Wild Media Journal is stoked to welcome Olivia Grace Haun as our new Editor of People and Projects storytelling. Olivia’s creativity and experience in the field of conservation filmmaking and visual communication are set to bring new energy and fresh perspective to the WMJ platform.
As we continue to bring you inspiring and meaningful stories about the people, projects, tech, and gear shaping the future of nature, outdoor, and science storytelling. Olivia’s inherent kindness and compassion, coupled with her recent introduction to motherhood with the birth of her daughter, Rayna Maria, bring added depth to her editorial approach. Her love of nature and her passion for visual media allows her to help connect people to the world around them.
Before joining our team, Olivia served as the Outreach Specialist for the Wildlife Diversity Program at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). There, she leveraged her multi-faceted skills as an ecologist, researcher, video producer, director, editor, state-wide conservation program coordinator, and social media manager to tell stories about people and nature. Her work focused on a diverse range of topics – from urban wildlife and ecosystems to rare and endangered species, to citizen science. Her award-winning film, Bayou City, was featured in festivals such as the Jackson Wild Media Awards, DCEFF, and the Wild Texas Film Tour.
Please join us in welcoming Olivia to the Wild Media Journal crew!
Get to know Olivia
On Curiosity: Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I did my undergrad at Indiana University, double-majored in Biology & Italian, and went on to get my master’s degree in Ecology from UT Austin. Funnily enough, my favorite classes usually revolved around music, history, or film, like History of Rock & Roll, or a World War II class that studied propaganda films. It’s fascinating to explore how people uniquely communicate and express themselves throughout time. I also loved my field ecology courses and learned so much about native species and the interconnectedness of life on earth.
Inspiring moments: What’s your most epic/memorable wildlife encounter?
In Australia, I saw two cassowaries attack each other! They were hissing and kicking each other with their dinosaur feet. It was intense! Also on that trip, I stumbled upon an amethystine python, sitting in a sunbeam, glowing iridescent purple. It reminded me of the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent deity I had just learned about the day before. It felt pretty magical.
On Creativity: How do you know when a creative project is finished and it’s time to stop?
I feel like a creative project is never ‘done’. You could always keep going and iterating. Normally for me, it’s the looming deadline that helps motivate me to tie a bow on a project. Sometimes, I get a gut feeling that it’s ‘done’, but otherwise I could go on forever. So setting deadlines for personal projects is a must for me.
You can follow Olivia’s creative work right here on WMJ and on Instagram @olivia.grace.haun
