Lisa Samford

Background

About Lisa Samford

Lisa pivoted from an early career in print journalism to become a documentary filmmaker specializing in difficult remote expedition projects for global broadcasters including National Geographic, Discovery, ABC, Smithsonian and others. She has filmed across five continents on a diverse collection of projects exploring topics ranging from violent crime, espionage, extreme weather and American history to multiple ethnographic/scientific explorations and intimate portraits of author Wallace Stegner, conservation pioneer Mardy Murie, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As Executive Director of internationally renowned Jackson Wild since 2002, Lisa curates and oversees all programming, including its annual global Summit, JW Media Awards film and the UN World Wildlife Day Film Showcase, as well as JW’s year-round professional development initiatives, global partnerships, and strategic impact collaborations that extend the reach of media beyond the screen. Under Samford’s leadership Jackson Wild has created a true community of global visual storytellers aligned with purpose and united by the challenges facing our world. JW has become a trusted professional development incubator accelerating impact driven storytelling that ignites personal commitment and change as we work together to forward solutions-driven approaches to address the global climate crisis and accelerate equity/inclusion in front of and behind the camera. The JW board is comprised of some of the planet’s most respected media and conservation organizations. JW Initiatives launched under Samford’s leadership-TEDxJacksonHole (2011-2018)-WILD Science (Wyoming’s first Science Festival)(2012-2015)-SMASH—Science Media Awards & Summit (in the) Hub, with WGBH (2016-2018)-JW Frontiers- Jackson Wild Media Labs, Mentorships, Fellowships and Professional Acceleration Programs)(2018-present)-Global Partnerships with UN (CITES/UNDP/UNEP), International “Sister” Festivals (NEWF/Africa & Santiago Wild/Latin America), Jackson Wild on Tour, US Dept of State, and others.(2006-present)-JW Collective, an Online Global Community, hosting virtual international screenings and training events and creating open-source resources, professional training and development opportunities (2020-present) Samford has served as an envoy for the US State Department’s American Film Showcase, working to further its global diplomatic mission and on the board of the Wildlife Society of Filmmakers, dedicated to supporting rising filmmakers working primarily in the natural history documentary genre, since 2019.