Keep The Arctic Cool
Updated: 3 days ago
Discovery × Churchill, Canada
Executive Production · Editorial Direction · Partnership-Enabled Content
The Opportunity
A commercial relationship between Discovery and the Embassy of Canada opened an unexpected opportunity: three fully funded trips to Churchill, Manitoba.
Originally intended as an internal benefit, the trips presented a chance to create something meaningful for Discovery's audience.
Instead of sending employees on a trip, what if we sent a camera crew to find stories worth telling?
The Approach
Instead of focusing only on polar bears or creating a conventional travel promotion, we explored the people whose lives are connected to this extraordinary place.
I assembled a small production team and led the executive production, identifying three key subjects to interview:
A local kid growing up in polar bear country.
A tundra buggy driver who takes visitors into the Arctic wilderness.
A researcher studying polar bears in their natural habitat.
Working from this editorial direction, the filmmaker developed the creative treatment and brought the stories to life.
The Outcome
Three original documentary pieces, united under the title Keep the Arctic Cool, that aired extensively on Discovery.
No tourism slogans. No Embassy branding. Just authentic documentary storytelling that felt entirely natural to the channel.
What began as a commercial benefit became original content — without requiring a conventional production budget.
My Role: Executive Producer · Editorial Direction
The takeaway: Sometimes the best creative opportunities aren't in the brief. They're in what you choose to do with what's already on the table.
2017 — Gold, Promax LATAM
2017 — Premios Canadá a Voces
Keep the Arctic Cool received international recognition, earning Gold awards in both Latin America and Canada.
