OTTER 501 -- Mark Shelley and Katie Pofahl interview

I spoke to Mark Shelley and Katie Pofahl on May 5, 2012 at the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39 in San Francisco, right after their film had been screened for an audience of kids already disposed to appreciate a story about aquatic life. Though OTTER 501 is aimed at kids, it does not make the fatal mistake of talking down to them. Rather this self-described hybrid of fact and fiction makes the story of one otter pup's survival both engaging, informative, and hugey entertaining. By focusing on a young woman (played by Pofahl), who discovers the orphaned pup and then becomes invovled in his rescue and rehabilitation, the film is rich source of information about the ecology of the Pacific Coast, and the unexpected niche that otters play in it.  

Our conversation covered how Pofahl, a fresh-water biologist had been cast for a film about a salt-water creature, how becoming an "otter spotter" is open to almost anyone who wants to volunteer, and why otters are more than just one of the most adorable creatures on the planet, not to mention the delicacy needed to cast a zaftig swimmer needed to make a point about how hard it is for otters to find enough food.  Exuberant and passionate about the film and the environment, their energy and committment was a palpable element of the interview, as it is of their lives.