The masterpiece of nature
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Emerson once said that a friend is "the masterpiece of nature," and Denny Crane agreed–which is how we know it's true. This insight came to life in two very different and surprising ways in a pair of television franchises I helped develop with Nat Geo Wild.
Unlikely Animal Friends and World's Weirdest began as fan-favorite digital and print publications for the parent brand, National Geographic. The vivid photography, personal storylines and scientific context tapped into our deep fascination with the unexpected. These same framework drove the television series, and likely played a significant role in the high ratings.
Both franchises were sourced from hundreds of hours of original and archival footage that bring viewers into the world of the animal and their companions– human or otherwise. The target audience was young children and families who watch shows together, so we looked for a balance between naturalism and structured narration.
Once fully developed, we relied on a playbook of narrative devices like backstory, reveals, personal interviews, surprising facts, expert commentary and clean resolutions. Taken together, these elements gave the series a unique shape and a memorable pattern which improves recall and series loyalty. Plus, it just makes them fun to watch.
Project
Franchises
Brand
Category
Entertainment
Released
Oct 2012
Recognition
Context
Emerson once said that a friend is "the masterpiece of nature," and Denny Crane agreed–which is how we know it's true. This insight came to life in two very different and surprising ways in a pair of television franchises I helped develop with Nat Geo Wild.
Unlikely Animal Friends and World's Weirdest began as fan-favorite digital and print publications for the parent brand, National Geographic. The vivid photography, personal storylines and scientific context tapped into our deep fascination with the unexpected. These same framework drove the television series, and likely played a significant role in the high ratings.
Both franchises were sourced from hundreds of hours of original and archival footage that bring viewers into the world of the animal and their companions– human or otherwise. The target audience was young children and families who watch shows together, so we looked for a balance between naturalism and structured narration.
Once fully developed, we relied on a playbook of narrative devices like backstory, reveals, personal interviews, surprising facts, expert commentary and clean resolutions. Taken together, these elements gave the series a unique shape and a memorable pattern which improves recall and series loyalty. Plus, it just makes them fun to watch.
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Nat Geo Wild
Franchises
The power of friendship
Highlights
Unlikely Animal Friends
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Unlikely Animal Friends
The natural world is full of amazing stories, but sometimes animals act in ways that seemingly go against all their instincts. This heart-warming series examines the cases of animals that have struck up unusual relationships.
“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
World's Weirdest
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World's Weirdest
This longstanding documentary series showcases the strangest, freakiest, weirdest, and just plain "out of this world" behaviors in the animal kingdom. From animals that develop their babies in their mothers back skin; to strange adaptations that enable creatures to survive in extreme environments; to alien-looking body parts and camouflage, this series covers it all.
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“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
Unlikely Animal Friends
The natural world is full of amazing stories, but sometimes animals act in ways that seemingly go against all their instincts. This heart-warming series examines the cases of animals that have struck up unusual relationships.
“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
World's Weirdest
This longstanding documentary series showcases the strangest, freakiest, weirdest, and just plain "out of this world" behaviors in the animal kingdom. From animals that develop their babies in their mothers back skin; to strange adaptations that enable creatures to survive in extreme environments; to alien-looking body parts and camouflage, this series covers it all.
“The ability to recover from stress is better in natural settings, because that’s where we are meant to be. Just the idea of getting out, being in nature, looking at a tree—the theory is that this helps you to recover from stress, improves your mental health, and improves cognition. It’s just a direct pathway.”
Peter James, PhD
Quantifying Nature
"Nature experience boosts memory, attention and creativity as well as happiness, social engagement and a sense of meaning in life. It might not surprise us that nature stimulates physical activity, but the associated health benefits – from reducing cancer risks to promoting metabolic and other functioning – are really quite astonishing.”
Gretchen Daily, Bing Professor of Environmental Science
National Academy of Sciences
"Allowing children time for unstructured activities in nature seemed beneficial for children's positive affect, attitudes towards nature, and pro-sociality. These findings seem especially relevant given that free play outdoors in nature is declining.”
John Zelenski, PhD
Journal of Environmental Psychology
“Experiencing awe in nature is a powerful way to impact people’s psychology, even as they’re doing something they really like to do. Our findings suggest that you don’t have to do extravagant, extraordinary experiences in nature to feel awe or to get benefits. By taking a few minutes to enjoy flowers that are blooming or a sunset in your day-to-day life, you also improve your well-being.”
Craig Anderson, PhD
Awe in Nature Heals
"There is ample data to suggest that having good social relationships is helpful for our psychological and physical health. Having a ‘good relationship’ with nature, or rather, a sense of close connection to it, may be helpful in a similar way or for similar reasons. We evolved to want to connect—with people, but also with places and other living things."
Cynthia Frantz, PhD
Why is Nature Beneficial? The Role of Connectedness to Nature
"Nature therapy as a health-promotion method and potential universal health model is implicated for the reduction of reported modern-day “stress-state” and “technostress.”"
Harumi Ikei, PhD, Chuba University
Psychological Effects of Nature Therapy
