The representative of the Artist-Lecture committee stands solidly at the podium, a cutting figure in his suit. As he begins his introductory speech, a formal affair in which the history and statistics of the speaker are presented.

A lively man breaks from backstage, and calls in a friendly, yet no-nonsense voice, “Enough already, you’re boring them to death before we’ve even started! It’s time for me to take over!”

With that remark, and a quick teasing smile, Captain Sig Hansen makes his prominent presence known.

Star of the Discovery Channel’s hit television series “Deadliest Catch”, the captain of the Northwestern has a presence that grabs the audience’s attention immediately. Though Hansen shot to fame with the release of “Deadliest Catch” as the cameras capture the dangers of the Bering Sea, the history of his fishing career is legendary within itself. A fourth generation fisherman, Hansen and his two brothers, Norman and Edgar, were raised on the sea. His father, a Norwegian fisherman who pioneered the king crab fishing in Alaska, knew that Sig would follow in his father’s footsteps when the boy began to spend more time on their boat than in class.

“With me being the fourth generation, it wasn’t a matter of why or how, but when,” Hansen said.

By the age of twenty-two, Hansen was a relief skipper for the fleets; by the youthful age of twenty-four, he was running his father’s boat, the Northwestern. Although he never formally attended college, Hansen never had the urge to, instead turning his attention to the sea and fishing.

“Had I known then what I know now, I might have taken a business course,” Hansen joked.

Even without formal education, Hansen managed to make a name for himself before the television show that vaulted him into stardom. His vessel, the Northwestern, is worth $2 million and is capable of carrying over 200,000 pounds of crab. With Alaskan king crab currently selling at $11 a pound, Hansen has found a small fortune in the sea.

However, when Discovery Channel producer Thom Beers made his way up to Alaska, fate dealt Hansen another opportunity. Beers, who had  originally intended to create a documentary covering the harshness of the fishing industry, heard of the Hansen family as local legends in the fishing industry, and sought Sig, Edgar and Norman out to interview them.

“We agreed to the [Discovery] deal as a type of family legacy,” Hansen said.

Little did Hansen know, but what originally started out as a documentary turned into Discovery’s top rated show, with fans flocking to form fan groups around the captains—Hansen included.

“I don’t know if it’s fate, or luck, or whatever, I think we were smart enough to ride the wave,” Hansen said of his Discovery Channel series.

Although there were times that Hansen ran into difficulties with the show, due to cameramen disrupting the safety of the boat, and at one point he quit the program, Discovery realized just how relatable Hansen was to the audience and kept him on.

This relatable nature was present in Akin Auditorium tonight, where the audience laughed at the captain’s tales of adventure—or in some cases, misadventure—at sea.

“I love him because he’s just so real,” Shari Offutt, an audience member and Midwestern State alumni, commented. “He’s a relatable, friendly guy. It’s like you know him.”

Calling himself a ‘blue collar star’, Hansen makes a point to connect with the audience through his humor and his straightforward nature. This ideal was underscored during the Q&A session, where he joked with the audience and poked fun at himself and the asker as well.

When asked if he would want his children to continue in the fishing business due to the shaky economy, Hansen laughed and said, “I seem to be doing well!”

This bold, relatable nature is what makes Captain Hansen, a celebrity within his own right.