ABOUT Maddy
BSc Biology | MA Wildlife Filmmaking
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Maddy is a fish/wildlife biologist, wildland firefighter and award winning conservation storyteller. She grew up in British Columbia, the eastern US, and the Southwest coast of England. After falling in love with rugged western landscapes, Maddy settled in the Pacific Northwest where she climbs, surfs, and forages for seaweed.
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Her work as a biologist takes her to remote areas of Northern California to track California condors and snorkel to monitor native fish populations. She strives to study under-appreciated species, and help people fall in love with them.
Maddy is both a filmmaker and photographer, focusing her storytelling on human-wildlife relationships. She has documented topics such as wildfire impacts, California condor reintroduction, river restoration, fish migration, mountain lion behavior, and the environmental impact of illegal cannabis cultivation by drug cartels.
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Maddy has worked on projects for outlets such as National Geographic, Audubon and the BBC. She won the Human/Nature category in BigPicture 2024 with her photo 'Good Fire'. Her work has been shown at the International Wildlife Film Festival 2020 and the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival 2021. Maddy is also a Girls Who Click Ambassador. She is currently working as a California Academy of Sciences Osher Fellow on a long term photography and film project focusing on wildlife and wildfire. Above all else, she wants to give a voice to those that need it and tell stories that inspire change.
Email: maddyrifkabrunt@gmail.com