Fulfilling Our Purpose
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC helps people
understand our world. Guided by that
purpose, we tell stories across all con-
tent platforms where people seek them.
We’re building on the work of the
131-year-old National Geographic Soci-
ety, which gives innovative grants to
amazingly talented individuals world-
wide. We’re embracing opportunities to
increase our impact like never before,
thanks to our new partnership with
The Walt Disney Company. Through
our involvement in platforms like the
new Disney+ streaming service, and
taking advantage of Disney’s unrivaled
success in touching millions through
parks, experiences, books, and other
products, we will expand our reach
across the globe. We’re incredibly
excited about all the possibilities that
lie ahead for this new partnership.
This year we took our storytelling
to new heights with award-winning
journalism. We highlighted important
concerns—the scourge of plastics in our
ocean, the dangers of wildlife tourism,
the global impact of climate change—
and published a remarkable photogra-
phy collection to celebrate how women
are changing the world. The magazine’s
work was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize
(for the second time in three years), and
our print and digital journalism won
the National Magazine Awards’ most
prestigious honor, General Excellence.
Television viewers thrilled to the
Academy Award-winning film Free
Solo, relived an Ebola virus crisis via
The Hot Zone, and “tasted” the world
with chef Gordon Ramsay through his
exclusive original series Uncharted. We
built on our success in documentary
filmmaking with important releases:
Sea of Shadows, a riveting account of
the desperate effort to save Earth’s
most endangered marine mammal
from extinction; and The Cave, theheroic story of one female doctor work-
ing to save lives in war-torn Syria.
You responded, helping us break box
office records, hit record-high ratings,
and become the first brand to exceed
100 million followers on Instagram
(we’re now past 120 million). This
tells us that there’s a great demand for
media with a purpose and that people
look to National Geographic to meet
that demand.
Thank you for subscribing, read-
ing, watching, following —and for
sharing our appreciation of the world
and all that’s in it. Your support of and
commitment to National Geographic
inspire us to keep inspiring you.Gary Knell, Chairman
National Geographic PartnersA YEAR-END
REFLECTIONDECEMBER | FROM GARY KNELL
PHOTO: MARK THIESSEN, NGM STAFF