WaterBear unveils management team

WaterBear Network, the new VoD platform dedicated to life on earth, has unveiled its senior management team prior to a launch in the autumn.

Ellen Windemuth

The digital platform and mobile app will be led by CEO Ellen Windemuth, who founded European producer and distributor Off The Fence (OTF) in 1994 and founded WaterBear out of that business in 2018.

Another OTF exec, Victor Eckard, is WaterBear MD. Eckard will be responsible for overseeing the strategic direction and general management of WaterBear. He was previously director of strategy and business development for OTF.

Sam Sutaria, ex-general manager of The European Nature Trust, has joined WaterBear as head of strategy. A life-long conservationist, Sutaria has worked for more than 10 years in both the non-profit and media sectors, including with award-winning ethical creative agency Nice & Serious in London.

WaterBear’s head of content and production, responsible for the strategic direction, creative execution and production management of its content, is Andrea Walji.

Walji previously ran her own production company, Triangle Monday, in London where she produced award-winning films including #NatureNow, Not a Pet, and Pangolins: Scale of the Trade.

A third OTF veteran, Pierre Le Gaudu, is joining the team as WaterBear’s head of technical operations.

Louis Botha has joined as head of finance. Botha is relocating from South Africa where, as a chartered accountant, he specialised in the media and financial services industries, leading to his involvement in the founding of Marche Media, a Cape Town-based film and television prodco where he spent three years as chief financial officer.

WaterBear will feature a curated collection of video content to inspire users to take action on ecological issues facing the planet, with 70 NGO partners already on board.

Lisa Rose has joined as head of impact, responsible for all non-profit partnerships, community mobilisation around their causes and all campaigns. Rose is a senior campaigner with over a decade of experience developing and running environmental and social justice campaigns.

Entertainment industry veteran Justin Steel has joined the team as head of planning and distribution. Building on his 20 years’ experience in broadcast working with brands including Bloomberg News, Comedy Central, FOX and Insight TV, Steel will be responsible for the overall direction and facilitation of programming, planning and distribution at WaterBear.

Lastly, Bracken Hollings has joined WaterBear from OTF as head of partnership content. She will be responsible for creating short films with WaterBear’s NGO partners.