The Ark

The Northern White Rhinoceros is one of the most endangered species on earth — as of 2024, only two remain, both females, under constant armed protection at Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy. In 2016, two efforts were racing the clock: the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's cloning research and DNA preservation program, safeguarding the species' genetic material for potential future revival, and Ol Pejeta's 24/7 armed protection of the last animals in the wild against poaching.

Chronicle both efforts in 360 — put viewers inside the rhinos' habitats, standing with the people fighting for the species on two continents. The format made the stakes physical in a way a flat documentary couldn't.

I led production of the film across both continents, from the enclosures in San Diego to the conservancy in Kenya.

We shot on early 360-degree camera technologies, on location in San Diego and Kenya, capturing the rhinos' habitats and the daily work of the teams protecting them. The goal throughout was presence — viewers inside these places, not observing them from a distance.

The Ark premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival as part of the festival's inaugural immersive program. The premiere was staged inside a set built to replicate the shipping containers used for rhino transport. Since then, the film has been distributed internationally and licensed by several platforms, including Hulu.