WILD AT HEART
Meet the organisations, charities, festivals and more who play their part in making the world of wildlife filmmaking a roaring success.
BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is the best-known producer of natural history content in the world, responsible for some of the most globally successful factual content of the past 10 years. With ground-breaking technology and innovation, NHU reveals to audiences around the world the extraordinary wonders of nature through exceptional storytelling, jaw dropping imagery and cutting-edge science. NHU’s breath-taking content includes landmarks for the BBC (Planet Earth III, Mammals) and Pre-Historic Planet for AppleTV+ original. Current titles in production include Blue Planet III (BBC), The Americas (NBCU), and Ocean Xplorers (WT), a co-production with OceanX Media and James Cameron (National Geographic Disney+).
Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 88.3 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world.
The IAWF (International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers) was formed in 1982 to foster communication and collaboration among cinematographers acquiring specialist natural history content for broadcast media. The IAWF represents the best interests of wildlife cinematographers in whatever ways it can. The IAWF also encourages the sharing of knowledge on all aspects of wildlife filming. The IAWF was delighted to become affiliated with the Guild of Television Camera Professionals in 2016. The IAWF promotes the work of its members through its website, Instagram, other social media outlets, the GTC website and GTC publications. IAWF members proudly uphold the highest ethical standards with regard to the welfare of their subject matter and in their work. They are open to membership applications through the website.
Jackson Wild accelerates and elevates impactful storytelling at the nexus of nature, science and climate through collaborative gatherings, skill-building initiatives, mentorship programs and career development. Jackson Wild is an inclusive global forum, inspiring our community, celebrating excellence in storytelling that illuminates our connection to the natural world and collective responsibility to the wild.
The Jackson Wild Summit is an annual convening where collaboration and innovation thrive, and new ideas are launched. Cross-disciplinary conversations on the critical issues facing our planet set the stage for strategic partnerships that happen nowhere else, as participants work together to address conservation and environmental challenges.
National Geographic’s roots stem back to 1888, when the eponymous print magazine was founded as a scholarly journal for the recently founded National Geographic Society. National Geographic Channel services launched in the UK and Ireland in 1997, and its American counterpart in 2001.
National Geographic Documentary Films creates and distributes ‘timely, provocative and globally relevant’ work from documentary filmmakers across the world. Its roster includes the Academy Award-winning Free Solo and TIFF favourite The Rescue.
Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers’ (NEWF) vision is that the Stories of Africa that celebrate and advocate for the protection of her natural history are told by a connected network of visual storytellers organically led by indigenous African voices. NEWF provides professional development, mentorship and networking opportunities through their annual Fellows Summit, Congress and year-round labs that enhance storytelling through specialised training in cinematography, post-production, music composition and the largest dive certification program in Africa. Africa Refocused, a collaboration with the National Geographic Society, supports NEWF in elevating African storytellers in global media and conversations about Africa, ultimately addressing the need to refocus the stories of Africa so they are told by and from the perspective of African people.
The Wildlife Society of Filmmakers (WSF) supports established and up-and-coming filmmakers who work in natural history and wildlife documentary projects. Membership in the non-profit membership organization is open to those who work in documentary, from early career to recognised wildlife filmmakers. WSF supports these filmmakers with mentorship, connection, top-tier information, and opportunities to learn as the genre grows and careers in natural history filmmaking expand. By its very nature, wildlife filmmaking and the lives of those engaged in it is a global endeavour and WSF will offer these activities and resources, globally.
www.instagram.com/wsfilmmakers/
The Wildlife Camerawomen Community is a collective of women, trans, and gender diverse wildlife film and TV cinematographers. The community profiles camerawomen and their work on their Instagram page and provides peer support, workshops and training opportunities on their community group page. Running for over three years, the community has helped to uplift and inspire camera talent, facilitate skill sharing and collaboration and raise the profile of camerawomen at international events such as Jackson Wild and Wildscreen. “You can always tell who the strong women are. They’re ones building other women up instead of tearing them down.”
www.instagram.com/wildlife.camerawomen
Wildmotion works to support filmmakers telling stories about our planet and our human condition and will ensure they have the tools to craft their narratives and the reach to have them seen. Wildmotion conducts training, interviews and project showcases globally to spotlight the best stories and storytellers.
Wildscreen is a charity that aims to connect people with nature through storytelling. It hosts the iconic biannual Wildscreen Festival (14 – 18 October 2024), the biggest global gathering of natural world storytellers. This year it will also host Wildscreen Festival Tanzania (4-6 June 2024), in partnership with BBC Studios Natural History Unit, celebrating African creativity in wildlife filmmaking. It’s home to Wildscreen Network, a global community that brings together creatives, production companies and broadcasters in the wildlife and natural history TV and film industry to share expertise, forge connections and make the industry more diverse and accessible to all.
Women in Wildlife is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to connect and amplify women working within the wildlife industry. It aims to highlight women in a diverse range of roles, and in doing so, create a strong female support network for women around the world. It engages the community through its various social media platforms, its global representative program, as well its podcast. WIW hopes to continue amplifying women’s voices, and inspiring the upcoming generation of aspiring women in wildlife into the diverse and wonderful jobs that there are within the wildlife industry.
