After studying Human Sciences at Oxford University, Vanessa joined the BBC’s NHU where she produced and directed 15 films for 5 award winning landmark series – Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, David Attenborough’s Life of Mammals, Land of the Tiger and The Human Animal – as well as for long-running strands The Natural World and Wildlife on One and documentary series Animal People and Postcards from the Country. Awards include Emmys, BAFTAs, RTS’s, TCAs, Jackson Wild awards and Wildscreen Pandas.  She is also a BAFTA and Grierson nominated Director.

She travelled from the North to the South Pole with Sir David Attenborough whilst producing and directing the opening episode of Frozen Planet, a series for which she won a Primetime Emmy as the Series Producer. Vanessa became an Executive Producer at the BBC for Great Bear Stakeout, Life in the Air and Planet Earth 2.

After leaving the BBC, Vanessa worked as a Consulting Executive Producer with Nutopia helping to develop the series vision for One Strange Rock. She then moved to Botswana with her husband, Mark and son, Cameron, to live in the bush for 2.5 years where together they made Elephant and a companion documentary, In the Footsteps of Elephant for Disneynature

In the seven years since Wildstar was founded, Vanessa has collaborated closely with the teams to deliver six major series for National Geographic and Disney+, including Queens, America the Beautiful, America’s National Parks, Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory, Animals Up Close, and Underdogs with Ryan Reynolds.

She is currently overseeing production on the second series of Underdogs, a Disneynature film slated for release on Earth Day 2025, as well as Sentient—a major landmark series for a leading global streamer, produced in partnership with Darren Aronofsky and Protozoa Films.

Alongside these flagship projects, Vanessa also produced and co-directed Tiger for Disneynature and co-produced its environmental companion documentary Tigers on the Rise, both of which premiered on Disney+.

Since Fremantle acquired Wildstar Films in 2022, Vanessa has used sale proceeds to launch the Wildstar Academy to continue the training of female and diverse wildlife film makers that she started with Queens. She is a regular mentor for National Geographic’s Field Ready Program and is highly committed to helping train and support more film makers from underrepresented groups to build a successful career in wildlife.

After studying Biology at Oxford University, Mark began his career with a long expedition to the Congo for the first full length documentary about lowland gorillas, which aired on the BBC. Mark then joined an independent production company, Green Umbrella, where he produced and directed many films for BBC’s The Natural World and Wildlife on One strands, including The Temple Troop; Gelada Baboons – The Battles of Braveheart; Orangutans – The High Society; and Capuchins – The Monkey Puzzle.

Mark returned to the BBC in 2000 to produce and direct two episodes for Life of Mammals, on which he travelled the world with Sir David Attenborough filming the weird and the wonderful. Mark went on to direct two episodes of the hit TV series Planet Earth, winning a Primetime EMMY for his opening show Pole to Pole. Mark followed this as Producer/Director and Series Writer for Frozen Planet.

Mark broadened into directing feature-length documentaries with the theatric movie Earth which remains one of the most successful wildlife feature films of all time. His director credits for Disneynature include Chimpanzee, Monkey Kingdom, Elephant and co-director for Penguin.  His films have gained many awards including EMMYs, BAFTAs, RTS’s, TCA’s, Jackson Wild awards and Wildscreen Pandas.

In the seven years since Wildstar was founded, Mark has collaborated closely with the teams to deliver six major series for National Geographic and Disney+, including Queens, America the Beautiful, America’s National Parks, Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory, Animals Up Close, and Underdogs with Ryan Reynolds. He also co-developed and directed the jet photography for America the Beautiful which won a Broadcast award for Innovative Use of Technology in Storytelling.

He is currently overseeing production on the second series of Underdogs, a Disneynature film slated for release on Earth Day 2025, as well as Sentient—a major landmark series for a leading global streamer, produced in partnership with Darren Aronofsky and Protozoa Films. Alongside these flagship projects, Mark also directed and produced Tiger for Disneynature and co-produced its environmental companion documentary Tigers on the Rise, both of which premiered on Disney+.

Mark has been at the forefront of innovation in wildlife storytelling throughout his career and continues to work closely with camera and technology companies to develop new ways of filming the natural world. He is committed to help train the next generation of cinematographers, including through National Geographic’s Field Ready Program and his ongoing support for Wildstar’s Academy which he is co-funding with Vanessa.

She was promoted to Head of Production in 2022, became Director of Production & Operations in 2025, and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2026.

With more than 25 years’ experience across natural history, factual entertainment and documentary programming, Rebecca has delivered premium content for major UK and international broadcasters. As COO, she oversees Wildstar’s operational strategy, business planning and production delivery, combining expertise in complex budget management, commercial negotiation and organisational leadership to support the company’s continued growth and creative ambition.

Some of Rebecca’s previous projects include the Emmy award winning natural history series Animals up Close with Bertie Gregory, Queens and Underdogs. Fact Ent strands Handmade: Britain’s Best Woodworker, The One Show and The Great British Bake Off and documentaries such as Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges and John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue.

Wildstar’s recent work includes the double Emmy Award winning Animals Up Close with Bertie Gregory, Disneynature’s Tiger, Underdogs with Ryan Reynolds and Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges.

Previously Carrie worked for a variety of film production companies in London, making a range of films such as Phantom of the Opera, The Libertine and Valiant, as well as working with Chris Evans’ TV Production company, Ginger Television (TFI Friday, The Priory). 

Carrie qualified as a Chartered Accountant while working at Deloitte, specialising in the audit of media and entertainment businesses, and has also spent time working for a small accountancy practice preparing year end accounts and tax returns for individuals and small owner-managed businesses.

She has been a driving force at Wildstar, producing content with a unique voice and building our reputation for excellence. 

Chloe is a multi-award-winning EP, show runner and writer, currently leading editorial on the ‘Secrets of’ brand for National Geographic in partnership with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Pictures. Past notable productions include ‘Sentient’ WT co-produced with Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures and the groundbreaking series ‘Queens’ for National Geographic.

CIPD qualified, Sarah has experience across a broad range of HR disciplines and industries, including employee relations, organisational change, TUPE transfers, international graduate programmes and managing global teams.

Sarah is particularly interested in the responsible adoption of AI in the workplace. She recently achieved the CMI Level 7 qualification in AI for HR and OD Leaders and is committed to helping organisations embrace innovation while maintaining a people-first approach.

Sarah is proud to have supported Wildstar in becoming an accredited Living Wage Employer and Disability Confident Employer.

Before joining Wildstar, he worked at the BBC, in post-production facilities and at a specialist media technology services provider, supporting broadcasters and production companies with editorial systems, media management and technical workflows.

Ed has always enjoyed tinkering with technology, from the latest gadgets to new software, and finding ways to put it to good use in film and television. He enjoys solving technical challenges and building workflows that make life easier for production teams.

Throughout his career, Ed has worked behind the scenes to support a wide range of productions, from flagship natural history series such as Frozen Planet, Africa, Wild Arabia, Life Story, Natural World and Springwatch to popular daytime programmes including Flog It! and DIY SOS. At Wildstar, he combines his passion for technology with his love of film and television, helping to build the workflows and technical foundations that enable world-class productions to come to life.

Before joining Wildstar, he spent two years at the BBC as the technician for the Attenborough landmark series, Mammals. Prior to that, he served as a camera technician at Films@59. Proficient in diverse camera systems and equipment, Ryan has supported crews across every continent.

With teaching experience, he mentors upcoming technicians and operators, many of whom now work across various television genres. On location, Ryan has spent hundreds of days operating and assisting on shoots, deploying bespoke technology to capture groundbreaking sequences. Most recently for Wildstar this includes shoots for Sentient and Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory.

Ryan thrives on using innovative camera technology to tell unique stories about the natural world and the urgent need to preserve it.

Utilising previous experience in business management, catering, recruitment and customer service, Sharon manages the day to day running of the office creating a welcoming, cheerful, and positive environment for all our employees and visitors. Alongside managing the running team, Sharon is dedicated to making the Wildstar office an amazing place to work.