The Green Man will soon face the Dragons, but he's not expecting to leave their den with a deal - he just wants a worldwide audience for his craft.
Actor John Conway is the Green Man, a larger than life, stilt-walking green creature of the forest that teaches life lessons through story telling.
Many of his stories focus on emotional problems or situations that are told in a whimsical and engaging way.
His flair for telling tales and his commanding presence caught the eye of Dragons' Den producers when they were on the Coast filming auditions for the show last year.
While Conway didn't get a call back right away, this month producers called to see if he could come and tape a pitch on April 27.
"I was absolutely excited, over the top," Conway said.
He plans to tell the Dragons one of his most loved stories as the Green Man- -Little Seed.
"It's about this little Douglas fir seed that blows all around the world three times and ends up in Africa all alone, with nobody it knows around, feeling small and insignificant," Conway said. "The little seed wants to say something, but it can't find its voice, which is like little children who feel small and unable to be heard."
The story goes on that way until the seed lands near an elephant. "And that elephant reaches out its long trunk and picks up the little seed and plants it and bows down in front of it," Conway said. "And the elephant says 'one day little seed, with a little love and nurturing, you will grow and grow and grow and then I will come and bow before you and lay in the shade of your branches to escape the hot sun and you will give shade to my grandchildren and their grandchildren.'"
The story is about the importance of everyone, no matter how small. Conway said he might modify the tale a bit to include a dragon in tribute to the Dragons' Den.
Conway is hopeful his Green Man pitch will gain him a few minutes of fame on the show to provide greater exposure for his character.
"I hope they view it as provocative TV and air some of it," Conway said. "Then I will have been seen by 186 million people and the Green Man will be very, very busy. Exposure is what I need."
On the Coast the Green Man is at most large public events with his next appearance scheduled for the Canada Day Parade in Sechelt.
Find out more at www.thegreenmanproject.ca.
