Produced by UK-based Humble Bee Films, the series immerses audiences in the incredible point of view of animals in flight
Blue Ant Studios’ rights division oversees pre-sales and licensing outside of commissioning territories
New series to roll out on Love Nature globally and Sky Nature in the U.K., Germany and Italy
(London UK – February 13, 2024) – Love Nature and Sky Nature today announced the greenlight of Airborne (4 x 60’), a visually stunning series that celebrates the unique challenges and ultimate freedom of animals that use the air to survive and thrive. Produced by Humble Bee Films, the series gives viewers a true bird’s-eye view from airborne birds and animals as they catch air for the first time, snatch in-flight meals, navigate crowded skies and soar through the most challenging environments on the planet.
Airborne offers an astonishing and revelatory adventure into the wonderfully diverse world of creatures that fly, glide and leap through the air. The series follows a diverse array of charismatic creatures through their trials and triumphs. From great soaring condors to leaping lemurs, and from gliding squirrels to beautifully buzzing orchid bees —the series reveals unexpected and fascinating stories of animals who defy gravity and master the air around them in extraordinary ways.
Blue Ant Studios’ rights division will oversee pre-sales and licensing outside of commissioning territories.
Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual at Sky said: “We look to commission exceptional natural history programming that reveals a new lens on our planet. Taking to the air, we are excited to be offering our audiences a thrilling new perspective on the world around us, which we know they will love.”
“Partnering with Sky Nature on this ambitious project allows us the scale to capture breathtaking footage and stories to make this world-class, blue-chip series. We’re also thrilled to deepen our existing content partnership with Sky,” says Carlyn Staudt, General Manager, Love Nature & Head of Commissioning, Global Media, Blue Ant Media. “The immersive and innovative footage of animals in flight, illustrates Love Nature’s commitment to unlocking fresh and compelling perspectives of wildlife that appeal to audiences around the world.”
“Humble Bee Films is delighted to be working with Love Nature and Sky Nature to produce this immersive natural history series. For many animals, the ability to defy gravity and launch into the air is crucial to their survival and our specialist camera teams will take the viewer right alongside as we go Airborne,” says Stephen Dunleavy, Executive Producer, Humble Bee Films.
Airborne offers an astonishing and revelatory adventure into the wonderfully diverse world of creatures that fly, glide and leap through the air. The series follows a diverse array of charismatic creatures through their trials and triumphs. From great soaring condors to leaping lemurs, and from gliding squirrels to beautifully buzzing orchid bees —the series reveals
unexpected and fascinating stories of animals who defy gravity and master the air around them in extraordinary ways.
The series rises through the ultimate flight path, from perfect take-offs and long-haul flights to tricky landings. Each episode explores a different aspect of flight including:
- Catching Air shows how different species use air, from rookies to the masters of the skies .
- In-flight Meals explores how animals defy gravity to gather food on the ground, in the canopy and high in the air.
- Love in the Air is a look at how animals use air to their advantage when finding and keeping a mate.
- Flight Path is an examination of different navigation methods that involve power and precision, innate GPS and complicated routes through crowded skies
Airborne, co-produced by Love Nature and Sky Nature and produced by award-winning production company, Humble Bee Films, will premiere on Love Nature around the world, and Sky Nature in the UK, Italy and Germany. The series leverages Love Nature’s relationship with Blue Ant Studios’ international rights group, which oversees pre-sales and licensing opportunities for the new title outside of commissioning territories.
The series is executive produced by Charlotte Crosse and Stephen Dunleavy at Humble Bee Films. Poppy Dixon is the executive producer for Sky Nature and James Manfull executive produces the series on behalf of Love Nature.
Notes to Editors
Love Nature, headquartered in Washington D.C. with offices in Los Angeles, London and Toronto is a premium global natural history brand that delivers high-quality, captivating stories about wildlife and nature on all its platforms. Love Nature is a destination for award-winning natural history series and documentaries. It is available on top-tier pay-TV platforms and streamers all over the world. Engage with us at lovenature.com / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram
Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It’s in our DNA. We’re famous for innovation. We offer the world’s smartest TV, Sky Glass; our plug and play streaming puck, Sky Stream; the best aggregation platform, Sky Q: the best aggregation platform, Sky Q; and streaming services NOW and WOW. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband, as well as smart home protection through Sky Protect. We’re Europe’s premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts. Our new state-of-the-art film and TV studio Sky Studios Elstree is projected to attract £3 billion of new production investment to the UK in its first five years and create up to 2,000 jobs. We are a diverse and inclusive employer that has a positive impact on society and the communities that we work and live in. Sky plays a major role in the UK’s cultural economy and, in 2022 alone, supported a contribution of £20 billion to UK GDP, broadcast 70,000 hours of elite sports coverage and invested over £130 million to provide news to consumers free of charge.