During its inspiring upfront presentation on Wednesday evening, National Geographic presented its ambitious 2017-18 slate of premium, groundbreaking content. The “Further Front,” which was hosted at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, included the presentation of seven new unscripted series, one new scripted series, three feature documentaries and a number of returning series.
“In our industry, we are all in the business of ideas and storytelling,” said 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch in his opening remarks. “We believe Nat Geo’s distinction in the media landscape of storytellers is that its stories are driven by purpose. Fueled by the authenticity and excellence of our partners – photographers and explorers who work tirelessly to challenge our perspectives – Nat Geo inspires and connects people, and opens our eyes wide to science and the natural world.”
National Geographic Global Networks CEO Courteney Monroe reflected on the network’s far-reaching programming the past year, including “MARS,” “Before the Flood,” “Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric,” “The Story of God With Morgan Freeman” and “Genius,” which premieres April 25.
“In a word, we’ve gone further: further to entertain you, further to captivate you and further to elevate our brand of creatively ambitious premium programming,” she said before presenting National Geographic’s slate of 2017-18 content.
National Geographic’s 2017-18 upfront slate includes “Race,” a new unscripted series from Shawn Carter (Jay Z) and The Weinstein Company; a new six-part documentary series from Katie Couric; “The Story of Us with Morgan Freeman,” an expansion of the Emmy-nominated “The Story of God”; a new Dr. Jane Goodall biopic; and the return of “Genius,” “MARS,” “Explorer” and “StarTalk With Neil deGrasse Tyson.”
To end the presentation, National Geographic EVP for Sales and Partnerships Brendan Ripp spoke with National Geographic Photography Fellow Cory Richards via a live Skype feed. Cory, who was about to begin his second trip up Mount Everest, was asked to share what the National Geographic brand means to him: “National Geographic really represents the investment in the planet, the future of the planet and the future of the human family. We have to look further beyond ourselves to see how integrated we are and how connected all of this is. Using our exploration, education and storytelling to bring that together hopefully inspires the rest of the world to care the same way we do.”
Yesterday, National Geographic also announced three new scripted development projects; “Earth Live,” a two-hour live broadcast hosted by Jane Lynch; The National Geographic Further Community, a new digital venture; and Nat Geo WILD’s 2017-18 upfront slate.
Read more about National Geographic’s Further Front announcements, and see photos from the event below.
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