Meet the team - Hannah Mulvany

Hi - I’m Hannah Mulvany, the Communications Director for Wild Commons.

If I think back on my journey into wildlife film, and I’m really honest, it was probably The Wild Thornberrys that was my gateway. Probably not a traditional answer, but as a kid I was on a very strict cartoon-only diet.

I grew up in inner city Nottingham in the UK, which is pretty devoid of nature and limited in exploration opportunities because of private land ownership. Thankfully, I had a Mum who was obsessed with camping and hiking, and a Cornwall-based Grandad who was equally obsessed with all activities on/in the ocean who, as well as Eliza Thornberry, sparked my love of the natural world.

Me working with humpback whales in Australia

My obsession with nature documentaries came much later, but they became a firm fixture of my Sunday evenings while I was at university, which were usually spent horizontal on my sofa with my friends, with bellies full of roast dinner and heads feeling sore from how we’d spent our Saturday. Having exhausted the blue chip BBC documentaries, I branched out to finding independent films that followed much different formats, less about inspiring awe and more about kicking people’s butts into action.

Then came my ‘sandwich year’ at university, where I had to find a year-long internship in the conservation sector. So, I headed to the office of my number one choice (Wildscreen) and knocked on their door to ask them for a job. Looking back it was a bold approach, but I got the job so it was obviously the right one! I even got to meet Sir David Attenborough.

It turned out that Bristol was quite the hub for wildlife documentary production which, believe it or not, I didn’t know at the time. So many of the films I’d watched and loved were created by people who worked at production houses in the city I lived in. I interned at Wildscreen for a year, then got a job there straight out of university and loved every second. I got to work at the Wildscreen Festival, and got to sit in on incredible panel sessions and workshops, run the Q&As for the film screenings, and meet the awesome people who made them.

Although I never really set out to work in environmental and nature communications – I dreamed living a life very similar to Eliza Thornberry – but I totally found my groove combining my scientific knowledge and creativity. It’s what I’ve done my whole career, and it’s the best job ever.

Since going freelance eight years ago I’ve worked with amazing clients all around the world, including the Wild Lens Collective – one of the co-founders of Wild Commons. I’ve now had the chance to work with numerous conservation filmmakers, helping them amplify their films and connect with each other on projects. I’ve worked on multiple Wild Lens productions, helping them fundraise, share updates of the filmmaking process, build online communities, promote screenings and film festival appearances, and get as many eyes on their films as possible.

Exploring the place I now call home - the Scottish Highlands

From working on productions from beginning to end, I’ve witnessed first-hand how difficult every step of the process can be for independent filmmakers. Funding and distribution are the two things that Wild Lens Collective members need the most support with, so I was over the moon to join the Wild Commons team and work on a solution. 

I get so excited every time we get a new submission because, not only do I get to watch it, the rest of the world gets to see it too. Films that took years of hard work and tell incredible stories should not just be sat on hard drives, but this has become a reality for so many due to the very broken distribution system.

If you’re reading this and this reminds you of that film you poured your heart into that’s not being watched, get in touch with us or if, like me, you’re a big wildlife film fan, cancel the rest of your plans for the day and head to our YouTube channel. Please subscribe while you’re there to help us support the making of more wildlife films!