{{Short description|British author and nature film maker}} {{Infobox person | name = Tom Mustill | image = Tom Mustill.jpg | alma_mater = St John's College, Cambridge | occupation = Author and documentary film maker | years_active = 2008–present | parents = Michael Mustill, Caroline Mustill | website = https://www.tommustill.com/ }} <!-- Note: The following pages were redirects to Tom_Mustill before draftification: *User:OtisSpanner/Tom Mustill *Draft:Tom Mustill -->
'''Tom Mustill''' is a British producer and director of nature documentaries, and the author of a popular science book ''How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gourlay |first=Graeme |date=2022-09-13 |title=Review: How to Speak Whale by Tom Mustill |url=https://geographical.co.uk/book-reviews/review-how-to-speak-whale-by-tom-mustill |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Geographical |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Speaking whale? Scientists are working on it. |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2022/0825/Speaking-whale-Scientists-are-working-on-it |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=Christian Science Monitor |issn=0882-7729}}</ref>
He has collaborated with science and nature personalities including David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg, Stephen Fry and George Monbiot. He co-hosts a podcast, ''So Hot Right Now'', with journalist Lucy Siegle in which guests (including Greta Thunberg, Farhana Yamin and George Monbiot) discuss topics related to climate change and conservation.<ref>{{Cite AV media |title=So Hot Right Now on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-hot-right-now/id1513199677 |access-date=2022-06-21 |via=Apple Podcasts |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In September 2015 he was the unwitting subject of a viral video showing him narrowly escaping death when a humpback whale breached beside him, landing on the kayak in which he was paddling.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2015-09-21 |title=I thought the humpback whale was about to land on us. Did it turn away deliberately? |author=Tom Mustill |url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/21/humpback-whale-kayakers-breach |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
== Early life and education ==
Mustill studied Natural Sciences at St John's College, Cambridge,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom Mustill on 'Inside Nature's Giants' |url=https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/tom-mustill-inside-natures-giants |publisher=St John's College, Cambridge}}</ref> during which time he spent his summers assisting a Russian paleontologist studying rare precambrian fossils in the Ural mountains.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 27, 2019 |title=Q&A with Tom Mustill (Part II 2004–5) |url=https://camzoology.medium.com/q-a-with-tom-mustill-part-ii-2004-5-3487ccdaa105 |website=Cambridge Zoology}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ediacaran White Sea biota in the Central Ural |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282720867 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>
After graduating, he worked as a field conservation biologist before moving in to TV production on the basis that this would allow him to have a greater impact on public understanding around and support of conservation and efforts to tackle climate change''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Q&A with Tom Mustill (Part II 2004–5) |url=https://camzoology.medium.com/q-a-with-tom-mustill-part-ii-2004-5-3487ccdaa105 |website=Cambridge Zoology|date=27 June 2019 }}</ref>''.
== Documentary films ==
Starting out as a researcher in the BBC's wildlife unit, Mustill went on to work on the nature documentary TV series ''Inside Nature's Giants'' and since then has specialised in films that combine stories of animals with those of the people who work and live among them.
His film ''Kangaroo Dundee''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kangaroo Dundee |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03k5c0y |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=BBC Two |language=en-GB}}</ref> followed animal sanctuary founder Chris Barns and his mission to rescue and care for orphaned baby kangaroos, and led to Barns becoming an overnight celebrity and unexpected sex symbol,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-02-06 |title=Phwoargh! Poms hot on Kangaroo Dundee |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/phwoargh-poms-hot-on-kangaroo-dundee/news-story/2b14cfba627ff553f650edc3b65792d2 |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=The Australian |language=en}}</ref> with author Caitlin Moran dubbing him 'David Attenborphwoargh'.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moran |first=Caitlin |title=Caitlin Moran on TV: Baby animals, a sexy man in his undercrackers — this is dynamite |newspaper=The Times |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/australasia-travel/australia/caitlin-moran-on-tv-baby-animals-a-sexy-man-in-his-undercrackers-this-is-dynamite-gf0l0mkrqqk |access-date=2022-06-21 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
''The Bat Man of Mexico'' featured ecologist Rodrigo Medellín's efforts to track and protect the migratory routes of lesser long-nosed bats across Mexico (and in doing so secure the survival of Tequila, which is made from the Agave plant for which bats are a primary pollinator).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-06-14 |title=Natural World: The Batman of Mexico – TV review |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jun/14/natural-world-batman-of-mexico-tv-review |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-29 |title=NATURE: The Bat Man Of Mexico |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/arts-culture/2021/06/29/nature-bat-man-mexico |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=KPBS Public Media |language=en}}</ref>
''Humpback Whales: A Detective Story''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2019-07-12 |title=Humpback Whales - A Detective Story |url=https://conservationfilmfest.org/humpback-whales-a-detective-story/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=American Conservation Film Festival|language=en-US}}</ref> meanwhile follows a community of whalewatchers, biologists, conservationists and animal rescuers united by their interest in whales, and uses this to explore the growing threats from pollution, maritime traffic and climate change to cetaceans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BornWild Travel Adventures {{!}} Interview with natural world film director, TOM MUSTILL |url=https://www.bornwild.rocks/blog2/tommustill |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=BornWild |date=8 April 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Gripping Films === Mustill is the founder of Gripping Films, a production company specialising in films aimed at driving social change.
His short film ''#NatureNow''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nature Now video with Greta Thunberg |url=https://www.conservation.org/video/nature-now-video-with-greta-thunberg |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=conservation.org}}</ref> was created from recycled footage, released under a Creative Commons license and translated through crowdsourcing into 30 languages.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NatureNow |url=https://www.grippingfilms.co.uk/nature-now |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=Gripping Films |language=en}}</ref> It was screened to delegates at the 2019 UNFCCC Climate COP27 and retweeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=justintrudeau |number=1177651535314063360 |date=2019-09-27 |title= And that's why we're planting 2 billion trees. Watch this ⤵️ |language=en |access-date=2022-06-21}}</ref> actors Jeff Bridges<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=thejeffbridges |number=1175536112183365632 |date=2019-09-21 |title='We can still fix this. You can still fix this.' @GretaThunberg |language=en |access-date=2022-06-21}}</ref> and Mark Ruffalo and the band Pearl Jam.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=pearljam |number=1177619406240636928 |date=2019-09-27 |title=Protect. Restore. Fund. We must take action now to protect nature. Watch the full video: http://pj.lnk.to/GretaThunbergTw #ClimateWeekNYC #PeopleNeedNature #NatureNow @ConservationOrg @GretaThunberg @CIBrasil |language=en |access-date=2022-06-21}}</ref>
Another film, ''Imagine For 1 Minute'' (conceived under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic and screened at a 'virtual summit' of the United Nations), was created from the crowdsourced selfies and voice notes,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Imagine for 1 Minute |url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/imagine-for-one-minute-video/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |language=en-US}}</ref> including from spiritual leaders including Pope Francis and Mata Amritanandamayi, diplomats including António Guterres and Christiana Figueres, and sports personalities including Paulo Dybala, Nico Rosberg and Dan Carter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Imagine for 1 minute |url=https://imaginefor1minute.com/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
=== Low-carbon filmmaking === Mustill is an Ambassador for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film and Television Sustainability scheme.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom Mustill |url=https://www.jacksonwild.org/tom-mustill.html |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=Jackson Wild: Nature. Media. Impact. |language=en}}</ref> His film ''Humpback Whales: A Detective Story'' was the first BBC Natural World production to receive a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Albert certification,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our approach |url=https://www.grippingfilms.co.uk/our-approach |access-date=2022-06-21 |publisher=Gripping Films |language=en}}</ref> while his short film ''#NatureNow'' was carbon neutral.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-10-08 |title=How to cut flights from your production |url=https://wearealbert.org/2019/10/08/how-to-cut-flights-from-production/ |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=albert |language=en}}</ref>
== Whale breach == In September 2015, Mustill was kayaking with a friend in Monterey Bay, California when an adult humpback whale breached beside them and landed on their kayak, forcing them under water and narrowly avoiding crushing them.<ref name=":0" /> A video clip of the event taken by a nearby tourist went viral.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-09-16 |title=Kayak couple make narrow escape from humpback whale – video |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/video/2015/sep/16/kayak-couple-make-narrow-escape-from-humpback-whale-video |access-date=2022-06-21 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Although Mustill and his friend escaped uninjured, Mustill claimed that the experience left a deep mark on him.<ref name=":0" />
In his film ''Humpback Whales: A Detective Story'' he speaks to others who have had similar encounters as well as whale conservationists and biologists to try to track down the whale and to understand the factors that might have led to it breaching on him.<ref name=":1" /> In the course of this scientists were able to identify the individual whale that had landed on him ('Prime Suspect'/'CRC-12564'<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humpback Whale Prime Suspect |url=https://happywhale.com/individual/1437 |access-date=2022-06-21 |website=happywhale.com |language=en}}</ref>) using machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence (AI).
== ''How to Speak Whale'' == Following filming of ''Humpback Whales: A Detective Story'', Mustill wrote ''How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication'' (2022), a popular science book which explores recent developments in natural science and AI that could bring humans closer to communicating with animals, and particularly cetaceans.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lea |first=Richard |date=2022-09-14 |title='How to Speak Whale' Review: Humpbacks Talking Back |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-speak-whale-review-humpbacks-talking-back-11663193294 |access-date=2025-03-17 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Coffey |first=Rebecca |title=Book Review: How To Speak Whale: A Voyage Into The Future Of Animal Communication |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccacoffey/2022/10/13/book-review-how-to-speak-whale-a-voyage-into-the-future-of-animal-communication/ |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Barkham |first=Patrick |date=2022-09-18 |title=Talking to whales: can AI bridge the chasm between our consciousness and other animals? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/18/talking-to-whales-with-artificial-enterprise-it-may-soon-be-possible |access-date=2022-09-19 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
== Filmography == {| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" |+ !Year !Series !Episode !Role !Narrated by/Featuring |- |2009 |''Inside Nature's Giants'' |S1E1-4, S2E3: "The Elephant", "The Whale", "The Crocodile", "The Giraffe", "The Big Cats"<ref>{{Citation |title=Big Cats {{!}} Inside Nature's Giants |date=2012-02-07 |url=https://www.ket.org/program/inside-natures-giants/big-cats |language=en-US |access-date=2023-01-09}}</ref> |Assistant Producer |Mark Evans, Richard Dawkins, Joy Reidenberg |- |2010 |''Nanoyou''<ref>{{Citation |title=The strange new world of Nanoscience, narrated by Stephen Fry |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70ba1DByUmM |language=en |access-date=2023-01-09}}</ref> | |Writer/Director/Producer<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Dave |date=2012-02-14 |title=What is Nano? |url=https://www.nanoscience.cam.ac.uk/Media |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.nanoscience.cam.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref> |Stephen Fry |- |2010 |''Inside Nature's Giants'' |S2 Special: "The Giant Squid" |Edit Producer<ref>{{cite web |last= |date=2010-10-13 |title=Giant Squid: Inside Nature's Giants |url=https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/giant-squid-inside-natures-giants/5019330.article |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=Broadcast }}</ref> |Mark Evans, Richard Dawkins, Joy Reidenberg |- |2011 |''Inside Nature's Giants'' |S3 Special: "The Sperm Whale"<ref>{{Citation |title=Sperm Whale {{!}} Inside Nature's Giants |date=2012-01-17 |url=https://www.ket.org/program/inside-natures-giants/sperm-whale |language=en-US |access-date=2023-01-09}}</ref> |Director<ref name="Inside Nature's Giants Season 3">{{Cite web |title=Inside Nature's Giants Season 3 |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-g09uis/inside-natures-giants-season-3/ |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Radio Times |language=en}}</ref> |Mark Evans, Richard Dawkins, Joy Reidenberg |- |2011 |''Inside Nature's Giants'' |S3E3: "The Camel"<ref>{{Citation |title=Camel {{!}} Inside Nature's Giants |date=2012-06-26 |url=https://www.ket.org/program/inside-natures-giants/camel |language=en-US |access-date=2023-01-09}}</ref> |Director<ref name="Inside Nature's Giants Season 3"/> |Mark Evans, Richard Dawkins, Joy Reidenberg |- |2012 |''Inside Nature's Giants'' |S4E4: "The Jungle" |Producer/Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inside Nature's Giants: Jungle Special - Windfall Films |url=https://windfallfilms.com/show/2032/inside-natures-giants-jungle-special.aspx |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=windfallfilms.com}}</ref> |Mark Evans, Richard Dawkins, Joy Reidenberg |- |2013 |''How to Win the Grand National'' |"How to Win the Grand National" |Director<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=2016 Waimea Ocean Film Festival |url=http://www.waimeaoceanfilm.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2016_WaimeaOceanFilmFestival-2.pdf |website=2016 Waimea Ocean Film Festival |page=30}}</ref> |Mark Evans |- |2013 |''Natural World'' |S31E7: "Kangaroo Dundee - Part 1" |Producer/Director<ref name="agbfilms.co.uk">{{Cite web |title=AGB Films - Kangaroo Dundee. A BBC Natural World Special |url=http://www.agbfilms.co.uk/films/kangaroodundee.html |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.agbfilms.co.uk}}</ref> |Juliet Stevenson, Chris 'Brolga' Barnes |- |2013 |''Natural World'' |S31E8: "Kangaroo Dundee - Part 2" |Producer/Director<ref name="agbfilms.co.uk"/> |Juliet Stevenson, Chris 'Brolga' Barnes |- |2014 |''Natural World'' |S33E6: "The Bat Man of Mexico" |Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Two - The Bat Man of Mexico |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b046tnw3 |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> |David Attenborough |- |2016 |''Natural World'' |S35E6: "Giraffes: Africa's Gentle Giants" |Producer/Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=Giraffes - Africa's Gentle Giants narrated by David Attenborough |url=http://www.agbfilms.co.uk/films/giraffe.html |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=www.agbfilms.co.uk}}</ref> |David Attenborough |- |2018 |''Extraordinary Rituals'' |S1E3: "Changing World" |Producer/Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=Documental: Extraordinary Rituals. Changing World (2018) |url=https://www.antropologiainuit.com/produccion/documental-extraordinary-rituals-changing-world-2018/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=Francesc Bailón |language=es}}</ref> |Simon Reeve (British TV presenter) |- |2018 |''Extraordinary Rituals'' |S1E2: "Great Gatherings" |Producer/Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Two - Extraordinary Rituals - Ritual bloodshed and a forgotten hat |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/39qKx59vk4Rvld0qStvLVX4/ritual-bloodshed-and-a-forgotten-hat |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> |Simon Reeve (British TV presenter) |- |2019 |''Natural World'' |S37E7: "Humpback Whales: A Detective Story" |Producer/Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Two - Natural World, 2018-2019, Humpback Whales: A Detective Story |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002fsh |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Five Questions for Filmmakers: Humpback Whales - A Detective Story |url=http://www.jacksonwild.org/2/post/2019/03/five-questions-for-filmmakers-humpback-whales-a-detective-story.html |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Jackson Wild: Nature. Media. Impact. |language=en}}</ref> | |- |2019 |''#NatureNow'' | |Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=#NatureNow |url=http://winners.webbyawards.com/2020/video/general-video/public-service-activism/124081/naturenow |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=NEW Webby Gallery + Index |language=en}}</ref> |Greta Thunberg, George Monbiot |- |2020 |''Imagine For 1 Minute'' | |Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=#ImagineFor1Minute - The Tom Mustill Collection |url=https://watch.ecoflix.com/tom-mustill-films/videos/imaginefor1minute-tom-mustill-films |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Ecoflix |language=en}}</ref> |Greta Thunberg, Dan Carter, Christiana Figueres, Pope Francis |- |2021 |''For Nature'' | |Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=For Nature - The Tom Mustill Collection |url=https://watch.ecoflix.com/tom-mustill-films/videos/for-nature-tom-mustill-films |access-date=2023-01-09 |website=Ecoflix |language=en}}</ref> |Greta Thunberg |- |2021 |''Thank you sea'' | |Director<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thank You, Sea. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOmSPOeaOwQ |website=YouTube}}</ref> | |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mustill, Tom}} Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:British film directors Category:British film producers Category:21st-century British male writers Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge