Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers

What Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers does

NEWF (Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers), legally registered as Nature Environment & Wildlife Conservation Trust, is a South African non-profit company founded in 2017 by filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers Noel Kok and Pragna Parsotam-Kok. The organization trains and supports African storytellers, scientists, and conservationists to produce nature, wildlife, and conservation films from an African perspective, addressing the historical gap in which African stories about African wildlife have been told primarily by non-African filmmakers. The core operating model is a fellowship ecosystem comprising Producers' Labs (Kickstarter Story Producers' Lab with ZAR 75,000 grants, Next Chapter Producers' Lab), specialized training programs (Dive Labs/Ocean Access with PADI certification, Cinematography Labs, Photography Fellowships, Game Design Lab, Field Navigation Lab), and an annual Congress and Fellows Summit held in Durban since 2018. There is no proprietary technology stack; the platform is built on Squarespace for web, standard social media channels for distribution, and GiveGain for donations. Physical infrastructure comprises a headquarters in Umdloti, Durban and the eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre in Sodwana Bay (opened November 2023), which serves as the primary training facility and the largest ocean access program for African scientists, conservationists, and storytellers. Revenue is generated through institutional grants (National Geographic Society's Africa Refocused program being the flagship, plus NFVF, Sundance Documentary Fund, and YES Programme/Wild Impact), individual donations via GiveGain, and co-production partnerships with organizations such as HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. The organization has no commercial pricing model and does not sell products — its outputs (40+ supported films, awards at Jackson Wild including the 2024 Grand Tetons Award for Best Conservation Film) are reinvested into the mission and the fellow community.

Name

Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers

Legal name

Nature Environment & Wildlife Conservation Trust

Website

https://newf.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NEWF is a South African non-profit collective training African storytellers, scientists, and conservationists to produce nature, wildlife, and conservation films from an African perspective, operating fellowship programs, dive labs, cinematography training, and an annual Congress, funded primarily by the National Geographic Society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Filmmaker Training & Capacity Building

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate, Environment & Natural Resource Management Aid Programs (BPADABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF), Climate Policy, Governance & NDC Support (BPADALAA)

Keywords

• Wildlife filmmaking training
• Conservation documentary programs
• Ocean access certification
• African storyteller fellowships
• Nature cinematography labs

Headquarters

HQ city

Durban

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: NEWF operates as a non-profit company (Nature Environment & Wildlife Conservation Trust) and relies on donations and charitable support, with a donate button prominently featured on their website linking to Givengain.
2. Grant Funding and Program Sponsorships: NEWF receives grant funding from partnerships such as Africa Refocused (National Geographic Society), YES Programme (Youth Employment Service) with Wild Impact, and NFVF funding for the Environment and Belonging Story Lab. These grants fund fellowships and program operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NEWF is a non-profit organization that trains, funds, and connects African storytellers, scientists, and conservationists to produce nature, environment, and wildlife films. It operates an ecosystem of fellowships, producers' labs, dive/cinematography/photography/game-design labs, and an annual Congress, anchored by its eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre in Sodwana Bay.

Product overview

NEWF (Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers) is a non-profit organization operating as a multi-program platform rather than a single product. The core offerings include the NEWF Producers' Lab ecosystem (Kickstarter Story Producers' Lab, Next Chapter Producers' Lab), annual NEWF Congress/Summit, and specialized training labs (Cinematography Labs, Dive Labs/Ocean Access, Game Design Lab, Conservation Photography Lab, Field Navigation Lab, Photography Fellowship). The organization also operates eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre as its physical home base facility in Sodwana Bay. Programs like Africa Refocused (in partnership with National Geographic Society), the Takalani Mulaudzi Development Grant, and exchange programs (South x South, Drik Exchange, AFRIFF Producers' Lab Pitch) extend the platform's reach. The integrated ecosystem connects storytelling training, production funding, mentorship, and community building for African nature and conservation storytellers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Africa Refocused: A collaboration with National Geographic Society to tell Africa's stories from an African perspective, supporting filmmakers, conservationists, and scientists.
• eKhaya Storytelling Centre
• Story Labs
• Dive Labs

Products and services

• NEWF Producers' Lab Multi-tiered creative incubator program advancing African nature, environment, and wildlife storytelling through capacity building, mentorship, and grant funding for African filmmakers, conservationists, and scientists.
• Kickstarter Story Producers' Lab 6-month fellowship providing ZAR 75,000 grants (approx. USD 3,500) plus workshops and mentorship for emerging storytellers, scientists, and conservationists to produce 8-10 minute documentary short films.
• Next Chapter Producers' Lab Year-long programme supporting filmmakers, conservationists, and scientists at various career stages, fostering impactful storytelling in natural history, conservation, and environmental themes.
• NEWF Congress / Fellows Summit Annual signature event bringing together African filmmakers, conservationists, scientists, and media professionals for learning, networking, pitch competitions, workshops, and industry panels.
• Ocean Access / Dive Labs Largest ocean access program for African scientists, conservationists, and storytellers, offering PADI-certified dive training, underwater cinematography workshops, and marine exploration from eKhaya in Sodwana Bay.
• Cinematography Labs Technical training labs covering wildlife cinematography, RED camera operation, underwater filming, and field navigation for filmmakers and conservationists.
• Game Design Lab First game design lab in partnership with Internet for Elephants and Pan Africa Gaming Group, designed to inspire curiosity and solution-forward thinking through play-based learning.
• Reimagining African Narratives Photography Fellowship Fellowship empowering photographers and visual artists to deepen their narratives and explore new strategies for lens-based conservation storytelling practices.
• Field Navigation Lab Lab providing essential knowledge about filming in the wild with FGASA certifications, designed for film directors, cinematographers, photographers, and scientists.
• eKhaya Storytelling, Research and Dive Centre Home base facility in Sodwana Bay, South Africa providing accommodation, training spaces, pool training facilities, and community gathering space for NEWF fellows and programs including Dive Labs and cinematography workshops.
• Takalani Mulaudzi Development Grant Special initiative celebrating and supporting African storytellers developing documentary feature films about the ocean, named in honor of the late Takalani Mulaudzi.
• YES Youth Employment Programme Youth employment internship programme in partnership with Wild Impact under the national Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative, onboarding local youth into conservation and filmmaking training.

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ fellows trained and supported across 25+ African countries since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• HHMI Tangled Bank StudiosflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 October 2025Co-production partnership for 'Wild Hope: Rhino Ops' documentary showcasing anti-poaching interventions at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. The film premiered on Wild Hope TV and PBS Nature's YouTube Channel, representing a significant milestone for African filmmaking and community-led conservation.
• Internet for ElephantsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2025Collaboration for first-ever Game Design Lab from 6-12 October 2025, facilitated by game designers Gautam Shah (Internet of Elephants) and Jake Manion (Pan Africa Gaming Group).
• Wild Impact (YES Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2025Partnership under the national Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative successfully onboarded 38 local youth as part of NEWF's internship programme, expanding youth employment through conservation and filmmaking training.
• Santiago WildcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2025South x South partnership hosts 10-day Ocean Stories workshop in Sodwana Bay, bringing together 15 multidisciplinary storytellers who are certified divers - 8 selected by NEWF and 7 from Latin America selected by Santiago Wild.
• Drik Picture LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2025NEWF and Drik Picture Library partner to amplify African and South Asian visual storytellers through a transcontinental exchange of knowledge and experiences in film and photography.
• Green Stories (India)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Asia's first mentoring and pitching lab for wildlife and environment documentaries. NEWF Fellow Rufusiah Molefe from Botswana attended as observer, gaining insights into storytelling techniques and funding frameworks.
• Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 November 2024NEWF's partnership with AFRIFF expanded the pitch competition from regional to continent-wide, drawing 80 applications. Three finalists advanced to NEWF's 2025 Producers' Lab, representing Nigeria, Cameroon, and Tunisia (first Tunisian film pitch finalist).
• FAME Week AfricaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 September 2024NEWF participated in FAME Week Africa with a booth, VR and film showcases, sessions on labs and Africa Refocused program, building awareness and connections within the African entertainment industry.
• National Geographic Society (Africa Refocused)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2022Africa Refocused is a flagship collaboration between NEWF and National Geographic Society designed to amplify African stories on a global scale. The program addresses the critical need for stories of Africa to be told by Africans. Africa Refocused supports filmmakers, conservationists, and scientists through training, mentorship, funding, and access to National Geographic platforms and networks.
• Jackson WildcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJackson Wild is a premier nature and wildlife media awards summit. NEWF actively participates, with fellows serving as jurors, films nominated and winning awards, and co-presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mike Pandey.
• Ezemvelo KZN WildlifecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment wildlife authority in KwaZulu-Natal that supports NEWF's conservation filmmaking at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, providing access and support for 'Wild Hope: Rhino Ops' anti-poaching documentary.
• Youth Divers With a Purpose (YDWP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-cultural exchange partner that visited eKhaya for collaborative programs, bridging African storytellers with connected experiences in the diaspora and exploring shared missions.
• Makuleke Youth BirdersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity engagement partnership at Pafuri Camp in Kruger National Park, supporting youth birding and conservation education with support from Return Africa, Canon Europe, and NEWF Community.
• Aqua-Farms Organisation (Tanzania)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for dive labs and conservation programs in Tanzania, with NEWF divers assisting with partner labs and underwater cinematography training.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Society: Massive nonprofit funding conservation, exploration, and storytelling worldwide, including the Africa Refocused partnership with NEWF — a flagship partner and broader incumbent operating in the same conservation storytelling space.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Large international conservation organization that combines field conservation with media and storytelling programs — comparable to NEWF in using media as a vehicle for conservation impact, though at much larger scale and broader geographic mandate.
• HHMI Tangled Bank Studios: Documentary production studio producing science and conservation films for broadcast — co-produced 'Wild Hope: Rhino Ops' with NEWF and represents a comparable model of producing premium conservation content for global audiences.

Direct peers

• Wildscreen: UK-based charity that convenes the wildlife film industry through training, networking events (Wildscreen Festival), and the Arkive media library — directly comparable to NEWF's wildlife filmmaker training, community building, and festival participation model.
• Jackson Wild: Nature and wildlife media summit and awards body that convenes filmmakers, conservationists, and broadcasters globally — directly comparable to NEWF's annual Congress, fellowship ecosystem, and award circuit engagement strategy.

Peers

• Conservation International:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/newfafrica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NEWFcommunity
• Facebookfacebook.com/NEWFcommUNITY
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nature-environment-wildlife-filmmakers
• Instagraminstagram.com/newfcommunity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers