Sea Studios Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, headquartered in

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Sea Studios was founded by Mark Shelley, a senior series producer for

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

. It is a team of filmmakers, scientists and public opinion leaders dedicated to raising public awareness and creating action on issues involving the planet’s health and sustainable development worldwide. In 2001, in collaboration with the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, natural sc ...

, Sea Studios produced The Shape of Life, an eight-hour special that focuses on the evolution of the animal kingdom and animal biodiversity. It combines a science-based content with pioneering techniques in underwater and deep-sea filmmaking. The Shape of Life earned several major film festival honors, including "Best Scientific Content" and "Finalist" at the 2003 International Wildlife Film Festival; the 2003 CINE Golden Eagle Award, for Episode 2 and Episode 6; "Semi-finalist" at the 2003 Animal Behavior Society Film Festival; "Best of Monterey" at the 2003 Access Monterey Peninsula Edgar Kennedy Awards. Sea Studios' Strange Days on Planet Earth initiative has ongoing partnership with the

. It began as a four-part television series in 2005, hosted by

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City ...

. The series earned 14 major film festival honors, including Best Series at 2005 International Wildlife Film Festival, the environmental equivalent of the OSCARS, "Best" in Field Research and Scientific Exploration at The 2005 Explorers Club Documentary Film Festival, the Greenpeace Environmental Award at the 2005 Linden Wildlife Film Festival, the prestigious Panda Award at the 2004 Wildscreen Film Festival, "Best People and Animals" award at the 2004 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and many more. In 2008, Sea Studios Foundation launched a massive 360 campaign, named "Think Beyond Plastics", to raise awareness of the implications of overuse of plastic. The campaign is run by Daniella Russo and was awarded Best 360 campaign at 2009 Jackson Hole Film Festival.

External links

pbs.org

pbs.org
*http://www.seastudios.org *http://www.ThinkBeyondPlastics.org Film studios in California {{film-org-stub