National Geographic Announces the Third Year of Its Field Ready Program Designed To Provide Mentorship and To Promote Diversity and Inclusion Behind the Camera in Natural History, Science and Exploration Filmmaking

National Geographic Content and National Geographic Society announce the third year of its Field Ready Program aimed to promote diversity and inclusion in global unscripted television production for historically underrepresented creators and storytellers interested in working behind the camera in natural history, science and exploration filmmaking. The announcement was made by National Geographic Content President Courteney Monroe ahead of the global brand’s appearance at Wildscreen Festival 2022 held in Bristol, UK, Oct. 10-14.

“We are thrilled to welcome the third-year cohort of our Field Ready Program,” said Monroe “As leaders in global unscripted content production, we are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion behind the camera, particularly in natural history filmmaking, a genre that has notably lacked diverse voices.  We are proud to partner with our colleagues at the National Geographic Society to provide diverse emerging talent with access to training, mentorship, and practical in-field experience across our global productions.”

“As an example of our commitment, we are pleased to bring members of the third-year cohort to Wildscreen Festival 2022. We feel confident that exposure to events of this caliber further enriches their experience and will broaden their horizons at the very start of their participation in the program,” added Janet Han Vissering, senior vice president of Development & Production, who is spearheading the project for National Geographic Content.

To date, the program has been widely successful with early-career storytellers from 15 countries focused on filmmaking having completed the program and 60% of its participants working on National Geographic productions around the globe.

This year’s Field Ready Program commences Oct. 10. 2022, with the mentees attending the Wildscreen Festival through full sponsorship by National Geographic. The mentees will have an opportunity to network with their class cohorts, industry professionals and National Geographic executives.

“Field Ready provides historically underrepresented early-career National Geographic Explorers with mentorship and hands-on experience needed for them to tangibly break into the film industry,” says Kaitlin Yarnall, the National Geographic Society’s chief storytelling officer. “When we create pathways for emerging voices, we take the critical steps toward diversifying filmmaking—a field that has historically lacked representation. Our storytelling and impact truly become so much stronger by hearing more perspectives and creating different narratives.”

“Thank you for the entire Field Ready experience. It was really an incredible journey this past year and such a warm welcome to natural history filmmaking that will absolutely have a lasting impact on my career,” said National Geographic Explorer and 2021 Field Ready participant Jessica Suarez. “The tree-climbing course I took in Bristol shaped my career and next steps, helping me realize how much I want to become a camera operator and director of photography.” Suarez, a UK participant, finished year two of the program and is now working on a production in the United States.

FIELD READY PROGRAM FAQ

Field Ready is a joint program of National Geographic Content and the National Geographic Society aiming to promote and increase diversity and inclusion of underrepresented and marginalized creators and storytellers in natural history, science, adventure, exploration filmmaking. The Field Ready Program offers one-on-one mentorship with some of the most seasoned filmmakers. Alongside this mentorship opportunity, the program includes monthly master classes and Q&A sessions with industry leaders, and a training and discussion series where participants meet industry leaders through specialized workshops that help them navigate the unique world of factual production.

Industry leaders teach one-hour master classes. In addition to the master course, there are premium Q&A sessions with industry leaders to help the mentees hone their skills even more. In these sessions, they will share invaluable industry knowledge around a core theme that addresses the mentees’ interests.

Previous Q&A sessions included the following:

• Brandon Sargeant – Camera Operations in the Field
• Bree Frank – The Future of Filmmaking
• Chai Vasarhelyi – The Art of Filmmaking
• Darren Aronofsky – Bringing Your Vision to Life
• Faith Musembi – Filmmaking as a Career
• James Cameron – Science & Tech in Storytelling
• Terence Carter – Producing Purpose-Driven Content

Previous speakers included the following:

• Brian Skerry – National Geographic Explorer
• Dominique Andrews – Director, Production Management, National Geographic
• Janet Han Vissering – SVP, Development & Production, Natural History, National Geographic Content
• National Geographic Society Impact Video Team – Globally recognized team
• Plimsoll Gear Shop – Emmy® Award-Winning Team
• Sandesh Kadur – Green Oscar® Nominee and National Geographic Explorer

Upon graduating, the Field Ready class of mentees will be announced to the wider production community as qualified candidates for National Geographic productions around the world. The program has become a reliable resource to National Geographic’s production partners for hiring and mentoring the next generation of talent. By investing in a diverse community of qualified candidates and endorsing them as field ready, the goal is to impact the industry and further cement National Geographic’s steadfast commitment to diversity and inclusion.

For inquiries into Field Ready, please email NGPFieldReady@natgeo.com. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com or our press site www.natgeotvpressroom.com, or follow us on Twitter @NatGeoPR.

About the National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 14,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact:
Elita Fielder Adjei
Vice President, Corporate Communications, National Geographic Content
elita.adjei@disney.com
(424) 247-3517