What is the WaterBear Network?

WaterBear Network — which has already gathered an impressive roster of high-profile supporters including the Duke of Sussex, model and activist Lily Cole, and actor Maisie Williams — has partnered with more than 80 charities and NGOs around the world, including WWF, Greenpeace and Amazon Watch.

“I’ve been making natural history films all my professional life and what I noticed was that the hard work being done [by environmental organisations] in the field wasn't really recognised,” WaterBear CEO and film producer Ellen Windemuth tells Voguevia Zoom from Amsterdam. “We thought: why don't we make short films about standout projects being worked on by these amazing NGOs? We want to bring out the unsung heroes in stories that are relatable to our viewers.”

During a conversation with Windemuth that will stream on the platform, Prince Harry — who is the president of African Parks, one of the NGOs partnering with WaterBear — adds: “For me it’s about putting the dos behind the says, and that is something that WaterBear is going to be doing: capitalising on a community of doers. There’s a lot of people that say, but this is about action.

Original short films on the platform, which is free and currently available in eight countries globally, include Africa’s Hidden Sea Forest, produced by the same team behind Netflix hit My Octopus Teacher; Turning The Tide On Plastic, a film produced with non-profit Clear Rivers that shows how 80 per cent of plastic waste enters the ocean via rivers; and The Black Jaguar’s Amazon, which looks at deforestation in the world’s largest rainforest. Other documentaries available include Nations United, a UN film narrated by actor Thandie Newton, and conversations featuring Prince Harry and environmentalist Jane Goodall.

Getting viewers to engage with the climate crisis

The interactive nature of the platform is crucial for getting people involved, whether that’s reading more about a particular topic or becoming involved in a charity campaign. “Every time you watch something, you can choose to do one of six different things,” Windemuth explains. “It’s about people donating, volunteering in the field, sharing on social media, becoming active themselves. It’s about sharing our world with you.”

To help educate viewers on the urgent environmental issues we’re facing, WaterBear will be structuring its content around four key themes over the course of the next year: biodiversity, climate, circularity and community. “We start with the human relationship with nature, looking at the animals that we share the Earth with,” Windemuth says of the first theme. “[It’s about] what’s happening to them and what we can do about saving our future really — if we save the animals, we save ourselves.”

For many of us, the magnitude of the climate crisis can be overwhelming, but WaterBear hopes to inspire people to action and not feel helpless. “[We want to] make films that are not apocalyptic, but give people a handle on what's happening,” Windemuth concludes. “And make people feel they’re ready to get up and do something themselves.”

The interactive digital platform and app will feature original content and curated documentaries inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Leading its lineup of originals is Sea Change Project’s Africa’s Hidden Seaforest and Three Bulgarian Lions, a documentary by NGO Four Paws Bulgaria and produced by Clawed Hat Films.

Acquisitions include documentaries Chasing Ice, End of the Line, The Last Honey Hunter and Jackson Wild-winning film The Hunt for Medals Not Lions, as well as content from spoken word artist Prince EA.

The company has also set a number of partnerships with creators such as filmmaker, activist and influencer Jack Harries; producer, director and writer Tom Mustill; environmental journalist and The One Show‘s Lucy Siegel and Emmy Award-winner Nicolas Brown.

A number of film shorts and wildlife docuseries are currently being sourced, the streamer stated, from Vulcan Productions, Participant Media, Off the Fence, Black Bean Productions, Go Project Films, Beautiful News, Cineflix, Dogwoof, Magnolia Films, Giant and 1091.

WaterBear has also licensed films from producer Rob Sorrenti, award-winning photographer, writer and filmmaker Pete McBride and director Ben Masters.

In August, the streamer outlined its senior leadership team with Ellen Windemuth at the helm as CEO and Victor Eckard as managing director.

Lenny faces are short character strings that describe emotions and make your text stand out.

Off the Fence / WaterBear Network founder and owner, Ellen Windemuth has created this project with Off the Fence’s digital division headed by WaterBear MD Victor Eckard. The new technology will connect the world’s NGOs with the next generation of global changemakers. “Our mission is to connect, inform and empower individuals, companies and other organizations across the world to take action and have a positive impact on our future”.

WaterBear has chosen to partner with Irish leading video technology company Axonista to develop the platform. Axonista CEO, Claire McHugh said “The WaterBear Network is one of the most inspiring and ambitious companies we’ve worked with, and a great use of new technology to augment digital storytelling and bring brands closer to their audience.”

Based upon strategic partnerships between the WaterBear Network and global and local NGOs, foundations, industry experts, educational institutions, scientists, photographers, musicians and celebrities, the premium content offered by the WaterBear Network will be significantly expanded with additional information regarding key environmental concerns, learnings, facts and solutions.

Speaking at this year’s Wild Screen Event – known within the industry as “the BAFTA’S of Natural History” with many inspiring people and companies attending, Victor Eckard, Managing Director of the WaterBear Network, said “Our interactive platform will empower our viewers to engage with our partners, their strategic initiatives, projects and specific causes. Our service will enable our subscribers to take action and make real a positive impact”

The WaterBear Network will fill an important gap between broadcasters/TV Networks and consumers, and Off The Fence will be working closely with the global broadcast partners to enable and facilitate the production and distribution of high quality films and series for people who care about our future on this planet.

Off The Fence CEO Ellen Windemuth has been producing and distributing documentary films about the environment for nearly 25 years, and in that time, interest in these important subjects has risen dramatically – just look at the impact of Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet series. But, Windemuth says, true interactivity and engagement now comes from education, and viewers who love a subject are far more likely to engage with a cause in the longterm.

The WaterBear Network, launching next year, works as a showcase for these environmental documentaries, offering subscribers a host of entertainment on demand. But unlike other streaming services, WaterBear also contains a strong call to action, making sure that viewers can engage with the causes close to their heart through advocacy, volunteering or financially long after the credits have finished rolling. Ahead the Tempus Earth Conservation Gala in aid of WWF, Windemuth tells Tempus about the growth of WaterBear, why she is so thrilled to sponsor the Gala, and why entertainment and action have never been so interlinked…

Tell us about the driving concept behind the WaterBear Network? How did it come about?
After nearly 25 years of running a business that produces and distributes documentary films and series about our planet, we realized that we were not making enough of a difference. The need to satisfy ratings and advertisers made TV a very finite medium for what we wanted to achieve. Seven years ago, we started developing a global, interactive video-on-demand platform that could become the showcase for the amazing efforts being made to save our oceans, forests, and endangered species. Technology has only recently matured to a place where we can now launch the first interactive video on demand network dedicated to the planet.

It's a unique mix of streaming entertainment – documentaries and films – with calls to action to aid in related causes. Could you tell us about your inspirations?
Netflix and Hulu have proved that viewers do want to see films on problematic environmental and social topics. However, we have to do more than show people things they feel powerless about. Our interactive network can do much more than the traditional lean-back experience. The WaterBear Network can link you to the NGO and conservation work behind each film, you can travel, attend events, join campaigns, find out all about your favorite species or place in the world, share info on social media and lots more. 

Do you have a particular demographic in mind when it comes to the audience that will actively engage in philanthropy after watching these shows?
This interactive network targets millennials, families, children, teens and babyboomers. Each demographic is offered its own preferred methods of media consumption. While some people prefer to just sit and watch a beautiful film, others will donate to their favorite NGO, or watch only a few minutes and be off to book a trip. Younger viewers will go to a live concert or educate themselves more about their favorite topics. Teens and kids will want to browse and share short form content on social media as a favorite activity. The key to WaterBear Network is that every time you watch something, you get to do something. Both for yourself and for the planet!

How has our interest or engagement in philanthropy changed over the years? What kinds of calls to action will you be including in the network?
My interest in engagement and philanthropy has changed a lot over the last 10 years. Massive issues like climate change, deforestation, destruction of ocean life, increasing trade in endangered wildlife and loss of biodiversity have become so extreme that I came to hope that we have hit rock bottom. There is a fast-growing movement of people who have committed the rest of their lives to saving our connection with the natural world, and therewith with ourselves. There are millions of us out there! Most people feel they do not have the tools or information to become active, even on a hyper-local level, to create positive change. The WaterBear Network provides these tools.

Do you have specific partner charities?
We have a large library of our own premium content which we have curated over many years. In addition, we will be sourcing premium content from the industry, which include the world’s best environmental film festivals, independent producers, distributors, and strategic partners. From a partnership perspective, we choose the organisations who do groundbreaking work within the environmental industry. These partners include NGO’s, foundations, educational institutions, research institutions, and industry experts.

Currently we are engaged with more than 100 global and local NGO’s, and we have already partnered with many, such as WWF Netherlands and Germany, Tusk, African Parks, Wildlife Conservation Society, GoodPlanet Foundation, European Nature Trust, Circle Economy, Rewilding Europe, Environmental Investigation Agency, Mongabay, Sea Shepherd, The World Bank and the Jane Goodall Foundation (to name just a few). We are continually solidifying new partnerships. We are able to support our partner’s strategic initiatives through our interactive platform by empowering our subscribers to engage with our partners, their strategic initiatives, projects and specific causes that resonate with them (our audience). Our platform will enable our subscribers to take action and make real a positive impact.

When do you plan to launch and how quickly do you expect to scale?
We plan to launch in the second quarter of 2019 and will test for three months, then scale up steadily over the next 18 months to reach a global audience in all key local languages.

I have to ask about your name and logo. What is it about this fascinating creature that inspired you?
The waterbear is the strongest animal on earth, despite it being minute in size. It can survive being blasted into outer space, thrust into boiling water, seared by radiation or dried out in the desert. The waterbear represents nature's resilience. If left for enough time to its own devices, nature thrives.