshwater ecosystems, that until recently were on the brink of extinction. While most Coaster spawning occurs in rivers, researchers and Indigenous knowledge holders have long suggested that some may also spawn amongst the remote islands.
Building on this understanding, the Hidden Below team captured what is believed to be the first footage documenting this island spawning behaviour. The footage is not only scientifically valuable — it is visually extraordinary. In crystal-clear water, the trout excavate nests in the gravel to lay their eggs, and they contort into expressive, almost comical faces as they release eggs and milt.
“Parks Canada is pleased to partner with Inspired Planet’s work on Hidden Below. This exciting collaboration has deepened our understanding of Coaster Brook Trout and the freshwater ecosystems we are entrusted to protect. This will strengthen Parks Canada’s evidence-based approach to conservation of Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area,” says the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature.
“This is a genuine freshwater breakthrough,” says Zach Melnick, Director and Cinematographer. “Moments like this show what’s possible when conservation science and cinematic storytelling come together.”
“Understanding the ecology of aquatic animals below the surface has been a black box for scientists. New technologies, such as acoustic telemetry coupled with underwater video, provide scientists an unprecedented understanding of fish behaviour and interactions with their predators, prey, and habitats,” says Andrew Muir, Science Director at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the project’s Scientific Partner, who will help translate discoveries from the field into actionable fisheries science.
The Coaster Brook Trout documentation represents the first of what the team hopes will be many scientific contributions emerging from Hidden Below. By opening this “black box,” the project seeks to transform rare moments of observation into lasting conservation insight.
A Major Wildlife Program for TVO
Hidden Below builds on the success of Drebert and Melnick’s previous TVO Original, All Too Clear, which captivated audiences as it ventured deep into the Great Lakes to reveal the historic impacts of invasive mussels.
Drawing on the underwater storytelling lessons from that production, Hidden Below will take that experience to the next level. As a dedicated wildlife documentary, it will be driven by animal behaviour and underwater encounters, shining a spotlight on the Great Lakes in a way usually reserved for the world’s oceans.
Holding more than 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, the Great Lakes are one of the planet’s most significant natural systems and essential to life in Ontario. As Ontario’s public broadcaster, TVO’s long history of trusted, educational nature documentaries and Ontario-focused storytelling makes it a natural home for a project that reveals the Great Lakes as the inland seas they truly are.
“TVO has a long history of connecting audiences to the rich culture and landscapes of Ontario, and the Great Lakes stand among the world’s most extraordinary natural wonders,” said Alexandra Roberts, Commissioning Editor of TVO Docs. “We’re proud to be the commissioning broadcaster of Hidden Below: The Great Lakes, a project that will immerse viewers in the beauty of one of Ontario’s most vital ecosystems while revealing aspects of it never seen before.”
Explore Alongside the Filmmakers — Live
While Hidden Below will premiere in 2028, audiences don’t have to wait to begin experiencing the underwater world of the Great Lakes.
Building on their recent expansion into live, interactive exploration, Drebert and Melnick are inviting the public to join them in real time as they explore the depths with underwater drones on Hidden Below: LIVE. Last September, the team livestreamed their first major expedition to Superior Shoal — the largest freshwater underwater mountain on Earth.
The next Hidden Below: LIVE event will take place at 10:00 am Eastern on Earth Day, April 22nd, broadcasting from one of the Great Lakes’ most visually mesmerizing and rarely seen locations: the waters surrounding the Bruce Power nuclear generating station on Lake Huron. Co-hosted by renowned fish biologist, Dr. Nicholas Mandrak, the livestream will provide extraordinary access to this “fish city,” where more than a dozen species, jockey for survival in crystal-clear waters shaped by human influence. The site stands as a vivid reminder that the Great Lakes are not untouched wilderness, but living ecosystems intricately intertwined with human activity.
Additional missions are planned throughout production — including a descent to the deepest point in the Great Lakes, known as “Superior Maximus,” more than 400 metres below the surface of Lake Superior. Each expedition will combine cinema-grade underwater robotics with live commentary from expert guests, as viewers explore alongside the team.
Hidden Below: LIVE is brought to you by Great Lakes Now/PBS Detroit and TVO’s The Rundown. Visit hiddenbelow.live for details on upcoming missions.
Visit https://inspiredplanet.ca/hidden-below/ for more information on Inspired Planet Productions.
