[Entm-beu] Interested in Working with a Nature Videographer?

[Robin Doyle Testa]

The following message has been forwarded on behalf of Mari West.

Hi Everyone,

I was approached by a nature videographer named Blake Congdon at the Insect Fair. He has produced films, most of which focus on invertebrates, with the likes of NatGeo, Discovery Channel, etc. He is on the lookout for an interesting invertebrate story to film and tell, and he is willing to pay research experts to help him do it (for short stints in the field, assisting him in locating and filming the subject). There is a description of the kind of stories he's interested in, along with links to some of his former work below. If you think you have an interesting story to tell and are interested in working with him, please let me know, and I will get you in touch with him.

Many thanks,

Mari
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In the world of nature documentaries, many of the big networks look for safe bets like humpback whales with their calves or birds that are known to do a strange dance while mating. They pick these subjects because they know how many days they need to be in the field and how many people they need to send and what camera gear. But when it comes to developing new and interesting stories….they take less risks. That’s where I come in.  For years everyone that filmed fireflies went to Tennessee because they knew exactly when they came out and scientists have been studying it for decades. No one ever bothered to go to Mexico and camp out for a month to see how fireflies looked down there. Turns out, it’s easily the biggest display on earth.

That’s how I got started.  I filmed a Mexican Firefly sequence on my own. Sent it to some networks, sold the concept to them, and got $50k to go back and film it with the best people in the industry. I later repeated that same model with the Bermuda Fireworm. Both sequences will be out on Natgeo’s latest nature documentary narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch next fall.

With those projects done I’m looking for my next interesting subject. There are many types of stories that work. The first and most obvious is a very interesting visual spectacle: a swarm, a dance, a fight. But there are other deeper stories that are also interesting such as an interesting way of hunting, mating, seeking out specific minerals or nutrients, or cooperating. Somewhere in Africa there's a spider that kills mosquitoes that have recently fed on animal blood... The spider doesn't eat the blood but it covers its body with it in order to attract a mate. That's pretty strange. That's a good story.

I think it's a lot of fun for a scientist to work with me on this kind of thing, and I have references from Tanya Lopez PhD in Mexico who did so for 3 seasons. It creates a visual story out of the science they've dedicated their life to, and also there’s an opportunity for paid consultation and travel in order to coordinate the filming of whatever species it might be. It's very satisfying as well to perhaps even see the animal end up on Netflix, Disney plus, or some other streaming service. I believe that exposure and inspiration of wonder always lead to better support for conservation, even if it helps just a little bit in the public’s awareness of the natural world outside.

Although my best work is unpublished and held under lock and key at Natgeo.   Here are some links I can share:

https://plimsollproductions.com<https://plimsollproductions.com/>
This is the production company I’ve worked with most frequently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7VZlaHWR1s
Here is a film I released of the fireflies with a human explorer (the other footage without the human is what I sold to Natgeo)

https://deadline.com/2021/07/disney-nat-geo-supernatural-plimsoll-productions-1234791497/
And here is an informal press release for the latest Documentary where my work will be featured.

Thanks!

Blake
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