Roger Ressmeyer

22:18 Gorongosa National Park - Piotr Naskrecki - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Stories of success in nature conservation are much rarer than those of defeat. Yet restoration of Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is one of such rare examples. Completely destroyed during a 20-year civil war, Gorongosa was able to rebound thanks to a unique partnership between a US-based NGO and the Mozambican government. An important tool in the park’s recovery was the use of film and photography to bring the park into the public’s awareness, and turn the perception of Mozambique from that of a war-torn place to a unique ecotourism destination. Blue Earth Alliance 20:28 Carlton Ward Jr. - Florida Wildlife Corridor | Wildspeak Presentation 2016 Carlton Ward Jr. has been working for years on the Florida Wildlife Corridor that aims to connect, protect, and restore corridors of conserved lands and waters essential for the survival of Florida’s diverse wildlife. Blue Earth Alliance 22:16 Jaime Rojo - The Living Med | Wildspeak Presentation 2016 Jaime Rojo presents The Living Med The Living Med is an ambitious nature photography and multimedia communications project, with the conservation of the Mediterranean Basin at its heart. The Mediterranean hotspot expands well beyond its shores, and it is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions in the world, and one of the most threatened too. From the wetlands of the Balkans to the cold Cedar forests of Northern Africa, follow the work of three Spanish photographers united in their mission to protect this vast ecoregion. For more information on this effort see http://www.thelivingmed.org/ Blue Earth Alliance 18:07 Mangroves The Skin of our Coasts - Octavio Aburto - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Mangroves, the forests forming the transition between land and sea, provide numerous ecosystem services. Mangroves protect the shoreline and provide essential nursery habitat for many species. Despite these benefits, we continue to destroy them at an alarming rate; so fast in fact, that in the last 50 years we have lost almost 50% of the earth’s mangrove forests. “Mangroves: the skin of our coasts” is a new communication campaign to stop the deforestation of these incredible forests. Blue Earth Alliance 21:31 Protecting the Orangutans of Borneo - Tim Laman - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Tim Laman discusses his 20 years of collaborating with local and international NGOs to protect and preserve the natural habitats of Borneo's orangutans. Blue Earth Alliance 38:12 Robin Moore - Back From the Brink - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Several scientific and photographic expeditions, leading to new species discoveries and lost species rediscoveries, have formed the basis of innovative outreach efforts to engage people in the conservation of Haiti’s remaining forests and their unique wildlife. Robin spoke about initiatives such as the Search for Lost Frogs and Frame of Mind, a program he co-founded to empower Haitian youths to connect with their natural and cultural worlds through photography and storytelling. Blue Earth Alliance 31:43 Chris Linder - The Big Thaw - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 Due to rising temperatures in the Arctic, soil that had been locked in the permafrost ‘freezer’ is now thawing, releasing Pleistocene-era carbon back into the ecosystem. There, hungry microbes devour it, releasing carbon dioxide and methane gases. These potent greenhouse gases, added to the levels already in the atmosphere, fuel a dangerous feedback cycle. The massive amount of carbon stored in Arctic permafrost soil—four times more than all the vegetation on Earth—has been described as a ‘carbon bomb.’ Blue Earth Alliance 32:09 Sandesh Kadur - India's Mountains of Life - WildSpeak Presentation 2016 The Himalaya and the Western Ghats, two of India’s great mountain ranges, hold within their folds, many mysteries - unnamed species, primeval cultures and the promise of magical cures that can heal all of humanity. Documenting these mountains and their bio-cultural richness has been something of a passion for Sandesh Kadur. Working closely with ATREE, a conservation organization, Sandesh’s work over the last two decades, in the form of books and documentaries, has brought a much-needed spotlight on two little known regions. These books and documentaries served as ammunition in helping get the Western Ghats declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As India continues forward in its economic growth, and its population continues to increase, it will be more and more critical to protect these mountains of life into the future. Blue Earth Alliance

34:46 Melissa Ryan & Mercy Mason – Engaging Communities In Conservation Through Photography | Collaborations for Cause 2017 Nature Conservancy magazine’s Director of Photography Melissa Ryan will discuss the participatory photography workshop that she and photographer Jason Houston created to use photography as an engagement experience for individuals & communities working to conserve their natural resources. Mercy Mason, one of the high school students who participated in the workshop, will present her personal experience and speak to the impacts the workshop had on her and her community. The participatory photo workshop was held in July 2016 in the remote village of Klemtu, deep in the heart of British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest. http://blog.nature.org/science/magazine/outtakes-class-in-session-in-the-great-bear-rainforest/ Mercy Mason is a high-school senior at Kitasoo Community School in Klemtu, British Columbia, Canada. Mercy has participated in several programs supported by the Spirit Bear Lodge and designed to help engage youth in the community with their cultural heritage and the environment including the Súa Youth Cultural Group and the Supporting Emerging Aboriginal Stewards (SEAS) Community Initiative Internship. In 2016, as part of a Nature Conservancy magazine assignment on the SEAS program, TNC Canada hosted Photography Director, Melissa Ryan, and photographer, Jason Houston, to run a participatory camera workshop with SEAS interns. Mercy is in the Blackfish clan of the Kitasoo Xai'Xais First Nations. Melissa Ryan is the director of photography for Nature Conservancy magazine, the flagship publication of the world’s leading environmental conservation organization, The Nature Conservancy. Melissa works in close partnership with photographers to create & publish dynamic environmental conservation stories that reveal the connections between global natural resource use, scientific research, and the beauty & wonder of the natural world. Melissa’s goal is to elevate the authentic, unique vision of the photographer so they can create compelling visual images that will inspire & inform viewers and help ensure lasting conservation solutions. Previously, Melissa was a photo editor at National Geographic Books where she edited 16 books on topics, such as: nature, space, travel, ancient civilizations, dolphins, and clean water. Melissa began her career more than twenty-five years ago at the University of Texas-Austin where she earned her photojournalism degree specializing in social documentary projects on youth, incarceration, and elder care. Collaborations for Cause 29:03 Helen Cherullo – We Are Not Alone | Collaborations for Cause 2017 Images have played a decisive role in preserving wild places in North America for well over 100 years, and they are essential in campaigns to protect the Arctic, which few people will ever see firsthand. But images alone are not enough. Helen Cherullo, executive director of Braided River, and a dedicated Arctic protection proponent, will present the critical role of photographers, incredible imagery, and genuine coalitions in the “We Are the Arctic” campaign to date, and marching forward. Helen Cherullo is the publisher of Mountaineers Books and founder of Braided River. She believes that wilderness is sacred, and appreciated through beauty: if we capture the heart, the mind (and responsible public policy) will follow. She has worked with many of the continent’s finest emerging and veteran nature photographers and writers on books, media, exhibits, and events. Braided River collaborates with grassroots organizations and committed philanthropists to preserve the last remaining wild places in western North America—including the topic of her presentation—the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In 2011 she received the “Voice of the Wild” award from the Alaska Wilderness League to recognize individuals whose actions, commitment, and contributions lead to greater awareness about protecting and preserving Alaska’s wilderness. She has a degree in Journalism, with a major in Fine Arts from the University of Montana. Previous professional experience includes graphic design and advertising production, and being sole proprietor of a graphic design and printing management company. Her passion is developing creative, professional visually-driven communication campaigns that support grassroots engagement. Collaborations for Cause 30:40 Roberto Hernandez – Documenting Injustice | Collaborations for Cause 2017 In 2009, a low-budget documentary film called Presumed Guilty was released in movie theaters across Mexico. The film tells the story of Toño Zúñiga, a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder in Mexico City. Through documenting his life in prison and his legal struggles to regain his freedom, the film made a compelling case for criminal justice reform in Mexico and challenged dominant policy narratives. The film’s impact was unexpectedly explosive. Its depiction of Mexico’s court system was so realistic and embarrassing that a federal judge issued a ban. In response to the censorship, the film was uploaded to YouTube and pirated DVD copies flooded the streets. Today, Presumed Guilty remains the most successful documentary in Mexican history. According to polls, one in every three Mexicans has seen the film. Layda Negrete and Roberto Hernández, the filmmakers, will discuss their experience making Presumed Guilty and explain how the film helped catalyze national judicial reforms in Mexico. Roberto Hernández (Director/Producer) was trained as a lawyer in Mexico and Canada and had no particular interest in cameras or film until he found himself collecting statistics in the basement of Mexico City's Superior Court, which houses the archived legal cases of one of the largest cities in the world. What he saw inspired him and his wife, Layda Negrete, to make "El Túnel," a short documentary that presented scandalous facts about Mexico's justice system and was broadcast on several television stations throughout Mexico. As a result of the support the film received, in 2008 Mexico's Congress passed the most significant amendment to its constitution's due process clause, requiring public trials and the presumption of innocence. But Hernández, currently a graduate student in public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, notes, "The implementation of this reform is hardly progressing at all, as the Mexican government today remains ostensibly focused on an offensive against drug cartels." Collaborations for Cause 30:09 Poulomi Basu Postmodernism in Photography and Transmedia Activism | Collaborations for Cause 2017 Poulomi Basu's body of work, A Ritual of Exile, investigates the causes and the consequences of normalized violence against women in Nepal. Perpetrated under the guise of Hindu tradition, the root cause of this violence is the belief in the impurity of a women’s menstrual blood. Hidden, under-reported and unresolved, these women are untouchable and, as a result, this violence takes the form of ‘exiles,” a way to keep menstruation shrouded in mystery and taboo, a weapon to shame women into subservience. In a world that is ravaged by war, the media is often full of images of those affected by conflict but, for many, the conflict begins at home. This multidisciplinary project, combining still photography and virtual reality films, is designed to reach multiple audiences across different platforms, including print, virtual and physical installations. "I want to turn my audience into activists and crack open the veil of silence and shame around women whose lives are shattered by such gender based violence," Basu says. A Ritual of Exile reveals how the chaupadi ritual disrupts the lives of girls, exposes them to recurring danger and imposes unjust restrictions on women throughout their lives. Poulomi Basu is a storyteller, artist and activist. Her name sounds like ‘follow me’ with a ‘P’. She was raised by her mother in Calcutta, India and found early inspiration in the city’s rich cinematic history. After her father’s sudden death when Poulomi was 17, her mother told her to leave home, to follow her dreams and live a life of breadth and choices that was denied to her. Since then, Poulomi prefers the path less trodden. She has slept in the wilderness under a cloudless sky staring at a million stars in search of a guerrilla army whose story strikes right at the very heart of modern India’s global ambitions, through to divided families eking out an Alaskan existence on the last rocky outpost of American soil. Time and again, she has found herself amongst ordinary people who quietly challenge the prevailing orthodoxies of the world in which they live: rural women in armed conflict, a mother's pain for a son lost to ISIS, to the wonder of a near blind child reaching for the light. Poulomi is forever in awe of the resilience shown by those in extraordinary circumstance, by those who are bent but not broken. Poulomi’s work has become known for documenting the role of women in isolated communities and conflict zones and more generally for advocating for the rights of women. In December 2015, she shared a platform with the parents of the Nirbhaya Delhi rape victim talking about her social activist initiative, The Rape in India Project. And, in January 2016 at the UN Young Changemakers Conclave, Poulomi spoke on the social impact of sustainable development with specific reference to her long-term project A Ritual of Exile and her collaboration with NGO Water Aid and their To Be A Girl campaign, which raised £2 million, using this material. Poulomi was featured alongside Hilary Clinton as one of the one of the 'Amazing women from around the world giving their best advice' by Refinery29. Poulomi was part of the VII Mentor Program. She is based between New Delhi and London. She has covered issues across Asia, Europe and America. She is co-founder and director of Just Another Photo Festival, a festival that democratizes photography by taking photography to the people and forging new audiences. Poulomi has also undertaken the 'Reporting in Crisis Zones' hostile management training at Columbia School of Journalism, kindly supported with a bursary from the Rory Peck Trust. Collaborations for Cause 54:38 Annie Griffiths – If You Want to Go Far, Go Together | Collaborations for Cause 2017 In the changing climate of editorial publishing, photographers are learning that, if you want to go far, go together. Friendship, collaboration and collective resolve can motivate action on both editorial and business issues. One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in nearly 150 countries during her illustrious career. She has worked on dozens of magazine and book projects for the Society, including stories on Lawrence of Arabia, Baja California, Galilee, Petra, Sydney, New Zealand, and Jerusalem. In addition to her magazine work, Annie is deeply committed to photographing for aid organizations around the world. She is the Executive Director of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of photographers who document the programs that are empowering women and girls throughout the developing world, especially as they deal with the devastating effects of climate change. Annie is known for her warmth, and for her ability to quickly create photographs that humanize various situations and cultures. Annie’s work has also appeared in LIFE, Geo, Smithsonian, Fortune, Merian, Stern, and many other publications. With author Barbara Kingsolver, she produced Last Stand: America’s Virgin Lands, a book celebrating the last pristine wilderness in North America. Proceeds from the book have raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for grassroots land conservation. In 2008. Annie published A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel, a photo memoir about balance, and the joy of creating a meaningful life. In 2010, she published Simply Beautiful Photographs, which was named the top photo/art book of the year by Amazon and by Barnes and Noble. Annie is currently at work on three new books. Annie has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, The University of Minnesota and the White House News Photographers Association. Collaborations for Cause 35:02 Collaborations for Cause 2017 Panel Collaborations for Cause 30:18 Bryan Monroe – Why What We Do Still Matters? Hint: We're Not There Yet | Collaborations for Cause 2017 Bryan Monroe is the Verizon Chair and professor at Temple University’s School of Media and Communication (SMC). Before joining Temple, he was most recently the Washington editor, Opinion & Commentary at CNN and editor of CNNPolitics.com. His work at that network included editorial planning and content strategy across all online platforms for CNN in its Washington, D.C., bureau. He also served as the assistant vice president of news at Knight Ridder Newspapers, where he helped lead journalists at the Biloxi Sun Herald to the 2006 Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Public Service for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Monroe was also vice president and editorial director at EBONY and Jet magazines, where he led coverage of the 2008 presidential election, conducted the first post-election interview with President Barack Obama and did the last interview with pop legend Michael Jackson before his death. Monroe was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and served as a visiting professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He was president of the National Association of Black Journalists from 2005 to 2007. Collaborations for Cause 31:39 World Vision – Content Is Not King | Collaborations for Cause 2017 The role of content and image in fulfilling storytelling, marketing and editorial needs at World Vision US. Tom Costanza spent the sixteen years as television news photographer at stations from Scranton to Seattle covering everything from presidential inaugurations and shuttle launches to earthquakes, hurricanes, and house fires. TV news helped him develop resourcefulness, compassion, and solid storytelling skills. When the opportunity to work at World Vision presented itself, Tom was able to use storytelling for a cause. Since joining World Vision in July 2001, Tom has spent a good part of the last sixteen years on the road capturing stories, spending three weeks traveling around the world to cover the Asia tsunami and in 2010, the earthquake in Haiti. He’s reported on child soldiers in Uganda, street children in Mexico, AIDS in India, and hunger in the Horn of Africa. Fortunately, the many heart-rending moments have been balanced by witnessing the joy, faith, and resilience of the world’s extraordinary people, his camera reflecting their light in some of the world’s darkest places. Phil Manzano is the director of Content Development in the Brand & Campaigns division of World Vision US. Currently, he oversees a team of writers and photographers, publications and promotional content. Prior to World Vision, he worked at The Oregonian in Portland, Ore. for more than 25 years as a writer and editor. He lives in the Rainier Valley area of South Seattle, and, on sunny days, can be found biking along Lake Washington. For almost 30 years, Jon Warren has dedicated his life to helping the poor to be seen and heard. He has traveled to upward of 60 countries producing photographs for many global publications and organizations such as World Vision. As Photojournalism Manager for World Vision, Jon travels the globe to tell the story of the charity’s work to build a better world for children. He’s photographed everything from the Haiti earthquake to the famine in Somalia. He lived with a Kenyan family trying to survive on food rations and spent a month with children in Cambodia working in a garbage dump. Through it all, his goal is to go beyond the statistics of poverty to show his subjects as individual and worthwhile human beings, loved and treasured by God. Jon has won awards from the National Press Photographers Association Pictures of the Year, Communications Arts, Folio, Maggie Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists, and Magnum Opus. Collaborations for Cause