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Corina Newsome

Conservation    Education    Exploration

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Credit: Katherine Arntzen Georgia Southern University

An exciting collaboration between award winning documentary film producer David Wright and biologist Corina Newsome

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Corina and David are developing several documentary and television projects:

Feature documentary

  • Shaping the South, Corina's Journey:

A biography of this inspirational young scientist, telling the story of Corina’s growing up in the inner city, meeting a mentor and how that launched her career and a passionate love of wildlife. Through making this film, she hopes to pay that favor forward and inspire a new generation of scientists and climate advocates.

 

The film will be based where Corina has done most of her field research, Brunswick, on the coast of GA. This is also the place where Ahmaud Arbery was recently murdered, so at the center of a lot of turmoil. You can feel the tension everyday, as the struggles that went on through the Civil Rights era of the 1960's have returned. This has presented a unique set of challenges and dangers for a young black woman doing solo field research. The south east Georgia landscape that Corina explores is one shaped by the plantation era and slavery, so an emotional place for her to make her home.

 

This story will inspire young people to see what can be achieved through schooling, how mentors can change a young person's life, but also reveal the truths of what it is like for a young black woman to confront the history that shaped this place, a place where the marks of slavery and the horrors of the plantation era are all around in the Georgia landscape. A history we should all be aware of and acknowledge the pain and sacrifice of the people on whose backs the economy of the South was built.

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Television

  • Urban Wild: A TV series focused on rediscovering the urban wildlife that inspired Corina to become a field biologist, while growing up on the streets of a big city

  • 1000: Join Corina on a global adventure to visit iconic species that are now facing extinction, their populations being less than 1000, including animals like the mountain gorilla, northern right whale and cassowary

  • Become A Scientist: As a child, Corina met a zoo keeper who opened her eyes to becoming a biologist, a career she may never have considered, but is now an all consuming passion. Paying that gift forward, this TV series aims to inspire a new generation of scientists as Corina visits other science professionals each week in a format similar to the successful "Dirty Jobs" format

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We are also open to developing other projects to fit the needs of networks looking for wildlife and science programs.

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David Wright and Corina Newsome first worked together in 2016 while shooting a feature documentary on young climate activists. Since then, Corina moved on from her position as an educator & keeper at the Nashville Zoo and is completing a Masters in ornithology at Georgia Southern University. She has also developed a substantial online following, becoming an internationally recognized influencer, inspiring a new generation of scientists.

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BIO:

Corina Newsome is a Master's student studying biology with a focus on avian conservation. She has worked in the field of wildlife conservation for 8 years, first as a zookeeper specializing in animal training and environmental education, and currently as a field biologist working to conserve the MacGillivray's seaside sparrow on the coast of Georgia. Having experienced the hurdles faced by people of color interested in wildlife careers, Corina has founded several programs to encourage high school students from underrepresented demographics to consider careers in wildlife sciences. Corina grew up in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has always had a desire to participate in the conservation of wildlife and natural spaces, and encourage people to explore the great outdoors.

Video examples

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Behold The Earth excerpt  (the project where David and Corina first worked together, 2016)

Jungle Jordan with guest Corina Newsome

A recent sample interview with Corina

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