National Geographic (Nat Geo) is rolling out its inaugural Creator Cohort campaign, bringing together eight emerging digital-first nonfiction storytellers with highly engaged communities on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
With more than 800 million followers, National Geographic is among the world’s most followed brands on social media. Under the six-month Creator Cohort campaign, Nat Geo and the creators plan to engage a new generation of audiences across social platforms to generate excitement and foster connections to the natural world, according to a press statement from Disney-owned National Geographic.
What is the Creator Cohort?
The eight creators on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube who create content spanning nature, science, history, travel, wildlife photography, and other areas. While the Creator Cohort initiative gives Nat Geo specialized content, the storytellers can tap into events and activations around Nat Geo’s signature initiatives. Creators can access installments of James Cameron’s “Secrets Of” franchise, participate in Earth Month, travel with National Geographic Expeditions, and more.
“The way audiences discover and connect with nonfiction storytelling continues to evolve,” said Tom McDonald, executive vice president of Content.
“National Geographic has always believed in not only the power of storytelling but also backing the storytellers behind it. Supporting the next generation of voices in science, exploration, and adventure keeps the genre ambitious and relevant, bringing a new generation of audiences into the Nat Geo ecosystem,” McDonald added.
Creator, Brand Participation
From wildlife conservationists and photographers to scientists and historians, the inaugural Creator Cohort campaign spotlights eight “exceptional digital natives” whose storytelling runs parallel and in concert with the aims of National Geographic.
The program is being led by Aiman Ahmed, VP of social media at National Geographic.
Over the course of the program, Creator Cohort members will participate in brand events and activations around tentpole moments, including the chance to sail to some of the world’s most unique destinations with National Geographic–Lindblad Expeditions and discover extraordinary places through National Geographic Journeys, offered in collaboration with G Adventures.
After the campaign, creators will be considered for ongoing opportunities with National Geographic, including marketing and programming activations across platforms, according to the release.
“For more than a century, National Geographic has been a leader in powerful, fact-based storytelling that transcends platforms and inspires curiosity around the world,” said Aiman Ahmed, vice president of Social Media at National Geographic.
“That legacy has helped build one of the most engaged and widely followed communities in social media today. Working alongside these eight exceptional creators is an exciting opportunity to extend the reach of Nat Geo storytelling, connect with new audiences, and invest in the next generation of influential nonfiction storytellers,” Ahmed added.
Over the course of the initiative, National Geographic will build long-term relationships with the creators and their communities, collaborating with homegrown social talent while showcasing the full breadth and scale of National Geographic’s multifaceted brand to new audiences.
Designed as a deep collaboration with the creators, the Creator Cohort offers participants the ability to tap into National Geographic’s resources to broaden beyond their current audiences. While receiving mentorship from executives and talent and tapping into the brand’s multiplatform content to deepen their craft, creators are empowered to tell stories that feel authentic to them.
The list of the inaugural Creator Cohort members includes the following:
NATURE & WILDLIFE
- Maya Higa: Higa is a conservationist, content creator and nonprofit founder dedicated to connecting people with the natural world. She has built a massive global online platform rooted in education, transparency and purpose through her work. As the founder of Alveus Sanctuary, a nonprofit exotic animal sanctuary and virtual education center, she has led large-scale fundraising efforts — including a 21-hour charity livestream that generated over half a million dollars.
- Macaila Wagner: Wagner is a Canadian environmental educator and conservation storyteller. Driven by a passion for wildlife and nature, she collaborates with global foundations and NGOs to bring attention to their most important work. Wagner’s specialty is translating complex scientific data into engaging stories that inspire people to learn, care and act.
SCIENCE
- Maynard Okereke (Hip Hop Science): Okereke is a science communicator and entertainer, widely known as the Hip Hop M.D. On a mission to make science more accessible, he aims to increase minority and youth participation in STEM fields. As part of this journey, Okereke uses the universal language of hip-hop and pop culture to make complex scientific concepts understandable and engaging for all.
- Ethan Penner: Penner is a geoscience communicator fueled by a mission to make geology fun and accessible for everyone. As the creator of the hit social media series “What’s Inside That Rock?,” he sparks curiosity about the natural world, breaking open rocks to reveal their inner beauty to a global audience.
TRAVEL & ADVENTURE
- Jordan Kahana: Kahana is a digital storyteller and adventure traveler. Inspired by the cross-country rescue of his two dogs, Sedona and Zeus, Kahana creates cinematic travel content documenting their shared life of global exploration. Through his unique adventures, he inspires others to explore the world with their own animal companions.
- Tanya Badillo: Badillo is a geoscientist by training and a visual storyteller by passion. By day, she works in a technical geoscience role; by heart, she’s always following curiosity with a camera in hand. Driven by a desire to connect science, culture and the natural world, she creates immersive, story-led adventure travel content that brings remote places to life and inspires others to explore with respect. Badillo bridges her two worlds through short-form video and photography, using her fluency in English, Spanish and Portuguese to craft stories and campaigns that elevate diverse voices in the outdoors.
- Paige Tingey: Tingey is a landscape and travel photographer fueled by a deep passion for the outdoors. Her work captures the vibrant spirit of nature, inspiring others to get out and explore for themselves. Tingey has been featured in art shows and magazines, bringing the stories of the natural world to life through authentic, high-quality imagery.
HISTORY
- Tenninger Kellenbarger (Dirt Diaries): Dr. Kellenbarger is an archaeologist and art historian specializing in ancient weaponry and combat art of the Bronze Age, currently teaching at Temple University. Fueled by a passion for history, she connects her audience to the past, one artifact, one discovery and story at a time. Her work makes antiquity and education accessible to her community which fills the colosseum five times over.
The campaign is executed in partnership with content and creator studio Blue Hour Studios, which supports the strategy, program development, and end-to-end activation.
About National Geographic Content
Representing one of the largest brands on social media with over 801 million followers and over one billion impressions each month, National Geographic Content’s award-winning and critically acclaimed storytelling inspires fans of all ages to connect with, explore, and care about the world through factual storytelling.
National Geographic Content, part of a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the National Geographic Society, reaches up to 402 million households in at least 170 countries and 30 languages across the global National Geographic channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO), National Geographic Documentary Films, and direct-to-consumer platforms Disney+ and Hulu, in addition to being a global digital, social and print publisher.
Its diverse content includes Oscar®- and BAFTA Award-winning film “Free Solo”; Oscar-nominated films “Sugarcane,” “Fire of Love,” “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” and “The Cave”; Emmy® Award-winning franchises “Race Against Time” and “Secrets of”; Emmy Award-winning series “Animals Up Close” and “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller”; and Emmy-nominated series “A Real Bug’s Life” and “Tucci in Italy,” in addition to multiple National Magazine Awards, Pulitzer Prize finalists and Webby wins.