Jon Bowermaster

Filmmaker, writer, and adventurer Jon Bowermaster is an Explorers Club Fellow, a six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council, and recognized as one of National Geographic Society’s ‘Ocean Heroes.’ His adventures and filmmaking have taken him to Antarctica two dozen times—by sail, sea kayak, Twin Otter, cargo plane, and passenger ship. His first assignment for National Geographic magazine was documenting a 3,741-mile crossing of Antarctica by dogsled. Notably, his Antarctica: On the Edge 3D production was the first (and only) 3D film shot on the seventh continent. 

Jon has written 11 books and produced or directed more than 30 documentary films. His feature documentaries include After the Spill and Ghost Fleet (oceans8films.com). One of his long-term endeavors was the National Geographic-sponsored Oceans 8 Project, which took him and his teams around the world by sea kayak over the course of ten years (1999-2008). Bringing back stories from the Aleutian Islands to French Polynesia, Gabon to Tasmania, and more, it reported on how the planet’s one ocean and various coastlines are faring in today’s busy world. 

In addition to being an Explorers Club Fellow since 2007, Jon is the President of the One Ocean Media Foundation, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Adventure Science, a Riverkeeper’s Leadership Council Member, and a Creative Affiliate of The Safina Center. For the past several years, he and his One Ocean Media Foundation and Oceans 8 Films teams have focused on a series of short films about the environmental risks to and hopes for New York’s Hudson River Valley, the birthplace of the American environmental movement (hudsonriverstories.com). Jon is also a Visiting Lecturer at Bard College in the Environment and Urban Studies Department, and he has a weekly radio show and podcast, “The Green Radio Hour with Jon Bowermaster” (radiokingston.org).

 

Language spoken: English

Photo credit: Cat Vinton