At the sold-out event held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., National Geographic Society CEO and Chairman John Fahey presented the Hubbard Medal — the Society’s highest honor — to explorer and filmmaker James Cameron, oceanographer Sylvia Earle and scientist and author Edward O. Wilson. Cameron and Earle were recognized for their critical efforts in ocean exploration and conservation, and Wilson was honored for his lifelong commitment to the planet’s rich diversity through his research and writing. Fahey presented the Chairman’s Award to philanthropist and humanitarian Howard G. Buffett for his contribution to conservation, the Adventurer of the Year Award to BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner for his 2012 feat of accelerating through the speed of sound in freefall to advance aerospace research, and the Alexander Graham Bell Medal to National Geographic Bee moderator and “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek for his 25 years of service to the Bee and his commitment to geography education. Cameron also received the Explorer of the Year Award for his record-setting solo dive to the deepest point of the ocean in 2012.

“Exploration for our founders in 1888 was driven by a desire for knowledge and adventure,” said Fahey. “Today we have the same goals, but our explorers — and those who support them — are driven by a deeper purpose. In this new age of exploration, they want to help navigate the increasingly complex relationship between humanity’s needs and the natural world that sustains us.”

The gala was presented by Rolex, FOX Networks Group and RBC. Co-chairs for the evening were Lucy and Henry Billingsley, Rosemary and Roger Enrico, Julie and Lee Folger, Gayle and Ed Roski Jr., Tricia and Frank Saul and Donna and Garry Weber.

The evening’s theme, “A New Age of Exploration,” echoed the yearlong celebration of the Society’s 125^th anniversary. The gala was attended by global leaders in science, exploration and conservation, including oceanographer Robert Ballard, award-winning wildlife filmmakers and conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert, paleontologist Louise Leakey, population geneticist Spencer Wells, marine ecologist Enric Sala and conservationist Mike Fay, all National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence. Also in attendance was former Hubbard Medal winner Capt. Don Walsh, who, with late Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard, was the first to reach the ocean’s deepest point, the Mariana Trench, in 1960.

The evening concluded with an announcement of philanthropic commitments from nine families and one organization in support of the work of the National Geographic Society. These contributions and additional proceeds from the gala are part of $35 million in new gift commitments since Jan. 1, 2013, to honor the Society’s 125^th anniversary and support a wide range of individuals leading research, exploration and conservation efforts that are fueling new discoveries and innovations. These commitments include a $1 million pledge by Alex Trebek to create an endowment for the National Geographic Bee, a competition he hosted for the last 25 years.

The gala featured an original music arrangement of National Geographic’s theme song played by the Washington Symphonic Brass, Washington’s critically acclaimed, award-winning orchestral brass ensemble; extraordinary videos projected in high definition on 80-foot screens — set design components never before seen in the United States; and custom-made dining tables featuring topographical maps, compasses and live plants. The menu was designed by renowned chef and National Geographic Fellow Barton Seaver. All the food was created with ingredients sourced from sustainable farms. Wine was provided by Iron Horse Vineyards, which is donating proceeds from each publicly sold bottle of its 2008 Ocean Reserve Blanc de Blancs to National Geographic’s initiative to restore the ocean’s health and productivity.

Additional support for the gala was provided by Bank of America, Fox International Channels, GEICO, Cengage Learning, National Geographic Channels, PetSmart, Southwest Airlines and SVM Foundation.

The gala was the culmination of the two-day National Geographic 2013 Explorers Symposium, #LetsExplore, an annual gathering of National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, Fellows, Emerging Explorers, grantees and others affiliated with the Society to share updates of their research and fieldwork. This year, the National Geographic Society celebrates its 125^th anniversary and its evolution from a small scientific body founded in 1888 “to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge” to one of the world’s largest educational and scientific nonprofit organizations, committed to inspiring people to care about the planet.

Photos are available at http://press.nationalgeographic.com/downloads/125_gala.

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Bios of each award recipient follow.

Awardee Bios

Felix Baumgartner

On Oct. 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner stepped onto a platform the width of a skateboard on a capsule hovering 127,852.4 feet above Earth. Millions of people around the world watched as the Austrian BASE jumper prepared to jump into thin air. “I wish the whole world could see what I see,” said Baumgartner. “Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you are.” Then he leapt. With that jump, the then-43-year-old completed his seven-year quest to become the first person to accelerate through the sound barrier without a vehicle, setting numerous records and providing valuable scientific research data in the process. His top speed was 843.6 miles per hour.

The Red Bull Stratos pilot is an expert parachutist previously best known for completing an unprecedented freefall flight across the English Channel using a carbon wing.

Baumgartner grew up in Salzburg, Austria. He made his first skydive at age 16. After sharpening his parachute skills as a member of a Special Forces demonstration team for the Austrian military, he supported himself by repairing motorcycles before becoming a skydiving professional.

Baumgartner set a record for history’s lowest BASE jump (from Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue), twice set world records for the highest BASE jump from a building (Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei 101 tower) and even landed his canopy inside a cave in Croatia.

Baumgartner is the winner of the BAMBI “Millennium” Award and Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year, among other honors. A licensed gas balloon pilot, he has earned private helicopter licenses in Austria and the United States and a commercial European helicopter license. He is an advocate for the nonprofit Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. Baumgartner lives in Switzerland, but says, “The air is where I am at home.”

Howard G. Buffett

Howard G. Buffett grew up in Omaha, Neb., and has been active in agriculture, business, conservation, philanthropy, photography and politics. He currently spends the majority of his time managing the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private charitable foundation. Buffett has served in a number of public positions, including on two Office of the United States Trade Representative committees and as chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Authority and Development Board. He held senior executive positions at Archer Daniels Midland Company and The GSI Group. He serves on the corporate boards of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.; The Coca-Cola Company; Lindsay Corporation; and Sloan Implement Company.

In 1997, he was appointed a member of the Commission on Presidential Debates. He received the Aztec Eagle Award in 2000, the highest honor bestowed on a foreign citizen by the government of Mexico. In 2002, he was recognized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture as one of the most distinguished individuals in the field of agriculture. In 2005, he received the Will Owen Jones Distinguished Journalist of the Year Award, and in 2007, was appointed a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger on behalf of the World Food Programme. In 2011, Buffett received the Triumph of Agriculture Exposition Agri Award, the World Ecology Award and the George McGovern Leadership Award. Honors in 2012 included the National Farmers Union Meritorious Service to Humanity Award, the Columbia University Global Leadership Award, an honorary doctorate from Pennsylvania State University, the Leader in Agriculture Award from Agriculture Future of America and a Special Service Award from the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development.

Buffett has traveled to more than 115 countries documenting the challenges of preserving biodiversity while providing adequate resources to meet the needs of a growing global population. He has written seven books on conservation, wildlife and the human condition.

James Cameron

On March 26, 2012, explorer and filmmaker James Cameron made history by completing the first-ever, single-pilot dive to the Challenger Deep, the deepest place on the planet. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible, which was designed and engineered by Cameron and his team, achieved 35,787 feet (about 7 miles) during the first manned scientific exploration of the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench.

Cameron has written, produced and directed a number of award-winning films that have blazed new trails in visual effects and set numerous box office records, including “Avatar” and “Titanic,” the two highest-grossing films in history.

Two of Cameron’s passions — filmmaking and diving — blended in his work on the movies “The Abyss” and “Titanic.” The latter required him to make 12 dives to the wreck itself, 2.5 miles down in the North Atlantic. Cameron has led eight marine expeditions, including a forensic study of the Bismarck wreck site and 3-D imaging of deep hydrothermal vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the East Pacific Rise and the Sea of Cortez. He has made more than 80 deep submersible dives, 51 of them in Russian Mir submersibles, to depths of up to 16,000 feet, including 33 to the Titanic. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition was the result of a more-than-seven-year engineering effort by Cameron and his team. The expedition is featured in the June 2013 edition of National Geographic magazine and will be the subject of a 3-D feature film.

Sylvia A. Earle

National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence and Rosemary and Roger Enrico Chair for Ocean Exploration Sylvia Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer. Formerly chief scientist of NOAA, Earle is the founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc.; founder of Mission Blue and SEAlliance; and chair of the advisory councils of the Harte Research Institute and the Ocean in Google Earth. She is a Founding Ocean Elder, IUCN Patron of Nature, patron of ARKive and member of the 2013 World Bank Blue Ribbon Panel for the Ocean.

Earle has a Ph.D. from Duke University and 24 honorary degrees. She has authored more than 190 scientific, technical and popular publications.

Earle has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970; participating in 10 saturation dives; and setting a record for solo diving in 1,000-meter depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation and the development and use of new technologies for access to and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.

Her special focus is on developing a global network of areas on land and in the ocean to safeguard the living systems that provide the underpinnings of global processes, from maintaining biodiversity and yielding basic life support services to providing stability and resiliency in response to accelerating climate change.

Earle’s more than 100 national and international honors include France’s 2013 Légende de la Planète Medal, the 2011 Royal Geographical Society Gold Medal, the 2011 Medal of Honor from the Dominican Republic, the 2009 TED Prize, the Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, Australia’s International Banksia Award, Italy’s Artiglio Award, the International Seakeepers Award, the International Women’s Forum, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Academy of Achievement, Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year, and medals from Explorers Club, Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, Lindbergh Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Barnard College and Society of Women Geographers.

Alex Trebek

“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek has moderated the National Geographic Bee for 25 years — since its inception in 1989. He also has been the moderator of all 10 National Geographic World Championships, the biennial international geography competition that this year will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia. Additionally, he serves on the board of the National Geographic Society Education Foundation.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Trebek earned two degrees in philosophy from the University of Ottawa. Interested in a broadcasting news career, he joined the Canadian Broadcasting Company, where he covered national news and special events for radio and television. With the growing popularity of game shows, he segued into the role of host. Trebek was first noticed by American viewers in 1973 when he hosted the NBC game show “Wizard of Odds.” After several other hosting roles, Trebek was chosen as host of “Jeopardy!” and quickly became a pop culture icon. He has been honored with a coveted star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the prestigious Canadian Walk of Fame in Toronto, making him one of only a handful of people honored by both the United States and Canada.

Trebek has won five Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host and is nominated for the award again this year. In 2011, he received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. In 2012, he received the Peabody Award, one of the most selective awards in the industry.

In addition to his hosting duties, Trebek has a long-standing commitment with numerous charities and educational organizations. With World Vision, he has traveled to many Third World countries, taping reports on the group’s efforts on behalf of children around the world. In Zambia, Trebek and his family adopted a village and helped build a school, three homes for teachers and a medical facility.

Edward O. Wilson

Edward Osborne Wilson is generally recognized as one of the leading scientists in the world. He is also known as one of the foremost naturalists in both science and literature as well as a synthesizer in works from pure biology to the social sciences and humanities. He is acknowledged as the creator of two scientific disciplines (island biogeography and sociobiology), three unifying concepts for science and the humanities jointly (biophilia, biodiversity studies and consilience), and one major technological advance in the study of global biodiversity (the Encyclopedia of Life).

Among the more than 100 awards he has received worldwide are the U. S. National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize (equivalent of the Nobel, for ecology) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the International Prize of Biology of Japan; and in letters, two Pulitzer Prizes in nonfiction, the Nonino and Serono Prizes of Italy and COSMOS Prize of Japan. For his work in conservation, he has received the Gold Medal of the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Audubon Medal of the Audubon Society. He is currently Honorary Curator in Entomology and University Research Professor Emeritus at Harvard University.

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Additionally, The Coca-Cola Company announced today that it has joined Founding Sponsor Silk® as a Charter Sponsor of the Change the Course campaign. With funding provided by Coca-Cola and Silk®, the campaign is supporting projects that restore water to depleted rivers across the Colorado River Basin. Because each conservation pledge made by the public is matched with 1,000 gallons of water restored to the Colorado, the combined pledges made to date by the public will result in the restoration of 10 million gallons of water to the depleted river basin.

The Coca-Cola Company has a long history of leading water sustainability. Through water conservation and replenishment projects across the globe, the company is working to become water neutral.

“We aspire to be the global leader in water stewardship. As we continue our journey to replenish 100 percent of the water we use, collaboration is critical to the success of community water projects,” said Bruce Karas, vice president of environment and sustainability for Coca-Cola North America. “We are proud to join the Change the Course campaign to support this great effort to improve the Colorado River watershed. Meaningful partnerships help move us closer to our goal of achieving water balance.”

The campaign’s first Charter Sponsor, Silk®, is the brand known for its best-selling soymilk, almondmilk and coconutmilk.

The Change the Course campaign works with corporations and the public to create a movement that supports water education, conservation and restoration. The campaign relies on corporate sponsors to underwrite projects that replenish flows to depleted rivers, from the Rocky Mountains down to the Colorado River Delta in Mexico. Other sustainable brands are invited to become a part of this grassroots effort to educate and engage the public in water conservation and restore the iconic Colorado River Basin to health.

About the National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines, National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, music, radio, films, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

About Bonneville Environmental Foundation

At Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), we believe addressing the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges requires innovation, creative problem solving and discovering a new way of doing business that values the natural resources we depend on. We are entrepreneurs for the planet. Through a full suite of innovative energy, carbon and water solutions we are helping our partners — from the farmer to the corporation — redefine how business gets done. We help our partners meaningfully balance their environmental impact, invest in clean energy and carbon reduction, educate the next generation of clean-energy leaders, and effectively and sustainably restore the health of our freshwater resources. Learn more at B-E-F.org.

About Participant Media

Participant (participantmedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature films, television, publishing and digital content that inspire social change. Participant’s more than 40 films include “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Syriana,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Food, Inc.,” “Waiting For ‘Superman,” “The Help,” “Contagion” and “Lincoln.” Participant’s social action campaigns and digital network TakePart.com continue the conversation and connect audiences to a wealth of content and actions. Its new millennial television network Pivot (www.pivot.tv), launching August 2013 in 40 million-plus homes, is TV for The New Greatest Generation.

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Joining Johns’ team are three new hires in the newly created positions of executive editor, digital content, filled by Matt Mansfield; director of photography, filled by Keith Jenkins; and multimedia director, filled by Mike Schmidt. A fourth position, director of photography, has been filled internally by the promotion of Sarah Leen from senior editor for visual story development at National Geographic magazine. The new positions round out an experienced, award-winning editorial team. Mansfield, Jenkins and Leen will report to Johns, and Schmidt will report to Mansfield. The two new directors of photography will work collaboratively to integrate print and digital execution of photographic storytelling. Leen will focus on the magazine’s photography coverage while Jenkins will oversee photography online.

“Chris has a strong track record of editorial vision and leadership, most recently recognized with National Geographic’s four National Magazine Awards for General Excellence, Photography, Best Tablet Magazine and Best Multimedia Feature. Bringing in talent of the caliber of Matt Mansfield, Keith Jenkins and Mike Schmidt, and enlarging Sarah Leen’s role, will allow Chris and his team to accelerate our move into a continuous, dynamic publishing model that provides a stream of rich digital products and allows us to truly innovate in the space,” said Moore.

Matt Mansfield
Photo: Stephanie Grace Lim

Matt Mansfield comes from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, where he was director and bureau chief for the school’s reporting program in Washington, D.C., as well as an associate professor. Prior to joining Medill, he was deputy managing editor of the San Jose Mercury News. He is a founding partner of MG Redesign, a custom design and training firm. In 2012, Mansfield was the design director for Bloomberg Insider, a daily glossy launched to showcase Bloomberg LP’s reporting and analysis from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. He has served as president of the international Society for News Design and is one of the Washington-based organizers for the Online News Association. In his new role as executive editor, digital content, Mansfield will oversee National Geographic’s editorial content across the Web, mobile and non-magazine apps. He will be responsible for the editorial experience on digital platforms, shaping content initiatives that complement the Society’s membership acquisition strategies and supervising National Geographic’s daily news team, short-form video production group and a team of producers creating online content for the Society’s Mission Programs division, which manages the Society’s field researchers and explorers.

Keith Jenkins
Photo: Welton Doby III for NPR

Keith Jenkins leaves his position as supervising senior producer for multimedia at NPR to join National Geographic. As a director of photography, he will oversee the Society’s online photographic presence and staff. Prior to joining NPR, Jenkins spent 13 years at The Washington Post as staff photographer, photography editor of Washingtonpost.com, photography editor of The Washington Post Magazine and deputy assistant managing editor of photography. Jenkins was AOL’s first director of photography and also previously worked as a staff photographer at the Boston Globe. Jenkins is charged with setting the tone, editorial direction and overall strategy for National Geographic’s global leadership in digital photography, overseeing all photographic work for the website, including the Society’s photographic community, Your Shot, and blogs. Jenkins also will focus on expanding multimedia storytelling through short-form video and audio.

Sarah Leen
Photo: Mark Thiessen/National Geographic

Sarah Leen will focus on maintaining the high photographic standards of the magazine in both print and its digital versions in her role as a director of photography. She will manage the magazine’s photo editing staff and will be the primary liaison for the magazine’s contributing photographers. She also will oversee the photographic development of stories for print and digital versions of the magazine. Leen has been a senior photo editor at National Geographic since December 2004 and was named senior editor for visual story development in late 2012. Prior to joining the staff, Leen spent nearly 20 years as a freelance photographer for National Geographic magazine. She previously was a staff photographer at The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Mike Schmidt
Photo courtesy Mike Schmidt

Mike Schmidt as multimedia director will be responsible for setting the tone, editorial direction and overall strategy for short-form video, motion graphics and other multimedia on nationalgeographic.com. Schmidt has created short documentaries, websites, motion graphic and animated videos, and was director and senior producer of the television series “Hip-Hop Nation.” His multimedia design work includes infographics for The New York Times’ coverage of the 2008 and 2010 Olympics. He has had a thriving freelance career and most recently was on staff as associate creative director at the iPad news publication, The Daily. As an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he led team projects in the creation of interactive documentary productions. Schmidt will work closely with National Geographic’s digital creative director to create multimedia packages for daily news stories, special projects, National Geographic magazine and the Society’s travel group and membership initiatives.

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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WASHINGTON (June 4, 2013)—The 2013-2014 National Geographic Live series will kick off with the premiere of “BELL,” a one-man play revealing the extraordinary life of inventor Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was also the second president of the National Geographic Society, which is celebrating its 125^th anniversary this year. The play, written by journalist Jim Lehrer and directed by Jeremy Skidmore, will open in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 12, at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium. Celebrated Washington actor Rick Foucheux will star as Bell. The show will close Saturday, Sept. 21, with eight performances during its 10-day run.

“BELL” exposes the many dimensions of the famous scientist and innovator, who was best known as the inventor of the telephone. A deeply committed family man, teacher of the deaf, holder of 47 patents, rival of Thomas Edison and National Geographic Society president from 1898 to 1903, Bell’s legacy extends far beyond the telephone. As National Geographic marks its 125^th anniversary, “BELL” is a fitting tribute to one of the Society’s early leaders who embodied the spirit of exploration with his never-ending curiosity about the world and all that is in it.

“Alexander Graham Bell has a deep and personal connection with National Geographic, starting with his beloved wife, Mabel, who was the daughter of our first president and founder Gardiner Greene Hubbard,” said Gregory McGruder, vice president for Public Programs at National Geographic. “So, when Rick Foucheux and his wife approached me with this idea, I realized it would be the perfect way to tell National Geographic’s story, through one of the most recognizable names in our 125-year history. Of course, it didn’t hurt that one of the most talented actors in Washington would be portraying Bell.”

Playwright is the lesser known of Jim Lehrer’s many roles, which include award-winning journalist, author, frequent presidential debate moderator and executive director and former news anchor for PBS “Newshour.” Besides “BELL,” Lehrer has written three plays, including “Chili Queen,”’ his first foray into the theater world, which debuted at the Kennedy Center in 1987. In addition to his plays, Lehrer is the author of 20 novels, two memoirs and a nonfiction work about the presidential debates titled “Tension City.” His latest novel, “Top Down,” focuses on the Kennedy assassination and will be published this fall.

Foucheux is a prominent fixture in the Washington theater world. He has graced the stage in many acclaimed roles, including Willy Loman in “Death of a Salesman” at Arena Stage, Sir Toby Belch in “Twelfth Night” at the Shakespeare Theatre, Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Olney Theatre Center, Claudius in “Hamlet” at the Folger Theatre and Erie Smith in “Hughie” at the Washington Stage Guild. In 2000, he received the prestigious Helen Hayes Outstanding Lead Actor Award for the title role in “Edmund” at the Source Theatre. He received the honor again in 2006 for the role of Mason Marzac in “Take Me Out” at the Studio Theatre. As a resident artist at Theater J, he took on the role of another complex man as the title character in “Imagining Madoff.”  Foucheux is also a company member at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

“BELL,” Nat Geo Live’s first venture into the theater world, will be directed by acclaimed director Jeremy Skidmore. Skidmore has directed at many of the area’s premier theaters, including Signature Theatre, Round House Theatre, Theater J, Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and Everyman Theatre.  Outside of Washington, Skidmore has directed, produced or taught all over North Carolina and in Delaware, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, London, Oslo, Galway, Kilimanjaro, Tokyo, Macau and Taipei. As artistic director of Theater Alliance, he produced 22 productions in five years, which garnered 22 Helen Hayes nominations.

“BELL” tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by phone at (202) 857-7700 or online at nglive.org/bell.

ABOUT NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE

National Geographic Live is the live events division of the National Geographic Society, responsible for multimedia presentations, performances and film screenings for the general public, school audiences and sponsoring organizations around the world. For more information, visit nglive.org.

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WASHINGTON (June 4, 2013)—For the first time, National Geographic has gathered its expansive archive of still and moving images and its roster of award-winning photographic and filmmaking talent and made them accessible to the creative community in one place, through National Geographic Creative.

National Geographic Creative is an in-house agency that brings together National Geographic’s photography and video stock collection and talent representation agency. The agency licenses National Geographic photography and video to commercial and editorial clients and makes National Geographic talent available for custom marketing campaigns, in branded and non-branded formats. The agency has just launched a fully searchable, intuitive database at NatGeoCreative.com.

The new portal gives professional content buyers immediate access to hundreds of photographs and footage as well as National Geographic’s pool of award-winning photographers and filmmakers.

“National Geographic has one of the world’s richest archives of still and moving imagery, with a perspective that we believe is unique to the market. We excel in providing images of people, places, exploration, science and nature that are thoughtful, compelling and evocative for editorial and commercial clients,” said Alice Keating, vice president of sales and marketing, National Geographic Creative. “Using the expertise of our talent and the unique imagery of National Geographic, we have collaborated with global brands such as Canon, HSBC and DuPont to create advertising campaigns and corporate branding materials. With National Geographic Creative, we hope to expand our services to an even wider array of advertisers, marketers, editorial publishers and other creative professionals, as we make it easier than ever for them to access our content.”

National Geographic is also launching a companion site, the National Geographic Creative Studio (www.ngcreativestudio.com). The Creative Studio allows advertising and marketing partners to harness the power of National Geographic’s storytelling capabilities for custom campaigns across all media — owned, earned and paid.

“We are in a unique position at National Geographic,” says Jenifer Berman, vice president of marketing and director of the Creative Studio. “We have an iconic brand that consumers love. With our new digital storytelling capabilities, we are stronger than ever before, and our ability to use all these assets to tell stories for our clients is truly powerful.”

The photography section of National Geographic Creative includes hundreds of thousands of photos from National Geographic’s vast archive of more than 11.5 million images. Images can be searched, downloaded and licensed directly from the database. The section features select galleries based on editorial stories, popular search terms, subject matter and themes.

The motion section of the site comprises more than 100,000 clips as well as a unique collection of short-form videos available for use in commercial, editorial and educational markets. The collection is constantly updated with new video from the field and programming made by National Geographic Television. Content is available to download directly from the site in a variety of formats.

The talent section gives the creative community access to National Geographic’s unique roster of talented content creators, including Frans Lanting, Joel Sartore, Annie Griffiths and Michael Yamashita, who can be used as resources to shoot, manage or be incorporated into campaigns.

National Geographic Creative can be accessed at www.NatGeoCreative.com, by phone at (202) 857-7537, on email at natgeocreative@ngs.org and at Twitter @NatGeoCreative.

About National Geographic

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines, National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, music, radio, films, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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The 125-year-old National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. It reaches more than 450 million people each month through its magazines, National Geographic Channel, books, films, DVDs, maps, radio, school publishing program, live events, interactive media, exhibitions and expeditions. It has funded more than 10,000 scientific research projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy.

“National Geographic is fortunate to have the additional counsel and experience of Gary Knell and Nigel Morris, who have impressive records of leadership and service in the fields of media and finance,” said Society Chairman and CEO John Fahey.

Knell heads NPR, one of the country’s most iconic news organizations and the producer of highly regarded programs that include “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered.” Under his leadership, NPR has thrived in a rapidly changing media environment due to Knell’s ability to leverage the organization’s extensive network of member stations, drive cross-platform journalism and cultural programming, grow philanthropic and corporate underwriting support, and draw new audiences to NPR’s distinct offerings. A strong advocate of innovation, Knell is making possible the exploration of new technologies that advance NPR’s core mission and grow audience for all of public media.

With a career in public media spanning nearly three decades, Knell served as CEO of Sesame Workshop for 12 years before joining NPR in 2011. During his 22-year tenure at Sesame, the organization expanded its revenue base, audience and global recognition. Knell was instrumental in focusing the organization on Sesame Street’s worldwide mission, including the creation of groundbreaking co-productions in South Africa, India, Northern Ireland and Egypt.

Prior to joining Sesame Workshop, Knell was managing director of Manager Media International, a print and multimedia publishing company based in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. He has also served as senior vice president and general counsel at WNET/Channel 13 in New York, was counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs Committees in Washington, D.C., and worked in the California State Legislature and Governor’s Office.

Knell is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He serves on the board of governors of the National Geographic Education Foundation as well as on the boards of Heidrick and Struggles, an executive search firm; the Jacob Burns Film Center; and Common Sense Media. He is an adviser to the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at USC and the Military Child Education Coalition.

A Gordon Grand Fellow at Yale University, Knell was a guest lecturer at Harvard University, Duke University, Southern Methodist University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Puerto Rico. He has a B.A. in political science from UCLA and a J.D. from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles as well as honorary doctorates from Mercy College in New York and Kenyon College in Ohio.

Morris is the managing partner of QED Investors, a direct investment fund focused on high-growth companies that leverage the power of data strategies. In addition, he works in an advisory capacity with General Atlantic Partners and Oliver Wyman Consulting. He serves on the board of numerous for-profit companies, including Red Ventures, Klarna, Capital Access Network, Media Math, borro and Braintree. He is also on the board of the Brookings Institution, ideas42 and the London Business School.

Previously, Morris co-founded Capital One Financial Services in 1994. Under his leadership, Capital One pioneered an information-based strategy that fundamentally transformed the consumer lending industry. Combining advanced statistical marketing techniques with nascent information technologies, the company reduced costs to conventional borrowers, extended capital to overlooked consumers, expanded internationally and produced extraordinary returns for investors.

During Morris’ 10-year tenure, Capital One’s net income after taxes (NIAT) grew at a compound annual rate of more than 32 percent. Over the same decade, earnings per share growth and return on equity both exceeded 20 percent per year, a financial performance attained by only a handful of American companies. On Morris’ retirement in 2004, Capital One’s 15,000 employees across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom managed over $80 billion of loans for 50 million customers. Generating more than $1.5 billion in earnings, Capital One had successfully transitioned from an emerging startup into an established public company valued at over $20 billion.

Morris has a B.Sc. in psychology from the East London University and an M.B.A. with distinction from London Business School, where he is also a Fellow.

About National Geographic

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines, National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, music, radio, films, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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Note to Editors: Photographs of the new National Geographic trustees can be found at the FTP site http://press.nationalgeographic.com/downloads/trustees_2013.

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The award is given each year to two outstanding conservationists, one in Latin American and one in Africa. Yanosky, executive director of Guyra Paraguay, is the recipient of the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in Latin American Conservation; Tumwesigye wins the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in African Conservation.

They will receive their awards at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, June 13, during National Geographic’s annual Explorers Symposium. Established through a gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to recognize and celebrate unsung heroes working in the field, these awards acknowledge the winners’ outstanding work and lifetime contributions that further the understanding and practice of conservation in their countries.

“It is an honor to participate with National Geographic in recognizing the achievements of these two remarkable visionaries who are making such a positive difference to conservation in their countries,” said Howard Buffett.

Alberto Yanosky, scientific author, speaker and international consultant, heads Guyra Paraguay, that country’s leading organization for biodiversity research and conservation. He also serves on the board of directors of several international organizations, including BirdLife International, Waterbird Conservation Council for the Americas, and Western Hemisphere Migratory Species Initiative. His areas of specialization are conservation and biodiversity, population and natural ecology, wetlands ecosystems and sustainability. Yanosky, an Argentine national, began working in conservation in Argentina around 1985, when he created and managed a privately owned nature reserve, the first example of this kind in the country. In 1993 he was invited to lead conservation action in Paraguay. Since then, he has been active not only in Paraguay as executive director of Guyra Paraguay, but also across Latin America and the world, working with different partners and contributing to conservation networks around the globe. He also serves as an environmental consultant to the World Bank.

Yanosky has created a strong team of professionals and brought more than $15 million into Paraguay for conservation. Under his leadership, Guyra Paraguay has carried out over 350 biodiversity conservation and sustainable development activities in Paraguay. Among the most notable is the Paraguayan Forest Conservation project to conserve ecologically diverse forests under imminent threat of clearance. This has reduced emissions from deforestation and achieved significant co-benefits for biodiversity and local people and is on track to play a major role in saving the native forests of Paraguay.

Other notable Guyra Paraguay achievements are its being instrumental in declaring the bare-throated bellbird Paraguay’s national bird; forming and supporting more than 100 local conservation groups; training more than 500 young conservation professionals; acquiring more than 24,000 hectares in different regions, dedicated to conservation in perpetuity; studying Paraguay’s 714 bird species, identifying 80 threatened species and protecting 500 species in Guyra’s private reserves; evaluating the more than the 150 invasive species that affect Paraguay’s biodiversity and cause economic and environmental damage; and supporting the protection of 1 million hectares in the Alto Chaco, habitat for large South American vertebrates like the jaguar, tapir, giant river otter, guanaco, chacoan peccary and giant armadillo.

Charles Tumwesigye, a Ugandan national, has worked for 18 years in wildlife conservation and management. As chief of conservation area management, he supervises all the field operations in all the national parks in Uganda and is responsible for deploying staff in the parks and spearheading the preparation of management plans for the national parks. During his career he has been instrumental in establishing health centers at the edge of two national parks to provide healthcare and education to more than 12,000 people and outreach to some 10,000 children, in an attempt to link the benefits of accessible healthcare with conservation.  He is currently working on a project to establish a network of mobile clinics to serve communities that neighbor national parks.

Tumwesigye played a key role during a recent crisis on the boundaries of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo when M23 rebels engaged in fierce battles with DRC government forces. He led efforts to provide refuge to DRC rangers who were entangled in the war and unable to protect the DRC national parks that border the Ugandan protected areas. One of these parks hosts half the world’s population of endangered mountain gorillas. Tumwesigye coordinated the provision of food and logistics to ensure the rangers were safe and could return to protect these areas. He sent emissaries to negotiate with the rebels, which resulted in the wildlife remaining protected and the rangers being unharmed.

At the international level, because of his strong history of elephant conservation and expertise in this area, Tumwesigye was last year chosen to represent Uganda at the CITES Standing Committee Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. He played a major role in advocating for the African elephant, which is facing a serious threat from poaching and the international ivory trade. As a result of his strong advocacy for elephant conservation, Uganda was chosen to chair one of the influential subcommittees of the CITES Standing Committee responsible for reviewing CITES decisions about elephant conservation and ivory trade. The decisions were adopted at the recent CITES Conference of Parties in Bangkok, Thailand.

Over the years Tumwesigye has also been involved in designing and reviewing policies for community involvement in wildlife management. As a result of policies like revenue sharing and collaborative management, Uganda is looked to as a model in Africa in the area of community conservation.

National Geographic Society/Buffett Award recipients are chosen from nominations submitted to the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration, which screens the nominations through a peer-review process.

“This year’s awardees are recognized for their outstanding leadership and the vital role they play in managing and protecting the natural resources in their regions. They are inspirational conservation advocates who serve as role models and mentors in their communities,” said Peter Raven, chairman of the Committee for Research and Exploration.

Howard Buffett is president of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which focuses on humanitarian and conservation issues. A farmer, businessman and widely published author and photographer, Buffett is also a member of the Commission on Presidential Debates, serves as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador Against Hunger on behalf of the World Food Programme and is a member of the National Geographic Society’s Council of Advisors. He has traveled to more than 115 countries documenting the challenges of preserving biodiversity while providing adequate resources to meet the needs of a growing global population. He has been recognized globally for his commitment to food security, conservation and journalistic freedom. He has written seven books on conservation, wildlife and the human condition.

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Its mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Founded in 1888, the member-supported Society offers a community for members to get closer to explorers, connect with other members and help make a difference. The Society reaches more than 450 million people worldwide each month through National Geographic and other magazines, National Geographic Channel, television documentaries, music, radio, films, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geographic literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

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NOTE: Images of the two awardees are available at the following ftp site: http://press.nationalgeographic.com/downloads/buffett_awards_2013

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“We were shocked and deeply saddened by the news that longtime National Geographic grantee Tim Samaras was killed in a tornado in Oklahoma on Friday, along with Tim’s son Paul and their colleague Carl Young. Tim was a courageous and brilliant scientist who fearlessly pursued tornadoes and lightning in the field in an effort to better understand these phenomena. The National Geographic Society made 18 grants to Tim for research over the years for field work like he was doing in Oklahoma at the time of his death, and he was one of our 2005 Emerging Explorers. Tim’s research included creation of a special probe he would place in the path of a twister to measure data from inside the tornado; his pioneering work on lightning was featured in the August 2012 issue of National Geographic magazine. Though we sometimes take it for granted, Tim’s death is a stark reminder of the risks encountered regularly by the men and women who work for us. This is an enormous loss for his family, his wide circle of friends and colleagues and National Geographic.”

Cumberbatch, who plays villain John Harrison in “Star Trek into Darkness,” is a film, television and theater actor whose other notable roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama “Hawking,” Paul Marshall in “Atonement,” Major Stewart in “War Horse” and Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series “Sherlock.” He will play WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the highly anticipated film “The Fifth Estate,” slated for release in November 2013.

“We have been excited about this film from the very beginning,” said National Geographic’s Mark Katz, president of NGCV Distribution. “Now, in addition to the stunning visuals and captivating story, we have the perfect person to guide the audience through this cinematic journey. Benedict Cumberbatch is a great addition to ‘Jerusalem,’ and we couldn’t be happier to have him as part of this extraordinary project.”

“Jerusalem” is an original production from Cosmic Picture and Arcane Pictures, which celebrates one of the world’s oldest and most enigmatic cities. The 45-minute, giant-screen film gives audiences a rare tour of the storied city as well as exclusive access to iconic holy sites and little-known parts of the region. Aside from the breathtaking scenery, “Jerusalem” explores some of the surprising intersections among Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which come together in this sacred city.

About National Geographic Cinema Ventures

National Geographic Cinema Ventures (NGCV) is responsible for production and distribution of giant screen, 3-D and specialty films. Over the last decade, NGCV has produced or released a number of successful films, including Oscar-nominated documentary “Restrepo”; giant-screen, award-winning films “Flying Monsters,” “Meerkats,” “Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” “U2 3D,” “Mysteries of Egypt” and “Forces of Nature”; and feature-length films “The Last Lions” and “Life in a Day.” Lisa Truitt is president of NGCV, and Mark Katz is president of NGCV Distribution.

About Cosmic Picture

Cosmic Picture was founded by Taran Davies and Dominic Cunningham-Reid to produce dynamic giant-screen and theatrical films to entertain and educate audiences about culture, faith, history, science and the environment. Cosmic Picture’s last film was the award-winning IMAX feature documentary “Journey to Mecca.” For more information, visit www.cosmicpicture.com.

About Arcane Pictures

Founded by George Duffield and Meg Thomson, Arcane Pictures’ mission is to make powerful and moving films. Arcane is at the forefront of combining documentaries and the power of cinema to change the world. Its most recent film, “The End of the Line,” won the inaugural Puma Creative Impact prize for the documentary that achieves the largest social impact in the world. It continues to alter overfishing policies worldwide. For more information, visit www.arcanepictures.com.

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