WILD to INSPIRE: Beginning the Great Adventure

Where do I even begin? I feel like I lived a lifetime is just a matter of days. I’m so incredibly blessed and humbled to embark on amazing opportunity thanks to Nat Geo WILD and the African Wildlife Foundation.

Just a brief recap, I’m the winner of Nat Geo WILD’S first annual “Wild to Inspire” short film competition, which they held in partnership with the Sun Valley Film Festival and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF). I won the competition last March with my two friends and colleagues, Brendan Nahmias and Sam Price-Waldman, with a short film called Wolf Mountain. We all decided that I would go to Africa if we ended up winning and here I am, 8 months later, in Tanzania. Surreal to say the least…It has always been a dream of mine to film for Nat Geo, and I can’t believe the dream has become a reality. I keep pinching myself because none of this seems real.

I’m currently staying in Tarangire National Park, but will be filming throughout the Maasai Steppe Landscape, profiling the work of AWF and the abundant wildlife in the region. My first day, I landed in Arusha and met the AWF staff and Director, John Salehe, who I found to be incredibly accommodating. John is quite the character and has been working with wildlife and the environment for a majority of his life. John and his staff do amazing work in the region to insure that the development and growth of the country are sustainable and receptive to the needs of wildlife, which includes elephants, lions, rhinos, wild dogs, apes and a wide array of species in the African continent.

I had the opportunity to interview John on my second day and I’m very impressed with all the initiatives AWF is implementing in the Maasai Steppe landscape. What I found most interesting is how their work involves collaboration between wildlife authorities and the local communities. AWF is really trying to find long-term and sustainable solutions to help with wildlife conservation and the environment. I also discovered that AWF is doing a lot of work with the Manyara Ranch Conservatory: a 45,000-acre conservancy located in a critical wildlife corridor connecting Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks. I’m anticipating my interview with Fidelis Ole Kashi (Ranch Manager) to learn more about these projects.

Since I’ll be starting off the week in Tarangire, I’ll be doing majority of the filming in Tarangire National Park before I head off to Manyara Ranch and Lake Manyara. I’m stoked to start filming wildlife and looking forward to interviewing the Park Warden, Mr. Ooli, to learn about how AWF and TNP work hand in hand to ensure Tanzania maintains it’s vibrant collection of animals for year to come. More soon!