Meet the team

Richard Edwards Chief Executive, Wildscreen

Richard – known to many of us as Ed – has been spearheading Wildscreen since the start of 2011, and was one of the original founders of the ARKive project back in 2003. Ed’s passion for the natural world is the driving force behind Wildscreen.

Believes… wildlife films and photographs are one of the most powerful and emotive tools for raising global environmental awareness.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Being a bit of a wildlife nerd, I get excited about seeing slow worms in my compost heap or sparrowhawks hunting in my garden, as well as the more exotic enounters while on holiday. I have been lucky enough to travel a little bit over the years, and have seen some amazing wildlife spectacles. One of my favourites has to be seeing orcas hunting pacific white-sided dolphins in Monterey Bay - an awesome sight.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: That's a difficult one, there’s so much great stuff to choose from. I suppose it has to be Life on Earth, the BBC mega series which I watched as a kid. Seeing David Attenborough rolling around with the mountain gorillas, was what got me hooked on wildlife in the first place, and many years later it was great to work for its Executive Producer, Chris Parsons, on his ARKive project.

Andrew Cocker Front-end developer, Wildscreen

Andrew has a strong passion for web development and design, and enjoys tackling the challenges associated with developing ARKive's usability, performance and aesthetics.

Believes… technology does not drive change - it enables change.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Being part of an expedition in Flores, Indonesia to find a cave called Istana Ular (translates to snake palace) to look for reticulated pythons. This involved a lot of trekking, many offerings to the locals, various religious ceremonies, lots of snakes and wading waist deep in bat guano… all in about 40°C heat!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Watching Brady Barr (a herpetologist and host of a US TV programme called Dangerous Encounters) being bitten on the leg by a rather large retic in Istana Ular. Apart from some rather dramatic screaming, he was OK!

Andy Dudfield Head of Technology, Wildscreen

Andy has been leading the technical team at Wildscreen since late 2012. From a web development, project and product management background he enjoys tinkering with new technologies and ensuring the Wildscreen audience find them as simple to use as possible. He is also a bit of a geek.

Believes… in design affordance and semantic data.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Whale watching off the cost of Victoria, Canada was something I will long remember.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: It changes all the time, but this video of the Andean cock of the rock is an amazing example of the kind of gems the ARKive is full of.

Ben Capewell IT Systems Developer, Wildscreen

Ben loves the web and to build things for it, and working primarily on ARKive’s technical front-end development gives him plenty of opportunities to indulge his passion.

Believes… humans must not lose sight of the importance to their prosperity of the natural world.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: As a monkey fan it was an excitingly novel experience for me to get close to and observe wild monkeys in Kashmir. It became all the more memorable when I got a bit too close to one with my camera, and for one horrible moment thought I was going to have a very angry monkey jump onto my head!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: It’s not strictly a wildlife film, but I could watch Alone in the Wilderness again and again and again. I could never live like that, but it’s incredibly absorbing and peaceful to spend an hour in Dick Proenneke’s shoes, watching him build a cabin in the mountains and living at one with nature in such a wild place.

Carolyn Hair Online Marketing Officer, Wildscreen

Carolyn joined Wildscreen’s Online Marketing Team in 2010 and has been shouting out about endangered species ever since. It’s very likely you’ve had a chat with her via Twitter or Facebook already and if you haven’t, make yourself a brew, get online and say hello!

Believes… in the daily tweeting of awesome wildlife photos and videos (including cute cats).

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Getting up too close and personal to deer whilst on a recent holiday in Japan and getting lost because one ate my map.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: It’s the classic wildlife video that keeps on giving… panda climbs up a tree and then…?

Chris Tomlinson IT Systems Architect, Wildscreen

Since 2004, Chris has been working behind the scenes on many of ARKive’s technical developments. He works on the award-winning website, ensures the systems that preserve the high quality media donated to ARKive are working and secure as well as providing technical support to the rest of the ARKive team. He even set up a wireless network across Bristol’s floating harbour long before it was cool - it’s cool now isn’t it?!

Believes… ARKive’s upcoming technical developments are nearly as exciting as seeing the team kitchen newly populated with cakes from ARKive’s resident master bakers.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: The colourful, inquisitive and intimidating squadron of squid that surrounded me one day in the Caribbean was pretty cool, although I was a little nervous!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: I don’t have one so here are some videos of squid instead – maybe one of the species is the same one that I saw.

Claire Lewis ARKive Researcher, Wildscreen

Having been animal mad for as long as she can remember, Claire grew up in the New Forest and was fascinated by the wildlife on her doorstep. At the age of eight she earned her bird watching badge at Brownies, and a wildlife based career seemed like destiny! Claire joined the ARKive team in 2009 after completing a BSc in Zoology and Psychology.

Believes… everyone should find a little time to appreciate and enjoy the natural world, as it can be so easy to take it for granted.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: My favourite species is the African wild dog, and seeing a pack with a kill on a night drive in Kruger National Park was an experience I will never forget.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: The incredible aerial footage of African wild dogs hunting from the BBC Planet Earth series.

Derek Kilkenny-Blake Moving Image and Sound Editor, Wildscreen

Derek has spent a lifetime out of doors, remembering walks in woodland as a toddler, camping in fields, and playing in rock pools to find crabs and fish. He carried a camera with him from the age of five, but his collection of family photographs is dwarfed by the numbers of photos of frogs, insects, flowers and birds. Today Derek helps bring ARKive’s video collection to life, making story videos for the website.

Believes… Most children have a fascination for wildlife, and if introduced early enough will love the idea of picking up spiders, letting snails run races on their arm, and collecting bugs from under stones.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: On a trip to California, Derek and his wife were camping. Little ground squirrels came to the tent to be fed. Later Derek read that a campsite nearby had suffered an outbreak of bubonic plague, passed on to humans by the fleas on the squirrel’s coats.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: If he were marooned on a desert island, he would love to be able to watch again “Elephants of the Sand River”, 1999. “If only I could make movies like that”, he says. Needless to say, his favourite ARKive web page is the African elephant.

Ellie Denney Online Outreach Manager, Wildscreen

Ellie began her green career in traditional marketing for environmental projects. She made the full time switch to digital communications in 2007 and has been our Online Outreach Manager since 2010. Her specialist subjects include user experience, SEO, pay-per-click advertising and social media.

Believes… that our audience should be at the heart of everything we do.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: A black bear while hiking in Yosemite. That was pretty special, as was my slightly terrified face. Thankfully he didn’t sniff out the food that was in my back pack.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: I don’t have a favourite but I do love elephants, and in particular the playful nature of baby elephants. This photo of an African elephant calf playing always strikes a chord with me.

George Bradford ARKive Researcher, Wildscreen

Though widely regarded as somewhat of a maverick, George has been hunting down exciting video and imagery of all sorts of creatures for over 2 years and still manages to get surprised at how bizarre some of them are!

Believes… public engagement is the cornerstone to a successful conservation plan.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: A pod of killer whales hunting seals in the Galapagos. Magnificent!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Lyrebird impersonations.
 
 
 

Helen Roddis ARKive Education Officer, Wildscreen

Helen joined Wildscreen in 2010 as an ARKive Text Author, before taking on the role of ARKive Education Officer in July 2012. She has a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham and is currently studying for an MSc in Conservation Biology.

Believes… that we need to continue to find new and exciting ways to challenge and inspire the young scientists and conservationists of tomorrow

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Whilst volunteering as an island conservation warden in the Seychelles, I had many spectacular wildlife encounters, including coming face to face with a leatherback turtle while snorkelling on a lunch break and waking up one morning to glimpse a female humpback whale and her calf swimming right past the front door!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Planet Earth is my favourite natural history series, but my lifelong obsession with penguins means I generally get very over-excited at the prospect of most penguin-related photos or videos, including this Emperor penguin video on ARKive!

Jemma Pealing ARKive Media Researcher, Wildscreen

Having grown up in the countryside Jemma has always been interested in wildlife, often pestering her parents to look after hedgehogs from the local animal shelter over the winter who were too small to survive by themselves. After a trip to Jersey Zoo and learning about the fate of the dodo, she knew she wanted a career with wildlife. After completing a degree in Zoology, Jemma joined the ARKive team in 2012.

Believes… that showing people the wonders of the natural world, and educating them about what threatens it is the best approach to preserving biodiversity for future generations.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Being lucky enough to see a mother orangutan and her infant climbing in the trees in the Bornean rainforest. This is closely followed by stumbling across a short-beaked echidna crossing the path in Noosa National Park, Australia.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: This one is tough as there are so many great photos and videos. The whole of the Frozen Planet series was incredible but one of my favourite moments from the series is the scene where a male Adélie penguin steals stones from his neighbours nest! Another personal favourite is this image on ARKive of a sleeping infant Bornean orangutan.

Jennifer Wagner Marketing & Communications Manager, Wildscreen

Jennifer is no stranger to wildlife having spent her childhood growing up in the wild lands of Canada encountering the occasional brown bear on numerous camping expeditions in the stunning national parks. She spends all her time ensuring audiences around the world have access to the best wildlife films and photos.

Believes… the audience is at the heart of everything we do.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Without a shadow of a doubt, it was meeting Wildscreen Patron Sir David Attenborough - a hero of mine and a true legend.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: The Planet Earth series – stun-a-rama.

Kathryn Pintus ARKive Text Author, Wildscreen

Despite being a complete musical theatre, Disney and Harry Potter buff (cue loud groan from the Wildscreen office), Kathryn’s first love is wildlife. Her career started off with collecting bugs in the garden with her dad, and progressed onto a Zoology degree, followed by two Master’s degrees in Biodiversity and Conservation, and Wild Animal Biology. Kathryn joined as an ARKive Text Author after two fun-filled but manic years at IUCN in Switzerland, working in communications for the Global Species Programme.

Believes… that nature is our most valuable asset, and that educating and inspiring the conservationists of tomorrow will lead to a brighter future.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Swimming with wild manatees in Florida. They are gentle, magical creatures, and it was truly an honour to have shared their habitat for a short time!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Sticking with the manatee theme, I've chosen this stunning manatee image as my favourite.

Kay Clark Development Manager, Wildscreen

Kay is on focused on finding new ways to help people value nature. Coming from a carbon conscious background, she now finds the world’s wildlife is an inspiring way to turn hearts and minds towards pressing environmental issues.

Believes… That in our race to protect the planet, á la Heineken, Wildscreen can refresh the parts other conservation organisations just can’t reach!

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Working at an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka, just like me, when elephants take a bath they do love to have someone scrub their backs.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Does Jungle Book count? Sorry, I just love the music!

Kaz Armour ARKive Text Author, Wildscreen

Kaz has so far pursued a career in wildlife conservation following her undergraduate degree in Zoology. She began with a Masters in Conservation Biology, followed by seven months working in Kenya as a research assistant for a project studying the Endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. After that she dabbled in the media production industry as a researcher, before joining Wildscreen in October 2012.

Believes… that the only way to ensure the success of conservation efforts is to engage local communities, developing strategies that also address their needs and enable them to adapt and respond to global and local environmental changes.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: being involved in a translocation of Rothschild’s giraffe, part of which involved transporting eight giraffe on a boat - not something I ever thought I would see!

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: Frozen Planet episode 5: Winter. I have an obsession with wolves, and the epic pursuit of bison by a pack of wolves in this episode of Frozen Planet is breathtaking.

Liana Vitali Science, Education and Outreach Officer, Wildscreen USA

As part of a small but mighty team in the US, Liana enjoys meeting fascinating and influential filmmakers, photographers, conservationists and educators as part of her daily work. Getting the occasional chance to explore ARKive with students in the classroom is also a pretty awesome perk!

Believes… that inspiring even one single person to appreciate nature is a success.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: a tie between swimming with whale sharks in the Sea of Cortez and chasing the Przewalkski’s horse in Mongolia.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: No matter how many times I look at this picture, I always find it hard to tear my eyes away from the snow leopard’s eyes!

Liz Shaw ARKive Text Author, Wildscreen

Liz has been writing species texts and news stories for ARKive since 2008, producing profiles on everything from birds and bats to snails and snakes. More recently, Liz has helped edit texts written by students and volunteers as part of the ARKive and Universities scheme. In her spare time, Liz wanders the countryside with camera in hand, watching, photographing and writing about the wildlife she finds.

Believes… that engaging people in the natural world and inspiring them to care about it is essential if we are to successfully conserve it.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: accidentally coming within inches of a four metre long black caiman on a Peruvian rainforest lake.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: One of my favourite photos on ARKive has to be this one of the beautiful scarlet macaw, while the video of ravens playing in the snow always brings a smile to my face.

Lucie Muir ARKive Content Manager, Wildscreen

Growing up round the corner from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Lucie couldn’t help but become a bit obsessed with animals. After studying Zoology and Conservation at University, cementing the obsession even further, Lucie joined Wildscreen’s ARKive project in 2005. She leads our educational work, looks after the Content Team and is responsible for the excessive use of puns in the ARKive enews and blog. Gerald Durrell have a lot to answer for.

Believes… Everyone has the right to see and fall in love with nature.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Watching humpback whales bubble-net feeding in Cape Cod, closely followed by being force-fed my first ever fig courtesy of a Sumatran orangutan.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: This is hard but one of my favourites has to be the 2008 Wildscreen Festival entry Hawaii Message in the Waves. It really shows the difference a film can make and it’s now the focus of a new ARKive education resource.

Then there’s the solenodon. It was my conversation starter with Sir David Attenborough when he visited the Wildscreen offices. My gran has a picture of this momentous occasion on her fridge – that’s how much of a big deal it was.

Michelle Lindley ARKive Research Manager, Wildscreen

Having spent many family holidays exploring the UK’s countryside and wildlife, Michelle undertook a BSc in Zoology and MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation. After a spell surveying the otter population of southern Ireland, Michelle joined Wildscreen before the launch of ARKive in 2003.

Away from the office, Michelle loves experiencing the stunning wildlife spectacles the UK and the rest of the world has to offer, and is a keen amateur wildlife photographer and gardener.

Believes… wildlife and environmental photography and filmmaking have a key role to play in raising awareness about the natural world and the need to conserve it.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Madagascar was always on my list of places to experience. In 2011, I was lucky enough to visit the home of Madagascar’s largest lemur, the indri, in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and listen in on family groups calling to each other in the mornings and watch them leap from branch to branch.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: One of my favourites, from the many amazing photographs on ARKive, is Stefano Unterthiner’s crested black macaque, It’s the thought behind the macaque’s eyes which makes this such a powerful photograph for me.

Verity Pitts ARKive Research Manager, Wildscreen

The intricacies of nature have fascinated Verity for as long as she can remember. After completing her PhD in avian vision, Verity joined Wildscreen’s team in 2003 to work on the ARKive project and helped develop the content, first as a Media Researcher, and then as ARKive Research Manager. Verity is currently on maternity leave perfecting Play-Doh crocodiles and will rejoin the team in 2013.

Believes… that the natural world provides an endless source of wonder.

Most memorable wildlife encounter: Vancouver Island is a stunning place and provided many memorable wildlife encounters - inquisitive gray whales investigating the boat and its occupants, kayaking with marbled murrelets, watching bears easily turning over huge rocks while foraging at the shoreline and spotting sea otters frolicking in the seaweed.

Favourite wildlife video/photo/film: ARKive is chock-full of beautiful images but some of my favourites are by Vincent Munier, Kevin Schafer and Alexander Haas.