Alison Barrat
Series Producer
National Geographic Television
After completing her degree in Zoology and Masters in film production Alison began her career as a researcher, working on productions for Teledu Telesgop, Atlas Adventures and Partridge Films, before joining Survival Anglia. As part of the award winning team at Survival, Alison worked as an assistant producer and then producer before emigrating to the U.S.A. Alison founded her own production company and worked on commissions and as a freelance producer on films for National Geographic Channel, PBS and National Geographic Television and Film. She also worked as the festival coordinator at the IWFF in Missoula, Montana, and was a part time lecturer for the University of Idaho’s department of Journalism and Mass Media. In addition to her own company Alison worked through independent production companies including Tiger Tigress Productions and JWM on both production and development for Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. In 2005 Alison joined the award winning team at National Geographic Television and Film’s Natural History Unit where she became the Director of Development. After three years in development Alison returned to production, and is currently the series producer for National Geographic’s Wild Chronicles, a weekly series broadcast on PBS.

Caroline Behar
Deputy Head of Acquisitions and Co-productions
France 5
Caroline Behar, Deputy Head of Acquisitions and Co-productions, joined France 5 in 1995, less than a year after the channel was launched (as La Cinquième). Caroline was first involved with the creation of AITED, the international association of educational and discovery channels, during the development of the association, and its setting up. The skills Caroline honed there led her to be recruited by another start-up association of the channel, La Cinquième Association, which promoted the new channel by creating interactive events around the country. Caroline's globetrotting instinct then led her to join the acquisitions and international co-productions department at France 5 were she scours international markets and festivals to find the best documentary films and projects in her areas of predilection: world cultures, geography, ethnology, wildlife, environment, science, etc. Caroline has been a member of numerous juries, and is regularly on the panels of television events, both in France and abroad.

Tim Chevallier
Freelance Director of Photography
Tim is a Director of Photography specialising in Wildlife, Environment, Travel and Adventure programmes. He is a graduate from the Bournemouth College of Art and has spent most of his working life based in Southern Africa. Tim has filmed in 67 countries and his clients include National Geographic, Discovery (Animal Planet), BBC, ITV, ABC and CBS. Career highlights include trips to Antarctica, Galapagos, Kilimanjaro, Patagonia, and documenting the Cape to Rio yacht race. In 1993 Tim teamed up with modern day Explorer Kingsley Holgate who was embarking on an expedition from Cape Town to Cairo along the waterways of Africa. Since then they have joined forces on numerous occasions including an epic journey around the world following the Tropic of Capricorn. Last year Tim completed a 66 day overland expedition from Senegal to Cape Town. An 8 part documentary series was commissioned dealing with issues such as the `bush meat` industry, deforestation, primate sanctuaries, and the magnificent Loango Marine Park in Gabon. This was followed by a sailing trip on a traditional Dhow down the east coast of Mozambique on a campaign to raise awareness on the prevention and cure of malaria. Tim’s most recent assignment has been the completion of a documentary on `The Ancient Scribes and Manuscripts of Timbuktu` which was funded by the Ford Foundation.

Hastings Chikoko
Regional Director ad interim
IUCN - Eastern and Southern Africa
Hastings has spent most of his professional life in different countries across the globe mobilizing organizations and experts to a common platform for finding solutions to most pressing conservation and development challenges. He is the Acting Regional Director for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Eastern and Southern Africa. He is also Head of Constituency and Communications for IUCN. After a career in environmental communications in Malawi, Hastings joined IUCN Regional Office in Zimbabwe in 1998 as Communications and Information Officer where he implemented strategies for raising awareness on environmental and conservation issues for Southern Africa. In 2003 he moved to IUCN Headquarters in Switzerland where he focused on supporting IUCN members – organizations and States committed to achieving a global society that is capable of transforming the world’s natural endowments into wealth without compromising the integrity of ecosystems and the sustenance of future generations. Hastings has facilitated dialogues on conservation and development issues including a dialogue on climate change for MNet Africa Magic TV. Whenever he is not working for IUCN, Hastings has been an environmental correspondent for the Nation newspaper in Malawi, a columnist, a radio performer for the Theatre of the Air Programme on MBC Radio 1, and a stage performer and playwright for Crusaders Theatre. He is the author of the first Award Winning Poem in the 1994 Writers' and Artists Services International. His background is in environmental journalism, environmental communications management and bilateral diplomacy.

Rehana Dada
Radio and Television Producer
lil farashah Productions
Rehana Dada is a broadcast journalist working in science and environment. She has produced documentaries for South African television for about ten years, and over the past three years has presented a radio slot that now focusses on science and environment. She has also worked on climate change and energy issues with the Centre for Civil Society in the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Her work now focusses mainly on awareness and education around wetlands and wetland rehabilitation in South Africa.

Craig Damster
Mother City Records
Composer, Musician and Producer
Craig has been actively involved in the music industry for over 20 years. He has garnered years of experience from his work as a commercial songwriter, musician and producer. He has performed live with numerous bands, including rock, pop, jazz, hip-hop and R&B ensembles.
Prior to opening Mother City Records, he wrote songs for and produced the acclaimed Moodphase5ive debut album, Steady On. It’s been hailed by critics as 'ground-breaking' for SA music. Of his more commercial achievements includes several dance tracks for the London-based outfit, Silversonic, including a hit single 'Turquoise Dreams', which made it to the top 5 on the UK dance charts. His work on music and soundtracks has won ‘Best African Documentary’ (‘Brown’) and documentaries’ Loerie’ international awards in Milan. (‘Hammer Live Brands’). A track to Sony Records for a compilation album won a Sama 2002 music award for best compilation album. He has produced several radio hits including a No1 in 2005 with Supadan ‘Take a walk with me’. Other radio hits include Inadiflo’s ‘Get on up’ and ‘Got what I need’ by Black Noise in 2007. Craig has worked on soundtracks for many well-known brands including, Smart Car, Cell C, Clicks, Delheim, Engen, Sony, Lovelife, Redds, Vodacom, Shoprite Checkers and The Mandela Gateway.

Lyndal Davies
Presenter and Producer
Rock Wallaby Productions
Naturalist Lyndal Davies started her career in television as a television journalist at Network Ten, Sydney, Australia. It was during her time as the environmental reporter that she moved into making wildlife documentaries. In recent years Lyndal has moved from directing and writing documentaries back into the field of presenting. She teamed up with Oxford Scientific Films to make a new series for Animal Planet called Lyndal’s Lifeline – a programme format she conceptualised. Lyndal has also presented various other titles for Animal Planet including Tsunami: Animal Instincts, Jungle Orphans, World’s Favourite Animal, Animal People and the 3 part series Animals Did it First.

Craig and Damon Foster
Filmmakers
Foster Brothers
Brothers Craig and Damon Foster are widely regarded as South Africa’s top documentary filmmakers. With over 16 years of experience shooting and directing, and having received over 50 international awards, the Foster brothers have deservedly carved themselves a niche in global film circles. The last few years are marked by the success of their films: The Great Dance – on the Kalahari San/Bushmen, Cosmic Africa a documentary feature on African cosmology, and most recently Sharkman for Animal Planet, exploring the fascinating phenomenon of shark hypnosis. For more than a decade Foster Brother Film Productions have been at the forefront of the African renaissance, using media to turn the tide on negative attitudes. They have reached an audience of over 200 million by using Africa's voice first hand. The filmmakers have a passion and commitment to the natural world and the relationship between man and nature has deeply influenced their style of filmmaking and the stories they seek out. In 1995 the brothers entered into an enduring relationship with the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) which has seen their ongoing involvement in African conservation issues, and particularly in the exploration and preservation of African indigenous heritage. The last 10 years have been characterised by the brothers’ experience with hunter-gatherer communities in the Kalahari, and with the Dogon of Mali. They have worked and lived with some of the continent’s most powerful diviners, healers and hunters, whose legendary openness and intrinsic wisdom opened their eyes to another world…a world of deep connectedness to one’s fellow humans and a bond with the environment.

Attie Gerber
Professor
Potchefstroom University
Attie Gerber was born (1953), raised and went to school in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. He obtained his Ph.D. at Potchefstroom University in 1997. He lectured at Rand Afrikaans University before entering a career at the SABC in 1982. He served as producer for Verslag (actuality show), co-founder of 50/50 (the longest running ecology magazine show), executive producer of Pols (actuality magazine show), first documentary producer at Netwerk/Network (news show), and manager for Afrikaans magazine shows. He left the SABC to lecture documentary and corporate video production at Potchefstroom Univesity in 1987. He is currently a professor in these fields. He received numerous television awards, e.g. four Artes nominations, Sanlam’s financial reporter of the year (1983), two Checkers consumer journalism awards, and a certificate of appreciation from Conservation International (Washington) in recognition of significant contributions toward biodiversity conversation in the Okavango Delta during the AquaRAP expedition in 2000. Attie served as a judge for the Artes Awards, ATKV-Veertjie Awards, and several photographic competitions. He attended several workshops and master classes at the Wild Screen Film Festival in Bristol, England. He is the author and photographer of a coffee table book called Baboons – Tales, Traits and Troubles. He published two glossy calenders on the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, and his photos were used by the Natural History Magazine in New York, the International Primate Protection League in South Carolina and OR Tambo International Airport. His students won several awards, e.g. M-Net Edit, Kwêla TV-journalism competion, and a nomination for limited budget films at Roscar 2007. This nomination (Voices of the Drylands) were screened in Rome, Madrid and Ljubjana, Slovenia. Attie is still an active filmmaker with numerous contributions for 50/50 and corporate clients. He is busy with three in depth documentaries which will be presented to international film festivals during 2009-2010.

Carl Hall
CEO
Parthenon Entertainment
Carl Hall founded Parthenon Entertainment after a mutually-endorsed buy-out of HIT Entertainment’s highly successful wildlife division of which he was managing director for 13 years. Prior to HIT he worked for Muppet creator Jim Henson. Before then, he was part of Anglia Television’s world-renowned Survival Wildlife team. At Parthenon Entertainment, Carl Hall is managing director and in overall charge of a talented team of senior management who control the creative, technical and financial direction of the company – having produced or executive produced more than 500 hours of programming for global audiences. He has supported the continued growth and expansion of the company, which includes the creation of a London production base to house a high definition post-production and facilities operation, the setting up of a wildlife production office in Bristol and the launch of Parthenon Kids, the company’s foray in the production an distribution of children’s programming.

Neil Harraway
Director of Marketing and Development
NHNZ
Neil Harraway is one of the founding members of NHNZ. A background in journalism and a passion for the outdoors evolved into a career in nature television production spanning 30 years. Initially working as producer and director on some of NHNZ's iconic wildlife shows, Neil made a number of documentaries on expeditions to the subantarctic and Antarctica, including the first natural history film made under the ice of Antarctica. In recent years Neil has utilised his industry track record to lead the marketing of NHNZ ideas in the international arena. As the company's Director of Marketing and Development, Neil works closely with international co-producers exploring new programme ideas and production partnerships. Extensive knowledge of television production coupled with Neil's international experience make him an industry leader.

Joe Kennedy
Creative Director
Off the Fence
Joe Kennedy is Creative Director of Off the Fence, and Managing Director of its new South African office, based in Cape Town. He has over twenty years experience making films for all the major international broadcasters including the BBC, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, PBS, and Channel 4. He joined Off the Fence in 2004. Beginning at the BBC Natural History Unit, Joe went on to make a successful career as an independent filmmaker, working across several genres including natural history, science, history, adventure and social documentaries. His natural history production credits include Ocean Voyagers, Secret Shark Pits, Borneo’s Pygmy Elephants, Sharkman, Supermole, Biggest Nose in Borneo, Animal Crime Scene, Deep Jungle, Octopus Hunter, Richard Leakey: Africa’s Wildlife Warrior, Wild Indonesia, Polar Bear Invasion, and Animal Intelligence. In addition to producing and directing films he has written over forty commentary scripts, including many for Sir David Attenborough.

Walter Köhler
Head of ORF Natural History UNIVERSUM
ORF - Austrian Broadcasting Corporation
Walter Köhler began his career as a journalist working as a freelance for several magazines, radio and television. After his PhD in journalism and political science he joined the ORF as a member of staff. Not having forgotten his life long love for the natural world in 1987 he worked as a filmmaker, producer and series producer for the newly founded weekly wildlife strand UNIVERSUM. In 1992 he became executive producer for UNIVERSUM, and in 1994 Walter became Head of the ORF’s Natural History Unit focusing on wildlife film originations in co-productions with most of the major players in the industry. Walter now oversees two weekly primetime slots with about 100 shows a year from which approximately 25 percent are originations produced by UNIVERSUM for an international audience. His record as executive producer contains numerous acclaimed wildlife epics which won numerous festivals around the world. Recently he helped to bring Deep Blue, the Greenlight’s and BBC’s underwater adventure, from the small to the big screen.

Garth Lucas
Executive Producer
Talking Pictures (Pty) Ltd

Phillip Luff
General Manager
Animal Planet International
Based in London, Phillip Luff is Senior Vice President and General Manager, Animal Planet International. Phillip is responsible for managing the Animal Planet brand, including the development and production of programs, across all markets outside the US. Phillip joined the Discovery Networks group in December 2002, initially as General Manager, Discovery Networks Australia/ New Zealand/ Pacific, based in Sydney and later as President and Representative Director of Discovery Japan and Animal Planet Japan, based in Tokyo, during which he launched the first Discovery HD network outside the US.

Grant McLachlan
Music Composer
Grant McLachlan was born in South Africa in 1956. In 1975 he moved to the UK to study music at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a choral scholar. He left in 1978 with a first class degree and after two years in Chichester Cathedral choir, he studied for a Mmus Composition degree at King's College, London, under the composer David Lumsdaine. Grant then pursued a teaching career, throughout which time he continued to compose regularly for various groups, including several pieces for the Music at Mill House summer festival in Oxfordshire. His Oesterwal Landscape was performed by the Music Group of Manchester in June 1992 in the Purcell Room in London. Grant was also active in the theatre, both as a composer and as Musical Director for various theatre companies. He wrote songs and incidental music for several theatre productions, including Tom Jones, and Pravda, and also wrote two musicals: Cyrano, and When Dinah Saw a Dinosaur. In 1992 Grant gave up teaching to pursue a career in composing for film and television after obtaining an MA in Electro-acoustic Music for Film and Television at Bournemouth University. His work in this field includes the music for more than 50 wildlife documentaries including Mountain Of The Sea, part of the BBC Natural World series, as well as many films for Londolozi Productions such as Living with Tigers, a Discovery Channel special. Much of his film music includes elements of, and inspiration from African music, and he has collaborated with many African musicians. He also continues to write much choral music, the most popular of which is Come, Colours Rise, a South African Christmas Anthem, published by Theodore Presser. His Umbhiyozo Wase Afrika, for harpsichord and African percussion and commissioned by Elisabeth Chojnacka, was first performed at the Gulbenkian festival in Lisbon in 1999. “Evening Hymn” was written for and performed by the choir of Val-de-Grace in Paris in 2006. As part of Animal Planet’s 10th anniversary, the documentary “Ocean Voyagers” was screened in London in December 2007, the music being performed live with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Grant returned to South Africa in 1994, and lives and works in Cape Town. He is married with two daughters.

Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier
Conservation photographer
The relationship between nature and humans is where Cristina Mittermeier’s photography finds its true mission. The idea that people and nature are not isolated from each other, but are inexorably connected, lies at the heart of her work. This relationship is particularly poignant when it comes to indigenous people and this where Cristina’s images truly shine. Her work has taken her to 54 countries, including some of the most remote and beautiful areas of our planet.
As a photographer since 1996, Cristina has help produce 9 books, including a series published with Conservation International and Cemex. Megadiversity: Earth's Wealthiest Countries for Biodiversity (1996), Hotspots: Earth's biologically richest and most endangered ecoregions (1998), Wilderness Areas: Earth's Last Wild Places (2002), Wildlife Spectacles (2003), Hotspots Revisited (2005), and Transboundary Conservation: A New Vision for Protected Areas (2005), and A Climate for Life, to be released in the Fall of 2008, Pantanal: South America’s Wetland Jewel (2005) and The Human Footprint, produced with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York are also books she has coauthored. Cristina serves as Executive Director of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), a prestigious group of photographers, she founded in 2005. From the popular to the scientific, her work has appeared in major magazines around the world including Nature's Best, Latina, Elan, National Geographic, National Geographic Explorer and American Photo in the United States, Rumbos, Escala and Sale la Foto, in Mexico, Explorador and Terra in Brazil, Man and Biosphere in China, among others. Cristina serves in the Advisory Board of Nature's Best Foundation, the Chairman’s Council of Conservation International and is a Board Member of the WILD Foundation.

Vincent Moloi
Director
haMoloi Pictures
Vincent Moloi is an award winning & accomplished documentary director/producer ; A pair of boots & bicycle 75min (2007 Encounters opening film), Men of Gold 54min (2006 Encounters Audience Award, 2007 SAFDA Best documentary nominee), Nightsweepers 48min (2007 SAFDA Best documentary nominee), I am A Rebel (2004 ZIFF Best documentary award) and the 2007 MIPTV Documentary African trailblazer of the year award. And recently he has been directing fictional work for television. This includes a four part 1hr drama series Society (re-commissioned to 26ep), Hillside 12ep SABC2, Soul City short film, A Place Called Home 5ep SABC1, Soul City 3ep and The Lab 4ep. Vincent streetwise, youthful and adventurous approach is well complimented by his concise attitude that affirms his self taught filmmaker mold. Before establishing himself in documentaries, Vincent directed several television magazines series. He completed his Media Studies certificate with Boston Media House/RAU. He has since produced and directed a number of documentaries and dramas. He owe his skill from community television in Soweto Township where he cut his teeth in the film industry.

Kathryn Pasternak
Writer, Producer and Director
Kathryn Pasternak is a writer, producer and director of wildlife films for international television distribution. After 15 years at National Geographic Television, the last 9 years of which she was Senior Producer in the Natural History Unit, Pasternak left Nat Geo to pursue projects independently. She’s just completed a series of 6 X 30 for Animal Planet International called SAFARI SISTERS, post-producing the series in Zimbabwe and South Africa for Wolhuter Media. In 2007-08, Pasternak also was Executive Producer of 3 one-hour wildlife specials for National Geographic Channel and Aquavision Television Productions in Johannesburg. Pasternak is the recipient of two National Emmy Awards for supervision of WOLF PACK (2004) and PREDATORS AT WAR (2005), and was nominated for an Emmy for Best Science and Nature film in 2006 for her film HYENA QUEEN, together with filmmaker, Kim Wolhuter. Pasternak is based in Washington, DC.

Gen Sasaki
Chief Producer, Science and Environment
NHK
Gen Sasaki is Chief Producer of Science and Environment Program Division, NHK. Joining NHK in 1985, Gen has been involved in the natural history programs since 1992, when he worked as a director for the Global Family, a popular weekly natural history program. During 2002 to 2004, he was involved in The Antarctica Project, and stayed on the base in the Antarctica for one and a half years to provide a series of science documentaries and live HD transmissions from Antarctica. Of course, any filming crew in the world had never been wintered on the Antarctica until then. He and his team introduced various amazing images, such as the southern lights and the total solar eclipse, to the viewers. In 2006, he worked for the launch of the new series of weekly natural history documentaries, titled “Nature Wonderland”, and brought it up to be one of the most popular programs of NHK. He works as Chief Producer of Science and Environment Program Division since June 2008.

Susan Scott
Documentary Editor
Susan Scott graduated from Baylor University (Texas, USA) with a BA degree in Telecommunications. She started her editing career as an assistant editor to Tony Black, A.C.E., in Washington, DC. Susan spent six-years cutting documentaries in Washington, where she also joined the beta-testing team for US based editing company Avid. A native of South Africa, Susan returned to Johannesburg several years ago where she moved into the high-definition wildlife genre. In the 15-years that Susan has been editing, she has cut documentaries for National Geographic, Animal Planet, PBS, Discovery Channel, NBC, FIVE, NHK, Canal +, ZDF, France 5 and local broadcasters SABC, e-tv and M-Net. In 2007, Susan judged the SAFTA's and is a full member of the South African Guild of Editors (SAGE).

Swati Thiyagarajan
Senior Special Correspondent
New Delhi TV (India)
Swati is a TV journalist and has been working with NDTV for the last ten years. Her primary area of work is Wildlife and Environment. She has her own show on TV called Bornwild. It is a show that takes the viewers into wild India. In each episode, Swati picks a place or animal and then looks at the issues of conservation, the politics, the obstacles, the people, the laws and the work on the ground. Her idea is to impress upon the viewer the beauty of the natural world of her country and the need to protect it. It is one of the top rates shows on channel NDTV24X7 – the most watch English Channel in India and a channel broadcast around the world. Prior to joining TV, Swati completed a triple Masters in English Literature, Mass Communication and Video. She did an MA in Video in England at the Middlesex University. Swati was given the Ramnath Goenka Award for excellence in journalism for environment and reporting. It is one of the biggest awards in India and was presented by the Prime Minister. What interests her in India in particular are the issues of either conflict or confluence between people and the wildlife. She believes it is in understanding local communities and their needs and their relationship with their environment, that we can ultimately save our natural world.

Danie van der Walt
Commissioning Editor, Factual
SABC
Danie joined the SABC in 1974 and has served in various capacities - as cameraman and insert producer of various programmes before starting the multi award winning environmental programme 50/50 in 1984. Was the executive producer of the show until March 2008. Due to retire in Jan 2009.

Janet van Eeden
Producer
Janet van Eeden is a freelance journalist, playwright, script writer, producer and occasional poet. She writes regular features for the Pietermaritzburg based The Witness and The Weekend Witness, Screen Africa and many national print media including The Sunday Independent, as well as a few British magazines, including Scriptwriter UK. Van Eeden has written ten screenplays. A screenplay she co-wrote, White Lion, will be released in November 2008. She is currently producing her own film, A Shot at the Big Time, which is in development with funding from the National Film and Video Foundation. She is also attending workshops every month with the NFVF to develop a new script – Running Time. She has written numerous stage plays and has produced five of them (and directed two) and taken them to the Grahamstown Arts Festival with funding from the National Arts Council each time. Her third play in her Savage trilogy, The Savage Sisters, premiered in Grahamstown in July 2005, and A Matter of Time, premiered in Grahamstown in 2006, again with funding from the National Arts Council and was directed by Ian Roberts. Her play Expletive Deleted was selected for the main festival for MUSHO 2007 at The Kwasuka Theatre in Durban. Expletive Deleted, also directed by Ian Roberts, and toured in 2007. Van Eeden has her Masters in English (cum laude) and lectures part-time in Scriptwriting at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal where two of her students over the past two years have received the prestigious M-Net EDiT award. She also gives Scriptwriting workshops around the country. She has also just received a National Arts Council Grant to write the novel of the film A Shot at the Big Time.

Ellen Windemuth
Managing Director
Off the Fence
Ellen Windemuth is the founder and owner of Off the Fence. After graduating from Brown University in the U.S., Ellen worked in sales and co-productions for leading international companies such as Fremantle and Alliance Atlantis before starting OTF in Amsterdam in 1994. Since then, she has executive produced over 150 hours of documentary programmes which have won over 70 international awards, including the Golden Panda, Audience Choice Panda, Film d’Oiseau, Houston Filmfest, Telluride and several Grand Teton Awards at Jackson Hole. OTF’s library exceeds 1000 hours and it continues to acquire an additional 70 hours each year. The catalogue compromises of high quality programmes mainly in the genres of history, science and natural history. Off the Fence’s 8-person sales team covers all territories worldwide. As true non-fiction specialists, the entire team is very familiar with the production process and the company is proud of its close relationships with the filmmakers it represents. Its biggest client is NHNZ, the New Zealand Natural History Unit, who have an annual programming output of over 70 hours. In 2005, Off the Fence launched a UK production arm based in Bristol, followed by a production office in Cape Town in 2007. A major part of the company’s co-production output comes from a number of South Africa’s production companies and independent filmmakers. South Africa has been Ellen’s strategic focus for over 12 years.