FREE PURINA MASTERCLASS
Register below for Pat's next Masterclass
with Shannon Nardi
The Story Behind the Super Retriever Series
Join Pat Burns for a conversation with Shannon Nardi, creator and Executive Producer of the Super Retriever Series, for a look back at how one idea helped shape a new chapter in the retriever world.
From the early ESPN Great Outdoor Games to the launch and growth of the Super Retriever Series, Shannon has spent decades helping tell the stories of dogs, handlers, and the partnership between them.
What started as a television concept quickly became something much bigger—a competitive format built around realistic hunting scenarios, teamwork, consistency, and the idea of finding the complete retriever.
In this Masterclass, Pat and Shannon will talk about:
1. The early days of the Super Retriever Series
2. How the retriever game has evolved over the years
3. What makes great dog-and-handler teams stand out
4. The pressure, excitement, and challenge of competition
5. And why the bond between dog and handler still matters most
Shannon has spent a lifetime around outdoor television, dog sports, and storytelling. But at the heart of it all has always been the same thing....the connection between a dog and the person standing beside it.
This won’t just be a conversation about SRS history.
It’ll be a conversation about retrievers, competition, teamwork, and the people who love this sport.
Join us for a this special Purina Masterclass
📅 Date: June 10, 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00 PM ET
🌐 Location: Online
The link to join Masterclass will be emailed to you 1 hour before the event if you have registered prior to 7:00 PM EASTERN. IF you DON'T get the email, please check your JUNK & SPAM folders.
If you are unable to join us for the live event, all of Purina Masterclass replays will be posted in the Purina Masterclass Library.
Shannon Nardi
Super Retriever Series
Shannon Nardi was born in St. Louis, Missouri, spent most of her life in Arkansas, and now finds herself back home in Missouri enjoying what she calls the “4th quarter” of life. Raised around outdoor television production from the young age of six, Shannon grew up learning the business from her father, legendary outdoorsman and television producer Jerry McKinnis. After raising her family, she officially stepped into the family business as an editor at JM Associates, Inc., where she learned firsthand how powerful simple storytelling could be. Shannon still remembers one of her first assignments — editing an ESPN Outdoors feature on the Galapagos turtles. Within a year, she was co-producing The Spanish Fly and helping produce the ESPN, ESPN2 Outdoors weekday block. In 2000, Shannon’s life took a turn that would shape her future when she became Associate Producer of the ESPN Great Outdoor Games Retriever Venue. A year later, she became producer of the Super Retriever Series, the qualifier series connected to the Games. With a passion for retrievers and outdoor television, Shannon went on to produce Ducks Unlimited WaterDog TV from 2002 through 2010. Her career has taken her from saltwater fishing to duck blinds, all while telling stories centered around the outdoors, competition, and the special bond between dogs and their handlers. Today, Shannon remains the owner and Executive Producer of the Super Retriever Series, which currently airs on Waypoint TV. “I have been amazed by sporting dogs ever since I watched a Labrador retriever turn on a whistle 300 yards away,” Shannon says. “That bond between dog and handler grabbed me from the very beginning, and I wanted to share that feeling with the world.” Over the years, the Super Retriever Series has also given Shannon experience in event planning, scheduling, marketing, social media, and digital storytelling. She continues to believe dog sports are stronger than ever and loves helping bring those stories to life for audiences everywhere. These days, Shannon is also beginning a personal chapter of her own with her Labrador retriever, Peach, training and learning the hunt test and retriever game from the handler side of the line. “One of my personal goals,” Shannon says with a smile, “is to run a test dog and do it well at a Super Retriever Series event.”