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Fearless Filmmakers Turn Cameras on Themselves During Wild Encounters in Animal Planet's Gritty New Series 'Raw Nature'
- Five-Part Series by Renowned Reality Producers Thom Beers and Bertram van
Munster Provide Viewers with Heart-Pounding Adventures and Innovative
Digital Media Content -
SILVER SPRING, Md., April 10 -- Traditional animal
filmmaking -- with an authoritative "Voice of God" narration -- has been a
staple for decades. But in Animal Planet's new series RAW NATURE, viewers
get an unprecedented and immersive look at the intersection between human
nature and animal instinct. The fearless filmmakers of RAW NATURE strike
out across the globe to give first-hand accounts of dedicated wildlife
professionals working to help animals survive human encroachment. They file
these exhilarating field reports in the moment and on camera, putting
viewers as close to the heart-pounding action as possible. RAW NATURE
premieres Tuesday, April 29, at 9 PM (ET/PT) and airs for five consecutive
weeks.
The series gets dangerously close to the deadliest of creatures in a
way few have. From Komodo Dragons, whose spit will kill you, to charging
white rhinos and giant anacondas, RAW NATURE's mission is to find it, see
it, film it and survive it. In the midst of the thrill ride, however, is a
strong emphasis on conservation, preservation and an understanding that the
world needs to ensure its own survival. Among other stories, the series
showcases a man who's dedicated his life to rescuing poached sloth bears
forced to entertain and dance on the streets of Agra, India, and a
biologist in Sumatra who's doing everything she can to help save the
orangutan population from total extinction.
Executive producers Thom Beers (DEADLIEST CATCH, ICE ROAD TRUCKERS) and
Bertram van Munster (THE AMAZING RACE, OPRAH'S BIG GIVE) shepherd
filmmakers Matt Renner, Mitch Tanen, Gianny Truttman and Anneli Gericke,
who are used to documenting the action, not being part of it. And their
brushes with nature don't always go so well -- as they wake up to creatures
too close for comfort, fall off trucks while filming and even have some
animals smitten with them unexpectedly.
"RAW NATURE fits perfectly with our "Jaws & Claws" Tuesday night
programming," notes Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of
Animal Planet Media. "It's a striking new entertainment perspective on
animal adventures with non-experts. I think our viewers really will connect
with these producers who are caught off guard with the natural world and
would themselves react in much the same way."
RAW NATURE is produced for Animal Planet by Original Productions, Inc.
Thomas Beers and Bertram van Munster are the executive producers for
Original Productions, and Erin Wanner is the executive producer for Animal
Planet.
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery
Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses
viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep
content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners
access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for
immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and
enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available
in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets
http://www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things
animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com,
the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption;
PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and
includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a
robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising
extensions.
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