Timothy “Tim” T. Kelly is an American media executive, film producer, and conservationist. He is recognized for his role in moving the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, an ...

from a primarily print-based organization to a multimedia global force in television and digital media. Kelly engineered the launch of the National Geographic Channel in 1997, and was named President of National Geographic in 2011. He also served as President and CEO of the National Geographic Global Media group and President and CEO of National Geographic Ventures. Kelly announced he would be leaving National Geographic in September 2012.

Career at National Geographic Society

Kelly joined the National Geographic Society as an executive producer in its television division. In 1985, he created the award-winning

National Geographic Explorer ''National Geographic Explorer'' (or simply ''Explorer'') is an American documentary television series that originally premiered on Nickelodeon on April 7, 1985, after having been produced as a less costly and intensive alternative to PBS's ' ...

series and went on to serve as President of National Geographic Television. Under his leadership, the National Geographic Television won 138 Emmy Awards. In 1997, Kelly oversaw the development of the National Geographic Channel. The channel was launched in Europe and Australia initially, and expanded into the United States in 2001. As of 2012, it has a presence in 173 countries. In 2012, he also presided over the launch of

Nat Geo WILD National Geographic Wild (shortened as Nat Geo Wild and abbreviated NGW) is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). T ...

, a sister channel focused on animal-related programs. Kelly also created

National Geographic Films The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

—which won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

March of the Penguins ''March of the Penguins'' (French ''La Marche de l'empereur'' ; ) is a 2005 French feature-length nature documentary directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The documentary dep ...

(2005) and received an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

nomination for Restrepo (2010)—and National Geographic Cinema Ventures group, which distributes films to both theatrical and giant-screen movie outlets globally. He was executive producer of Imax Films such as: Mysteries of Egypt, Lions 3D, Forces of Nature, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, The Last Lions and Lewis & Clark.

Personal life and education

An avid

outdoorsman Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activiti ...

, Kelly is recognized for his work in developing the role of storytelling in conservation. He serves on the board of the American Prairie Foundation, a private nonprofit that is creating a wildlife conservation area of 3,500,000 acres (14,000 km2) in northeast

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

through a combination of private and public lands. Kelly also serves on the board of Great Plains Conservation Trust, which is dedicated to perfecting ecotourism as conservation movement. The Trust manages over one million acres of African wilderness as well as safari camps that work to preserve the natural habitats of iconic wildlife and to support local people. Tim Kelly grew up in

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in finance from the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Tim T. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people National Geographic Society University of Colorado alumni