About us
Our mission is to transform the field of nature conservation communication through our free media library and impact-focused storytelling.
Around the world, marine ecosystems are collapsing. This impending crisis doesn't just threaten oceanic life and the 3 billion people who rely on the sea for food - it has dire implications for life on Earth as we know it.
But there's hope. Dedicated scientists, conservationists, and activists are working tirelessly to find solutions. At Kogia we support the efforts of those on the frontline by providing them with free high-quality photos and videos. We also make films that inspire hope and change, with an aim to foster within our audience the same appreciation, awe and sense of protection that we feel so deeply towards the natural oceanic world.
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Conservationists working to protect our oceans face a significant challenge: accessing quality media to communicate their work. High-quality imagery is often inaccessible, contacting individual filmmakers and photographers can be time-consuming, and licensing photos and videos can be prohibitively expensive.
This is where Kogia comes in.
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We created a vast and streamlined digital library of high-quality, scientifically categorized photos and videos that is free to use for those working towards the protection of our planet.
Unlike other media licensing platforms, Kogia’s Oceanic Library is nature- focused. We also don’t charge for access to our content, which is captured by some of the world’s most talented and recognized underwater photographers and filmmakers.
Library aside, we make films, run impact campaigns, and actively work to decolonize nature storytelling by supporting and amplifying the voices of emerging conservation storytellers around the world.
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After a decade of working as nature visual storytellers in the nonprofit sector, two things became crystal clear to our founders.
While compiling a vast archive of photos and videos of wildlife and scenery from around the world, we were only using a fraction of what was captured. We°published and licensed the very best images, while the majority remained completely unused.
At the same time, while producing dozens of documentaries for humanitarian and environmental NGOs, we noticed how diðcult it was for nonprofits to access high-quality media of the natural world. This is where the idea for Kogia was born.
Meet the Team
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Co-founder
Director of Vision & Content
Karim Iliya is a photographer, filmmaker and whale swimming guide based in Iceland and Hawaii. He was recently selected as part of the dearMoon crew, the first civilian flight which will go around the moon aboard the starship rocket. Karim has won multiple awards and has been published in National Geographic Magazine for his humpback whale photography and BBC Earth for his video work.
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Co-Founder
Director of OperationsNessim is a Lebanese-British filmmaker and photographer with experience working as a director, producer, camera operator and editor on a range of subjects including environmental conservation, education and global health. He specializes in breaking down complex topics into aesthetic, nuanced and human-centric stories, a skill which he has honed by producing content for NGOs, development organizations and ethical companies in over 35 countries across 6 continents.
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Communications Manager
Swathi is a design and communications generalist who loves working towards creating impact. She dreams in blue, is irrevocably in love with our oceans, and advocates for environmental causes in her free time. An Antarctic expeditioner and aspiring conservation storyteller, Swathi is a freshly certified diver who hopes to showcase the beauty of India’s marine ecosystems to the world at large.
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Operations Manager
Thurayya is a social scientist and public and environmental health researcher based in Beirut, Lebanon. She has worked on social impact research and adovcacy campaigns with nonprofits, government actors, as well as academic institutions across Lebanon and the MENA region. She holds an MSc in Anthropology as well as an undergraduate minor in Ecology and Conservation. She is also a certified scuba and freediver.
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Strategic Advisor
Akasha is an intrepid explorer, diver, and conservationist who strives at connecting communities, businesses, and institutions with their ever-changing environments. Throughout her career, Akasha has focused heavily on the utilization of technology to bring both awareness and protection to the world ecosystem, and all its inhabitants.
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Founding Team Member & Advisor
With a background as a licensed financial advisor and a founder of multiple startups, Tarek is a Founding Partner at Type One Ventures, a venture capital fund envisioning a future civilization that is not only self-sufficient, but also interplanetary.Searching for Humanity's Longevity Escape Velocity. Space Enthusiast and Futurist. History Buff. Obsessed with improving each new iteration of himself. Interested in DeepTech, Future of Work, Robotics, PropTech, Technologies that connect people in new ways, and AR/VR.
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Partnerships & Media Contributor
Jono is an underwater photographer, environmental scientist, wildlife guide and filmmaker driven by a desire to capture powerful visuals and catalyse change. Jono is a co-founder of the Fuvahmulah Marine Foundation which addresses plastic pollution and wildlife entanglement on the island and has since then also become the Media Director of the Miyaru Programme. His work has been featured in world-class underwater photography competitions and publications.
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Development Advisor
Cedric is a French-American technology sales executive based out of Hawaii. He spent 8 years helping to build and scale the sales motion at a technology company from their founding through their public offering. He has a passion for being underwater, and alongside his wife Rachel spends most days free-diving along the Kona coast with his camera in hand. In early 2023 he stepped away from the corporate sphere to focus his efforts full-time on protecting the ocean by helping organizations on the frontlines of conservation.
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Strategic Advisor
Over the past 2 decades, Keith Ladzinski has traveled widely throughout the seven continents to many of the planets most remote and formidable locations documenting high altitude climbing expeditions, exploration, wildlife, scientific discovery, climate change and sever weather events.His passion for story telling has earned him 12 National Geographic Assignments, 3 cover stories and an Emmy nomination. Notable and award winning stories include documenting the Great Lakes of North America, Sauropod Dinosaur discoveries in the African Sahara, Storm Chasing in Tornado Alley, the Over Harvesting of Krill in Antarctica, and a wide range of climbing stories from Greenland, Mt Everest to Antarctica.
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Founding Team Member & Advisor
Abdo, a Los Angeles native born to Lebanese immigrants, is a multi-talented musician turned entrepreneur and venture capitalist. From co-producing films to founding successful businesses, he's driven by challenging norms. At USC, his Capstone project exposed political scandals. His journey spans media entrepreneurship, global travel, and impactful investments in tech startups. Now a General Partner at Type One, he's focused on space exploration.
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Founding Member
Rebecca is a performing artist, death doula, and advocate for marine conservation. Her storytelling work often tackles difficult themes such as addiction and death, making them accessible to a wider audience. Through her passion for free-diving and her travels, she has formed a community rooted in spreading awareness around marine conservation. As a mother to three young children, she strives to set an example of the importance of protecting our earth for future generations.
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Web Development
Jack is a computer programmer, photographer and expedition guide (with a focus on the polar regions) based in Sydney, Australia.With a background in programming, photo-journalism and teaching, a strong desire to use technology for good, and a passion for the natural world and travel – Jack often works closely with scientific and research organisations. Jack loves using technology to tell stories, create immersive experiences, and to make scientific research consumable and effectively communicated.
Outside of work hours, you will usually find Jack in the ocean with a camera in hand, surrounded by wildlife.
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Scientific Advisor
Arzucan is a conservation scientist, sailor /skipper and National Geographic Explorer specializing in the intersection where human societies meet megafauna. She holds an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford, where her research assessed the impacts of human activities on marine megafauna in the Maldives. A Fellow of the RGS-IBG Arzucan has led multiple research projects and remote marine expeditions examining both the beauty and complexity of human-ocean relationships across the globe.
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Intern
Kalli Jade Richards is a water-based photographer/videographer passionate about the global preservation of aquatic ecology. Kalli’s interest in aquatic subject matter was informed by growing up on the St. Lawrence River in Brockville, Ontario, Canada- where she currently resides. Through her work, she hopes to draw attention to the importance of water preservation. Kalli is currently working on a documentary project regarding the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and their health called The Great Lakes Are Not Okay.
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Margerie is a French architect, based in Los Angeles, known for her forward-thinking and sustainable designs that harmonized with the environment. Inspired by a recent trip to the South Pacific, Margerie joined Kogia to further her commitment to environmental protection. She aims to use her architectural expertise to connect design with environmental advocacy, developing creative solutions to address the pressing challenges facing our ecosystems.
Genus Kogia - The little sperm whales
Dwarf sperm whale
Kogia Sima
Pygmy sperm whale
Kogia Breviceps
Illustrations by Frederique LucasThe Dwarf and Pygmy sperm whales form a separate family from their larger namesake. They are shy, rarely observed at sea, and little is known about their behavior.
Unlike oceanic dolphins, in Kogiids the crescent of the blowhole points backwards. They can also secrete a dark fluid from their intestine when frightened.
