Directed by: Kurt Spenser Unit Directors: Shane McLafferty, Bill Sebastian & Kyle Alexander
Long Form Editors: Shane McLafferty & Bill Sebastian Short Form Editors: Shane McLafferty, Bill Sebastian & Jake Madfis
Produced by Radley Studios
This 1 hour episode was shot in locations across the globe, eventually landing back in Southern California for a week-long photography contest between 3 badass "greenhorn" shooters for a chance to earn a spot on the Nat Geo photographers roster! For the contest itself, we had 3 separate units shooting all at once, in multiple locations, across SoCal. Not only did I get to edit this show but was honored to be asked to direct one of the production units on this journey. This was truly a killer project to work on - I can't remember ever having this much fun on a job.
The final product was a 1 hour special for Nat Geo but the content was broken out into a huge campaign for Nat Geo and Mazda, including a large digital push, chock full of short form content.
Synopsis:
Submissions from thousands of aspiring photographers were culled down to three, and the winners were sent on three quests to capture images that represented the spirit of Mazda itself. With support and guidance from Nat Geo + Mazda experts, the finalists were competing for the opportunity to go on an actual photo assignment from National Geographic.