Hidden Worlds of the National Parks
With The National Parks Foundation & Google
An interactive documentary series that helps viewers experience the most awe-inspiring adventures in America's National Parks.
AT-A-GLANCE
WHAT WE DID
Development
Story Hunting
Showrunning
Production
Post Production
Film
Interactive
VR 360
Experiential
PROJECT OVERVIEW
America's National Parks belong to everyone. But, with 80% of Americans living more than a three hour drive from a park, the lack of access creates fewer people who are invested in protecting them.
So, we dreamed up way to use cutting edge technology and immersive filmmaking techniques to bring the parks closer—sparking curiosity, inspiring first-time visits, and building the foundation of stewardship for the next generation.
Combining film, virtual reality, and digital storytelling, our interactive documentary took people on an adventure through the hardest to get to parts of some of the most remote parks in the system, with Park Rangers as our guides.
THE APPRAOCH
VIRTUAL REALITY
We used 360 video to immerse people in adventures on horseback across the Utah high desert, by kayak through Alaskan icebergs, in a helicopter over an erupting volcano on Hawai’i’s Big Island, by foot on a spelunking adventure into New Mexico’s five million year old bat caves and with a scuba tank strapped to their back to investigate shipwrecks and coral reefs in the Caribbean.
To truly immerse viewers in these off-the-beaten-path activities, our crew had to experience them first hand: mounting cameras on helicopters over active volcanoes, developing high res 360 cameras to film the night sky in one of the darkest places on earth, and being lowered into a glacial crevice wearing a custom helmet rig–whatever it took to get the shot.
INTERACTIVE IMMERSION
The experience lived within a site that let viewers freely explore each park and discover places most people never get to see in person.
A series of interactive features allowed viewers to see the world like the bats in Carlsbad Caverns do, to understand the constellations in Bryce Canyon’s ultra dark sky, and to understand the effects climate change is having on glacial erosion.
RESULTS
This groundbreaking project successfully merged entertainment, education, and technical innovation to create an experience that inspired people to take their first steps into an actual park–all while bringing Google’s values and products into the conversation around this historic cultural moment.
The project launched on the 100th Anniversary of the National Parks Service, amplified with media coverage in Smithsonian, Popular Science, and Outside Magazine – along with the help of a full social and influencer campaign.
The most powerful and lasting impact, however, is through the educational initiatives that brought the experience into classrooms across the country, sparking thousands of field trips and first-time park visits for students.
The year our initiative launched, the National Parks Service had its highest park attendance in history. We’re not saying that’s all us, but we’re not saying it isn’t.
Impact & Recognition
One Show
Gold Pencil
Popular Science
Outside Magazine
Smithsonian Magazine
Webbys
Winner and People’s
Voice for Education
People’s Voice for Best
Use of Video
Cannes
Lions
Digital Craft Shortlist
Awwwards
Site of the Day
FWA
Site of the Month
CREDITS
Creative Director
Nico Carbonaro
Executive Producer
Eloise Harper Connolly, Mark Depace
ECD
Michael Tabtabai
Producer
Jon Campbell, Matt O’Connor, Patrick Krulik
Director
Adam Newport Berra, Nico Carbonaro
Adam Newport Berra
DP
Music
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
Editor
Lance Edmands
Art Director
Ben Lebovitz, Andrew Braswell
Writer
Brooke Amber Johnson
Interactive Agency
Stink Studios
ECD
Ben Hughes