Chadden Hunter

Born in north Queensland, Australia, Chadden grew up surrounded by rainforest and coral reef, an immersion in nature that inspired his life journey. He gained a First Class Honours degree in Zoology from the University of Queensland, then embarked on a wild 'Gorillas in the Mist' adventure to study gelada baboons in the remote war-torn mountains of Ethiopia for his PhD. While dodging armed bandits and surviving brain parasites he learnt Amharic, the local language, and realised that to protect the natural world he'd need to reach a greater audience. After presenting the 'Cliffhangers' TV series for National Geographic Chadden became convinced television was the most powerful tool for outreach and positive change. He often compares the viewers of his films to the customers of other industries, describing how the skills of story-telling can move people into action, whether for education, motivation or inspiration. As a wildlife filmmaker Dr. Hunter has worked alongside Sir David Attenborough for over 20 years, documenting everything from snow leopards in Pakistan to anaconda in the Amazon. On the BBC series Planet Earth he became known as 'the guy covered in bat poop', and whilst filming arctic wolves for Frozen Planet learnt that minus 40C was cold enough to freeze his eyes shut. As a Divemaster he has worked alongside underwater crews around the world, exploring the issue of plastics in the ocean and how the 'Blue Planet 2 Effect' encouraged changes in corporate behaviour and global politics. Chadden has produced and directed some of the world's most seminal nature documentaries. Planet Earth 1 and 2, LIFE, Wild Arabia, Frozen Planet and Seven Worlds One Planet have won over 20 Bafta and Emmy awards. No back 'home' in Queensland, Chadden continues to make documentaries to inspire audiences around the world.