Science Communicators Camp in Malibu
Co-founders Alex Goetz and Justin Grubb travel to the second annual Science Communicators Camp in Malibu California for a camp-style retreat with other science communicators
Co-founders Alex Goetz and Justin Grubb travel to the second annual Science Communicators Camp in Malibu California for a camp-style retreat with other science communicators from around the Country.
https://scicommcamp.wordpress.com
Science communication is a growing field that is vital, especially in the United States where so many misconceptions of science exist. The better science communicators work together to address misinformation and misunderstandings about science, the better informed the public will be when making choices like while voting for who will represent this country. As a media organization that specializes in conservation and communication, it has never been more important for us to dedicate our time to spreading scientific information. Running Wild Media will continue to build relationships within the science and science communicator community to be ready to inform the public on topics involving wildlife, conservation, sustainability and the environment.
Join us at next years Sci Comm Camp on October 13-15, 2017 in Malibu, California.
Filming Meso-American Reef in Honduras
The Running Wild crew headed down to Honduras to film many conservation initiatives working around the second largest and oldest reef in the entire world.
The crew, joined by Kaelen Bell, Danielle Therrien and Kallie Stuckey visited Utila and Roatan Honduras to film the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center, Roatan Marine Park and the Shark Legacy Project.
Starting off on the beautiful island of Utila, the crew met up with the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center to talk about conservation and research regarding whale sharks, lionfish and coral reefs. While visiting, everyone got to see the new military drones carrying receivers employed by WSORC to pick audio signals from tags placed on whale sharks in the area. This allows researcher to see where the sharks are going and how often individuals appear around the islands of Honduras.
The crew also participated in a lionfish cull out of the reefs. Lionfish are invasive predators from the Indian and Pacific Ocean and are having adverse effects on the environment in the Caribbean because they lack natural predators and can eat dozens of reef fish a day. How the lionfish made it to these waters is a mystery, but in order to correct their appearance, scientists work to remove these fish through targeted fishing. WSORC partnered with Operation Wallacea and the University of Cambridge to research the diets of these lionfish in Honduras and the Running Wild crew got to dissect and work with these scientific organizations.
In addition, the crew met with the Shark Legacy project which was initiated to prove that sharks have more economic value through eco-tourism then they do shark fining. This was an effort to convince the government to protect the sharks rather then allow them to be hunted and removed from the Honduran reefs. Sharks are incredibly important to the ecosystem by regulating the food chain from the top down and controling fish that would otherwise damage the reef beyond repair. When swimming in these waters, it is scarier to not see sharks, then it is to see them.
Alex Goetz and Justin Grubb use the drone to get amazing shots of the reef from above. Only from a birds eye view is the geology behind the reef apparent.
Co-Founder, Alex Goetz, in Havana, Cuba
Co-founder and Cinematographer, Alex Goetz, was hired to travel to Havana, Cuba to produce a piece about some of Havana's local artists.
Our Co-founder and Cinematographer, Alex Goetz, was hired to travel to Havana, Cuba to produce a piece about some of Havana's local artists. Words can't even describe how excited Alex was to get to set foot in a country many American citizens haven't had the opportunity to see yet. Check back soon for photos, with a short teaser video of Havana soon as well!
"To the Explorers," on NatGeo Wild tv April 22nd at 6:30pm!
Tune in to Nat Geo Wild on Earth Day to see the short film "To the Explorers" created by Running Wild Media and produced by the Toledo Zoo.
On April 22nd, Earth Day, Nat Geo Wild will be airing the 2016 "Wild to Inspire" film competitions finalist videos as well as the winner "To the Explorer" created by Running Wild Media. The result of this competition is that Co-founders Alex Goetz and Justin Grubb go on assignment in South Africa with Nat Geo Wild.
In Production!
This weekend, April 15th, begins the production of a new documentary our team here at Running Wild will be producing. We are super excited to be working with such an amazing story, and upon completion hoping to take this film on an extensive film festival tour. We don't want to give away all the details, so we will throw some a hint out there in the photo below, and provide lots of BTS photo/video from this weekend starting next week, to get everyone as hyped up as we are!
Earth Touch: The Wild Life (EP 18): Wildlife Filmmakers Justin Grubb & Alex Goetz
'The Wild Life' is coming at you this week from snowy Sun Valley in Idaho! Wildlife filmmakers Justin Grubb and Alex Goetz are finalists in Nat Geo WILD's 'Wild to Inspire' film competition, which is part of the Sun Valley Film Festival. They talk with Jason about wildlife filmmaking in Central America, how films can be used to inspire conservation and more. Follow Justin and Alex on Twitter: @RunningWildTV.
