WaterBear Network Bolsters Team Ahead of Autumn Launch

WaterBear Network, a new free interactive VOD platform dedicated to supporting life on Earth, has unveiled its expanded team as it prepares for its coming launch this autumn.

Ellen Windemuth, previously the owner and CEO of Off the Fence, is WaterBear’s CEO. Joining Windemuth from Off the Fence is Victor Eckard, retaining his position of managing director. In his role, Eckard is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and general management of WaterBear. Two more Off the Fence vets, Pierre Le Gaudu and Bracken Hollings, join the team as WaterBear’s head of technical operations and head of partnership content, respectively.

Sam Sutaria, ex-general manager of The European Nature Trust, joins WaterBear as head of strategy. A life-long conservationist who has worked for over ten years in both the non-profit and media sectors, Sutaria was also one of the first graduates from the joint Master’s program developed by the BBC’s Natural History Unit and University of the West of England. Sutaria manages WaterBear’s strategy and business development and leads WaterBear’s collaboration with the Resilient Foundation, which works to raise funds for high impact documentaries and storytelling. Louis Botha joins WaterBear as head of finance.

WaterBear’s head of content and production, responsible for the strategic direction, creative execution and production management of WaterBear content, is Andrea Walji, who previously ran her own production company, Triangle Monday. At the London-based company, she produced award-winning impact films including #NatureNow, Not A Pet and Pangolins: Scale of the Trade. Lisa Rose, meanwhile, joins the company as head of impact, responsible for all non-profit partnerships, community mobilization around their causes and all of the impact campaigns.

Poppy Mason-Watts, head of marketing and publicity, comes to the team with more than ten years’ experience as a global industry communications specialist. She has held senior client-side roles at Insight TV, FOX Networks Group Asia and National Geographic. Justin Steel joins the team as head of planning and distribution. Having previously worked with brands including Bloomberg News, Comedy Central, FOX and Insight TV, Steel is responsible for the overall direction and facilitation of programming, planning and distribution at WaterBear.

With 70 NGO partners already on board, the innovative digital platform and mobile app will feature a curated collection of video content to inspire users to take action. It will showcase award-winning documentaries, inspirational original content and live streaming, facilitating both awareness and action. WaterBear members will be able to stream hours of video, including original and curated content inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at any time and on any device for free.

Windemuth said: “I am excited to have such a talented team ready to go the distance together—each brings a wealth of experience, innovation and a passion for WaterBear’s mission of impact storytelling. As we prepare for launch, we are creating an inspirational showcase of purpose-focused content paired with unique technology for our global audience to interact with the causes they care about.”