The Unparalleled Four-Night Live Simulcast Begins Sunday, June 23, at
10/9c, on National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD, Kicking off Weeklong
Programming Event “America’s National Parks”
YELLOWSTONE LIVE Premieres at 9/8c the Following Three
Nights, June 24-26
Journalist Josh Elliott and Animal Expert Chris Packham to Return as
Co-Hosts, Along with Roving Reporter Jenna Wolfe, to Report Live from
Nat Geo’s Base Camp, The American Prairie Reserve and Throughout the
Region
Network Deploys Eight Live Crews Across the Greater Yellowstone
Ecosystem Using Innovative Camera Technology to Give an Exclusive Look
at the Area’s Most Revered Animals, Including a Peek into Wildlife After
Dark
WASHINGTON & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June is one of the most dynamic times of year in the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem. Life emerges from months of bitter-cold winter. Flowers are
blooming, rivers are rushing and Yellowstone is bustling with new life.
As Yellowstone National Park and its environs awaken, cougar cubs
venture out from their underground dens, black bear cubs learn to hunt
and bison must protect their young calves from hungry predators. There’s
spontaneous drama unfolding everywhere at every moment.
YELLOWSTONE LIVE begins its four-night live event on Sunday,
June 23, at 10/9c on both National Geographic and Nat Geo
WILD, and premieres the following three nights at 9/8c. YELLOWSTONE
LIVE returns for a second season with more animals, cameras and live
locations showcasing wildlife from one of America’s most cherished
national parks and its surrounding areas. Taking place across three
states – Montana, Idaho and Wyoming – the four-night event, which
garnered 13 million viewers in its debut last summer, covers the expanse
of nearly 3,500 square miles of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem – one
of the largest nearly intact environs on Earth.
Returning to co-host the live broadcast is Josh Elliott (CBS
News, “Good Morning America”), and animal expert, zoologist and
naturalist Chris Packham (“Earth Live”), both reporting live from
National Geographic’s wilderness home base at West Yellowstone’s Bar N
Ranch. Jenna Wolfe (“First Things First,” “Today”) serves
as the roving reporter throughout the live programming.
As roving reporter, Wolfe appears from the American Prairie Reserve
(APR), a partner of one of National Geographic’s Last Wild Places
initiative partners, which aims to protect the places that sustain life
on Earth, with a goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030.
APR is one of the world’s remaining wild intact prairie grasslands and
is working to create the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48
states. Wolfe is stationed on the ground to cover all the action as
researchers and animal experts track and study bison, relocate prairie
dogs into new habitats and release rescued birds of prey back into the
wild. Elliott, Wolfe and Packham, supported by eight live crews, give
viewers unprecedented access to prime locations throughout the Greater
Yellowstone Ecosystem—from the Gallatin Mountain Range, Lamar Valley,
Grand Prismatic Spring to Old Faithful and many more iconic and hidden
locations.
YELLOWSTONE LIVE brings back Emmy Award-winning cinematographer Bob
Poole (“Earth Live”) and revered wildlife cinematographer Susan
Gibson (“Planet Earth II”) to showcase the park’s spectacular
landscapes and wildlife. Based north in the park, Poole plans to capture
footage of herds of bison and elk with their newborns as they take their
first steps and try to cross fast-flowing rivers while Gibson sets her
sights on Grizzly 399 – the most famous wild grizzly bear in the world
as she proudly parades her beautiful two cubs in Grand Teton National
Park. Both Poole and Gibson guide viewers with real-time narration while
the animals forage for food and try to evade deadly predators. Emmy
Award-winning cinematographer Jeff Hogan (“Wild Yellowstone”) is also on
tap; the renowned crew sets out to track elusive animals, such as
cougars and their cubs and the area’s largest wolfpack, the Wapiti.
“YELLOWSTONE LIVE is all about our ongoing commitment to give
viewers unprecedented access to the most stunning, natural treasures on
Earth,” says Geoff Daniels, executive vice president of global
unscripted entertainment at National Geographic. “This four-day live
event is an epic journey into the heart of America’s most iconic
national park at its absolute peak to explore the full majesty of this
magnificent land and witness all the wonder of new life bursting forth
in ways that will create an unforgettable experience for the entire
family.”
Boasting 25 cameras strategically placed across multiple locations, YELLOWSTONE
LIVE reveals the park’s wildlife in intimate detail by employing
cutting-edge camera technology to give exclusive access to animals
across the park, including many firsts and new features:
-
Burrow Cam: At APR, an area not covered in last year’s
broadcast, crews employ a unique “Burrow Cam” to show live footage of
prairie dogs in their underground homes. Wolfe assists the team in
moving and releasing a family group of as many as 20 prairie dogs into
its new wild home. -
Bison Cam: At APR, the live production and National
Geographic’s Labs teams fit cameras to America’s heaviest land mammal
– the bison – offering a unique perspective of this exalted animal
with the “Bison Cam.” -
Beaver Den: Infrared camera technology gives a personal look at
a beaver family inside its lodge as parents keep their home safe while
attending to their kits’ every need. -
Eagle Nest: Using fixed-rig cameras, the broadcast follows a
bald eagle family as busy parents rush to feed hungry chicks preparing
to leave the safety of their nests for the first time. -
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center: Cameras return to the
sanctuary to test the abilities of bears with new stunts and
challenges. -
Yellowstone After Dark: The action doesn’t stop when YELLOWSTONE
LIVE goes off air each of the live four nights. A specialist
wildlife team heads into the darkness to film ‘Yellowstone After
Dark,’ with a state-of-the-art SELEX system thermal camera. Developed
for military use, it allows the crew, for the first time, to film
Yellowstone at night in close-up detail when some of its most elusive
creatures are at their most active.
YELLOWSTONE LIVE is produced by Plimsoll Productions and Berman
Productions, Inc. for National Geographic. For Plimsoll Productions,
James Smith, Martha Holmes, Grant Mansfield, and Andrew Jackson are
executive producers. For Berman Productions, Inc., Al Berman is
executive producer. For National Geographic, Kevin Tao Mohs serves as
executive producer and Drew Jones is supervising producer.
About National Geographic Partners LLC:
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between the
National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the
world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an
unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National
Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo
WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media
and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines;
National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms;
books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include
travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and
e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our
world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years,
and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going
further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the
world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP
returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic
Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation
and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com
or nationalgeographic.com,
or find us on Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
YouTube,
LinkedIn
and Pinterest.
About Plimsoll Productions
Plimsoll Productions creates and produces non-scripted
programming for the international television market from offices in
Bristol, Los Angeles and Cardiff. The award-winning creative team has
produced some of the biggest factual hits in recent years, winning Emmy
Awards as well as top honors from BAFTA and RTS. Since launching five
years ago, the company has produced over 50 series for domestic and
international networks, including the recent groundbreaking event series Hostile
Planet (National Geographic), Yellowstone Live (National
Geographic), Earth Live (National Geographic), Rescue Dog to
Super Dog (Animal Planet), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5)
as well as Camp Zambia (Love Nature, Smithsonian Networks).
Last year, the company earned the fifth position in the Sunday Times’
annual Fast Track 100, and the British Chamber of Commerce awarded the
company the High Growth Business of the Year award, making Plimsoll the
first independent production company to ever be honored with the award.
The Daily Telegraph also awarded Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield the 2018
Business Leader of the Year award.
About Berman Productions, Inc.
From the first season of Survivor to his most recent production, American
Spring Live on PBS, Al Berman has produced more than 6000 hours of
live network television and has received four Emmy awards. Berman has
produced some of the highest-rated and groundbreaking shows in TV
history and strives for innovation with every new project. He’s
considered one of the top producers of live and live-to-tape programming
in the world. In addition to the first season of Yellowstone Live, Berman
created and executive produced Earth Live, a live two-hour
television event documenting wildlife around the globe with 59 cameras
from 25 locations in 15 countries on six continents. On Fox’s “Heaven
Sent,” he chronicled skydiver Luke Aikins’ five-mile jump from the sky,
without a parachute, and his safe landing in a specially designed net.
It has more than 350-million views on social media. Berman’s unique
collaboration with NASA yielded “Live From Space,” featuring six hours
of live television from the International Space Station, 250 miles high
in the atmosphere and Mission Control in Houston.
Contacts
Jennifer Driscoll, 212-656-0707, [email protected]
Tahli Kouperstein, 202-912-6543, [email protected]
