Howard Whelan Bio
Founding editor then publisher of Australian Geographic and Trustee of the Australian Geographic Society, Howard has led scientific expeditions to many remote parts of Australia, often resulting in significant geographical articles for the journal’s nearly one million readers. He has lectured on Antarctic photography and tourism at Sydney University, gives motivational talks and adventure writing/photography workshops.
As an expedition leader, Howard has taken parties to the Amazon, Galapagos Islands, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the Antarctic Peninsula, New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic Islands, Macquarie Island, Heard Island, the Ross Sea and East Antarctica.
Howard’s interest in the outdoors and adventure is pursued with a passionate conviction. In addition to holding a private pilot’s license, climbing in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia, Tibet, Thailand, Antarctica and Africa, he has also undertaken:
• A 4000 km, five-month mountain walk from Canada to Mexico
• Winter traverses of Pennine Alps, Europe (Haute Route) and Hokkaido central range, Japan (incomplete)
• The Kokoda Trail, PNG
• The Shackleton Crossing of South Georgia.
Raised in the Rocky Mountains USA, Howard is an avid skier, having competed in downhill racing and freestyle. He has also specialised in avalanche control and backcountry search and rescue.
In 2001 Howard and his wife Rosy started Whelan Productions, a marketing and media consultancy that focuses on science, adventure and the environment. Capabilities include research, writing, editing, filming, planning and producing marketing campaigns. The company also specialises in logistics and environmental planning of expeditions to regions ranging from the tropics to high latitudes and the production of resulting media.
For the past five years Whelan Productions has serviced an international clientele working on projects from Antarctica to the Amazon, Russia to the USA. Key clients include Kennedy Miller Productions, CNN, the History Channel, The Syncretics Group, Outside Magazine, Aurora Expeditions, Telstra Sensis (BreadTV) and Deep Ocean Expeditions.
One of their favourite projects in the last few years has been organising the logistics and leading the film crew of Happy Feet in Antartica, the animated blockbuster featuring singing, dancing penguins. Howards photography was one of the things that inspired inspired George Miller's vision of Antarctica for Happy Feet.
“Howard put together a stunning slide presentation, featuring his own photography, to show the producers George, Bill and Doug Mitchell potential locations,” Rosy said. “At the end of it, George was so impressed with Howard’s photography, he asked him to hire the film crews and lead the Antarctic expeditions.”
“We were attracted by the film’s strong environmental message (the impact overfishing has on penguins) and the chance to work with George, an incredibly inspiring director,” Rosy said.
“We were introduced into the dark art of animated film-making by the guys at Animal Logic who had worked on The Matrix Reloaded, and Andrew Lesnic, the Director of Photography from Lord of the Rings.” Howard said. “We went to Antarctica armed not only with film and digital cameras, but with powerful laser scanners capable of capturing the shape of icebergs. We were part of a new generation of “data wranglers – not filming, but capturing ‘data clouds’!
For four months Howard and his teams worked in the Ross Sea region and the Antarctic Peninsula. They experienced temperatures to minus-50 degrees Celsius, sea ice breaking up beneath them and hidden crevasses. The quality of the material they brought back was the basis of what promises to be one of the most successful animated films in history.
Some of Howards other Interests...
Between 1985 and 2001, Howard was a key force in the success of Australian Geographic (AG). Responsible for managing the Australian Geographic publishing team since the company's inception, he was also part of the AG management buyout team that purchased the company from Fairfax in 1998. As publisher, Howard oversaw 21 full-time staff and was responsible for managing the following aspects of Australian Geographic:
AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC Journal: As founding editor, Howard worked closely with Dick Smith to create the original concept, and oversaw the production of 60 editions. In addition to managing the journal, Howard wrote a significant body of feature articles, many of which included his own photography.
NEWTON GRAPHIC SCIENCE: Chaired the publishing committee that oversaw the creation of this high-quality science magazine.
AG Books: First as managing editor, then publisher, Howard managed the production of 30 titles.
Television: Executive producer of The Australian Geographic Show, four 1-hour specials about Australia screened on Network Ten. He was also executive producer of Dick Smith's My Australia. Developed six one-hour episodes on “adventure science” for a joint partnership between Granada Media, Screen West and Australian Geographic.
Electronic Publishing: Responsible for driving the creation of AG’s internet site.
Eco-Adventures: Howard established AG's partnership with Aurora Expeditions to operate tourist voyages to Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands and Australia’s Kimberley Coast. He has personally led expeditions to the Amazon, Galapagos Islands, the Kimberley Coast and more than 35 trips to Antarctica.
Scientific Expeditions: Howard has led Australian Geographic Society scientific and exploratory expeditions to Coongie Lakes, Central Australia, Recherche Archipelago, Raine Island, southwest Tasmania, Rudall River National Park, Chatham Island in Western Australia and, White Mountains in Queensland.
Trustee, Australian Geographic Society: Since the Society was established, Howard managed the sponsorship selection process that has resulted in donations of nearly $8 million to scientific research, adventure and worthwhile community projects throughout Australia and its territories.
Click here to see Howards's photos in our Gallery.
Howard's Website: http://www.whelanproductions.com