Love Nature Bolsters Production & Development Unit

Love Nature has appointed Alison Barrat as the VP of production and development and James Manfull as executive producer.

In her new post, which takes effect immediately, Barrat will provide creative leadership on new projects for Love Nature’s slate. She is responsible for executing programming strategies for the brand’s international channels through development and production. Serving as the main point of creative contact for both in-house and independent production companies, Barrat will also work with producers to scout and develop production and on-screen talent for the brand’s projects. She will report to Carlyn Staudt, the executive VP of programming and development at Love Nature.

Barrat is a multi-award-winning film professional with more than 20 years’ experience in natural-history film production. She joins Love Nature from the Living Oceans Foundation, where she launched a specialist wildlife film production unit and executive produced films for PBS, the Smithsonian Channel and CuriosityStream.

Effective in August, Manfull will be charged with overseeing the production of Love Nature’s commissioned series and documentaries. Manfull will also work closely with production companies and Barrat to identify, review and develop new projects for the brand’s slate. Manfull will report to Barrat. With more than two decades of experience in science and natural-history TV production, Manfull’s more recent work includes Living With Maneaters for Animal Planet and Jaguar vs. Croc for Nat Geo WILD.

“This is an exciting time for Love Nature as we add world-class talent to our commissioning team, which will see us growing our slate with more returnable series and formats for wildlife and nature fans globally,” said Staudt. “Alison and James bring deep production and development experience, strong producer relationships and proven track records in creating highly successful natural-history programming.”