Brett (B.J.) Kuxhausen

Pulled from the prairie of America’s Heartland, storytelling is in my blood. It was cracking jokes and playing cards around the table at my grandparent’s farm, the chronicles of lived lives I observed working at a mortuary as a teenager, the daily dramas of the corduroy patchwork of crops, communities, and critters that surrounded me. It wasn’t until after earning a BS degree in Biological Sciences with a focus on animal behavior, and later a MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking, that my purpose coalesced to become an intentional part of this universal tradition in a way that aligned with how I approach life itself.

I’n driven to tell stories, specifically through visual media, and believe they hold a positive power to spotlight those wounded by our systems, the power to heal by building bridges through cooperation and knowledge, the power to grow towards a more just world for all forms of life during the age of the Anthropocene. I bear witness through my filmmaking and photography, using an artistic language that I feel is the most effective mode to advocate for moral action and change in humanity’s complex and evolving relationship with itself and the rest of the living world. I find purpose in telling biocentric stories of lives and landscapes that are persistent survivors across the globe, empowering and reaching a direct audience across a wide variety of platforms.

Some of my professional accomplishments include an Emmy award as part of a cinematography team, as well as multiple nominations for long and short form documentaries. I’ve shot and/or produced for large broadcasters such as National Geographic, The BBC, and PBS. I also collaborate with conservation organizations and NGOs like Rainforest Trust, The Smithsonian Institution, The Nature Conservancy, and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Most notably, I was lead cinematographer and field producer for the media unit of Mozambique's flagship conservation area, Gorongosa National Park. There, I crafted feature-length films, television specials, and short-form videos for institutions such as National Geographic, PBS, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Tangled Bank Studios, and Mozambique national television. My photography and writing has been featured for clients such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Nature Conservancy, The Associated Press, African Geographic, Mongabay, and Nature scientific journal.