Vanessa Serrao

Roles: Moderator, Executive Producer

Vanessa Serrao leads the Impact Story Lab at the National Geographic Society, an initiative that combines creative excellence with social, cognitive, and behavioral science to drive positive change. She and her team produce world-class film, audio, photography, VR/AR experiences and other media that furthers the goals of National Geographic’s Explorer-led programs. An award-winning filmmaker, producer and executive producer, Vanessa specializes in telling stories about science, culture, and the intersection of the two. Her work has helped to raise millions of dollars for wildlife conservation, inspired unanimous support of environmental legislation, and made complex scientific topics accessible to a worldwide audience. Vanessa began her career producing on-air and online content for the Discovery networks and has since produced media for numerous networks and non-profit organizations. She has been an invited speaker at conferences and workshops around the globe, teaching storytelling and impact media to audiences from scientists to emerging filmmakers. Vanessa earned an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University, and a B.S. in Entomology with a concentration in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Delaware. She still loves insects and you can often find her chasing butterflies with her family in the Washington, DC region.

2024 Program(s):

Films About Fungi: The Interconnectors of Nature