Nat Geo’s Field Ready Program Gears Up for Third Run

National Geographic Content and National Geographic Society have announced the third year of the Field Ready Program, targeted at promoting diversity and inclusion in natural history, science and exploration filmmaking.

“We are thrilled to welcome the third-year cohort of our Field Ready Program,” said Courteney Monroe, the president of National Geographic Content. “As leaders in global unscripted content production, we are committed to increasing diversity and inclusion behind the camera, particularly in natural history filmmaking, a genre that has notably lacked diverse voices. We are proud to partner with our colleagues at the National Geographic Society to provide diverse emerging talent with access to training, mentorship, and practical in-field experience across our global productions.”

“As an example of our commitment, we are pleased to bring members of the third-year cohort to Wildscreen Festival 2022,” added Janet Han Vissering, senior VP of development and production, who is spearheading the project for National Geographic Content. “We feel confident that exposure to events of this caliber further enriches their experience and will broaden their horizons at the very start of their participation in the program.”

So far, early-career storytellers from 15 countries have completed the program and 60 percent are working on Nat Geo productions. The third installment kicked off at Wildscreen.

“Field Ready provides historically underrepresented early-career National Geographic Explorers with mentorship and hands-on experience needed for them to tangibly break into the film industry,” noted Kaitlin Yarnall, the National Geographic Society’s chief storytelling officer. “When we create pathways for emerging voices, we take the critical steps toward diversifying filmmaking—a field that has historically lacked representation. Our storytelling and impact truly become so much stronger by hearing more perspectives and creating different narratives.”