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Jonathan Bird | |
|---|---|
 Bird in 2007 | |
| Born | Jonathan Bird March 1969 (age 56)[1] |
| Education | Electrical engineering |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, cinematographer, television host |
| Known for | Underwater diving, cinemetography |
| Spouse | Christine Bird |
| Children | Elise Bird, Liam Bird |
| Awards | International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame |
| Website | www |
Jonathan Bird (born March 1969) is an American cinematographer, photographer, director and television host known for underwater work. He is best known for his role as the host ofJonathan Bird's Blue World, a family-friendly underwater exploration program on public television in the United States.[2]
Bird learned toscuba dive while in college atWorcester Polytechnic Institute and combined his interest in photography with diving.[3] His first underwater photographs were made in the waters of Massachusetts.[4] He worked as anelectrical engineer for several years until leaving his position to pursue underwater photography full-time in 1993.[5] He became a freelance underwater photographer, working for magazines including Sport Diver and Skin Diver. His first book, Beneath the North Atlantic, a collection of his favorite images from the waters of New England, was published in 1997 by Tide-mark Press.[6] He is the author of 7 books[7] and his images have appeared in nature publications includingNational Geographic,National Wildlife andBBC Wildlife.
Bird formed Oceanic Research Group, Inc. in 1991 to produce educational ocean-related materials.[8] Oceanic Research Group became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1993. Oceanic Research Group's first underwater film was produced in 1992 for the educational market and was distributed by AIMS Media, which has since been acquired byDiscovery Education. Bird and Oceanic Research Group have made 13 educational films for use in schools about ocean topics since then, the most recent beingSharks: Predators with a Purpose in 2007.[9]
His first television film,Sharks: The Real Story, co-produced with longtime collaborator Art Cohen, was completed in 1995 and aired on PBS. Bird is fond of sharks as a subject matter and has made 5 films about sharks.[10][11] In 2005, Bird completed his first film forNational Geographic Channel, calledSharks: Deep Trouble. His broadcast work has earned Bird 9Emmy awards and 2CINE Golden Eagle awards.[12] He cites Howard Hall as a major influence in his cinematography.[13] He directed theIMAX filmAncient Caves,[14] distributed byMacGillivray Freeman Films, in 2020. He subsequently collaborated with Howard and Michele Hall on the 2022 IMAX filmSecrets of the Sea.[15]
The pilot forJonathan Bird's Blue World was completed in 2001 and shopped around without success for several years. The project was dropped while Bird worked on several broadcast documentaries. In 2007, without a television buyer, the first few episodes were put on the web.[16] After gaining a fan base there, NETA offeredJonathan Bird’s Blue World distribution to U.S. public television.[17] Four seasons (through 2014) were eventually distributed to public television through NETA. The series is distributed to international television exclusively by FusionTV.[18] Beginning in 2012, shorter versions of the program were made available on YouTube. The channel has grown to over 1 million subscribers.[19][20][21]
Bird lives in Massachusetts with his wife Christine and two children. He plays guitar in The Wetsuits, a rock band made up of all professional underwater photographers including Michel Gilbert, Danielle Alary, Michael Lawrence, and Paul Cater Deaton.[22] He is a member of theWyland Ocean Artist Society[23] and a 2019 inductee of theInternational Scuba Diving Hall of fame.[24]
