Aaron Catling (born November 30, 1976) is an Australian-born director who has served as executive producer and show-runner since BattleBots World Championship I.
- "I'm basically in charge of the look and feel, structure, storyline, composition of the TV show. So, everything that has to do with the first frame to the last frame goes through my filter."
- — Aaron Catling summarizes his role on an episode of the Behind The Bots podcast.[1]
Aaron Catling (left) in discussion with Greg Munson.
Brought up in Queensland, Australia, Aaron Catling has since settled in Los Angeles and was picked up by BattleBots co-founders Greg Munson and Trey Roski ahead of the show's reboot in 2015 on ABC.
Aaron Catling and referee John Remar on set for the 2016 season.
His responsibilities within the show include, but are not limited to, hand-picking fights, building storylines for each season and holding a vital role on the selection committee. Much like other producers and behind-the-scenes crew, Aaron Catling is rarely seen in front of camera. He has also previously announced Fight Night draws to teams in the pits, as seen by Team Raptor's Sabri Sansoy in a December 2020 Twitter post.[2]
Outside BattleBots[]
Prior to his time on BattleBots, Aaron Catling helped to produce various seasons of MasterChef as well as its spinoff, MasterChef Junior for the FOX network. In 2015, he also co-produced the Australian version of Shark Tank and in 2018, he lent himself to the Netflix series Hyperdrive which premiered a year later.
Away from television, Aaron Catling was credited as a producer for the inaugural 2011 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards hosted in Sydney, Australia.
Trivia[]
- Aaron Catling is a fan of basketball team Los Angeles Lakers, Australian rules football side Brisbane Lions and MLS team LA Galaxy.