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A WORLD OF WONDER WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Business Tom McDonald, National Geographic’s EVP of Content, takes us through the Nat Geo ecosystem and the projects, genres and formats that have hit the stratosphere, from Ocean with David Attenborough to Katrina: Race Against Time and A Real Bug’s Life.

Join National Geographic EVP of Content, Tom McDonald, for a fireside chat with Senior Programmer, Kate Jinx (MIFF), on how Nat Geo develops, commissions, and delivers factual storytelling across a global multiplatform ecosystem. Covering Nat Geo’s operations across television, streaming, editorial, magazine, and social, Tom shares how this unique model can offer full project activation for Nat Geo commissions and shapes creative decisions from development through launch.

Exploring the genres that define the Nat Geo slate, including natural history, science, history, and feature documentaries, Tom will draw on recent successes – from Ocean with David Attenborough to Katrina: Race Against Time and A Real Bug’s Life. The discussion will dive into Nat Geo’s science-first approach, rigorous research, long-term field production, and the storytelling choices that distinguish the brand in an increasingly crowded factual landscape.

With Academy Award®-nominated productions like Fire of Love and Sugarcane in their portfolio, the session will also examine feature documentaries, co-productions, and what Nat Geo looks for in partners, along with perspectives on innovation, emerging technologies, and what’s ahead for the brand.

 

Image credit: A school of mobula rays in the offshore waters of the North Atlantic. Ocean with David Attenborough (National Geographic, 2025. Credit: Olly Scholey)

 

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