2012 Film Festival

Brian Skerry

Southern Right Whale in the Auckland Islands, NZ by Brian Skerry

Master of Ceremonies Brian Skerry is a photojournalist specializing in marine wildlife and underwater environments. Since 1998 he has been a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine covering a wide range of subjects and stories. His new book Ocean Soul, published by National Geographic, has been widely acclaimed for both its images and story.

Unique within the field of underwater photography is Brian’s ability to pursue subjects of great diversity. He typically spends eight months each year in the field and frequently finds himself in environments of extreme contrast from tropical coral reefs to diving beneath polar ice. While on assignment he has lived on the bottom of the sea, spent months aboard fishing boats and traveled in everything from snowmobiles to canoes to the Goodyear Blimp to get the picture. He has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater over the last thirty years.

For National Geographic Magazine, Brian has covered a wide range of stories, from the harp seal’s struggle to survive in frozen waters to the alarming decrease in the world’s fisheries, both cover stories.  Other NGM features have focused on subjects such as the planet’s last remaining pristine coral reefs, the plight of the right whale, sharks of the Bahamas, marine reserves, sea turtles and squid. He is currently at work on his eighteenth feature story for NGM.

Brian has also worked on assignment for or had images featured in magazines such as People, Sports Illustrated, US News and World Report, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Smithsonian, Playboy, Esquire, Audubon, Men’s Journal and in countless publications worldwide. He is also the author/photographer of four books.

Brian frequently lectures on photography and conservation issues having presented at venues such as TED Talks, Harvard University, The National Press Club in Washington, DC and the Royal Geographical Society in London. He is also regularly interviewed on television having appeared on PBS, C-SPAN and on programs such as NBC’s Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC’s 20/20 and Good Morning America. Recognition for his work includes awards from organizations and competitions such as Pictures Of The Year International (POYi), BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nature’s Best and Communication Arts. In 2010 two of Brian’s images were named among the top 40 nature photographs of all time, as chosen by the world’s leading professional conservation photographers. His fine art prints have also been sold at auction at Christie’s, the world’s leading art business. He is a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), the Explorer-In-Residence for The New England Aquarium and on the Board of Directors of the Sea To Shore Alliance.

After three decades of exploring the world’s oceans, Skerry continues to pursue stories that will increase awareness about the sea. “The oceans are in trouble. There are some serious problems out there that I believe are not clear to many people. My hope is to continually find new ways of creating images and stories that both celebrate the sea yet also highlight environmental problems. Photography can be a powerful instrument for change.”

Rick Rosenthal

Rick Rosenthal, two-time Emmy award winning cinematographer

Rick Rosenthal is a two-time Emmy ( 2002, 2010 ) award-winning cinematographer and marine biologist. He started diving in San Diego in the 1960’s and for many years was involved with scientific research projects along the Pacific Coast of North America. In 1984, he began a long association with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, England. During this time, he filmed some of the most challenging wildlife subjects in the sea. Rick was the principal cameraman for BBC’s landmark BLUE PLANET series and for the feature film DEEP BLUE. He also filmed on BBC’s blockbuster series PLANET EARTH and Disney/Nature’s EARTH. The BBC, PBS and Discovery channels commissioned 3 of his whale films – RIDDLE OF THE RIGHT WHALE, HUMPBACK WHALES and SPERM WHALES – BACK FROM THE ABYSS for worldwide broadcast.

Rick’s passion for the open ocean, far from the coast and reefs, led him to direct the 2008 one-hour film SUPERFISH, about the fastest predator in the sea. His camerawork is also an integral part two television series released in 2010 – the National Geographic series GREAT MIGRATIONS, and the latest BBC/Discovery series, LIFE.

Currently Rick is filming HOT TUNA, an extremely challenging endeavor about the natural history and behavior of tunas.

Rick Rosenthal lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Michael Pitts

Michael Pitts

Michael Pitts specializes in filming underwater and is regarded as one of Britain’s leading underwater cameramen, but he is equally happy shooting on the surface or from the air. He has been awarded an Emmy for photography on two BBC landmark series: David Attenborough’s ‘Private Life of Plants’ and ‘Blue Planet’.  Michael has over 20 years experience of making wildlife and science documentaries for the BBC and Independent Companies. He works on all formats including Super 35/16mm, HD and Digital Beta. More recently, he worked on two other BBC/Discovery Channel series, ‘Oceans’ and ‘Life’, that premiered in 2008 and 2009 respectively.  As he came from the commercial world of diving, Michael is HSE registered and holds all the necessary qualifications and medical requirements to film underwater. In addition, he has trained and qualified in Trimix and Re-breather diving.  Over the past year, he has been extremely busy on a variety of assignments, including an ongoing project in the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia that kept him away from us last year.  He looks forward to joining us in 2011, but until we get to meet him in Boston, a great selection of his still and film images can be reviewed on his website: http://www.michaelpitts.co.uk/stills.php.

Jill Heinerth

Jill Heinerth, underwater explorer and filmmaker

An award-winning filmmaker, Jill Heinerth is also known as an industry pioneer in the use of closed-circuit rebreathers. She has used rebreathers to document difficult underwater scenes in extreme environments for media outlets around the world. Her accolades include being named a “Living Legend” by Sport Diver Magazine, induction into the New York Explorer’s Club and the inaugural class of the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame as well as scores of photography and filmmaking awards and the recent honor of being presented with the Wyland Icon Award.

Jill’s photography and writing have been featured in prominent magazines and major newspapers around the world. She contributed to the development of training materials for international diving organizations and is the author of three books on cave diving and underwater photography. Her blog RebreatherPro.com reaches divers around the world.

Nancy McGee

Nancy McGee

Nancy McGee is an explorer, documentarian, teacher, guide, business owner, movie producer, speaker and emcee whom is dedicated to bringing her love for diving to others.  She is the Founder & CEO of Island Time Scuba, a travel and training center located in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

She is the recipient of numerous awards, including induction into the Women Divers’ Hall of Fame (2008), SSI Platinum Pro 5000, Educator of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

Nancy’s love for the water began at age three when she dislodged herself from her mother at a pool and jumped in, went to the bottom, came up and yelled, “Look Mom, I’m swimming!”  That was the jumping off point that led Nancy to a more than 40 year swimming and diving career that has taken her diving off six continents in pursuit of unspoiled ecosystems and a myriad of marine animals.  She is an adrenaline junky, seeking opportunities to film the unusual and unique. Her film subjects include Humboldt squid, tiger sharks, an oceanic swimming elephant, and numerous species of whales.

In 2000, Nancy began a seven-year partnership with Stan Waterman, the five-time Emmy-award winning filmmaker. She managed Stan Waterman Productions, organized exotic dive travel, and assisted in the filming and post production of documentaries. Nancy’s efforts preserved a number of Mr. Waterman’s vintage films, which documented the early days of recreational scuba diving and created a baseline for the study of coral reefs.  Nancy conducts group tours and films in many of the world’s most exotic and remote locations.  She produces, edits and films her own documentaries, has filmed for NBC, Universal Studios, and Discovery, and has written for a variety of dive journals and publications. Nancy is a frequent presenter to schools, clubs, and community service groups. She is a featured speaker and emcee for national and international dive shows and film festivals.  For this film festival, Nancy will be premiering footage obtained on one of her most recent expeditions in the South Pacific, where she was among the first Western people ever seen by the natives.

DISCLAIMER

Please note that participants scheduled to speak at any Sea Rovers Clinic event are subject to last minute travel and work emergencies that are inherent when working with state-of-the-art gear being used to push the boundaries of exploration and discovery. Participant list subject to change at last moment – please come back often for updates and additions to our exciting film festival line up.