Rick Smolan
Photographer
Rick Smolan, CEO of Against All Odds Productions is a New York Times best-selling author with more than five million copies of his books in print. A former Time, Life, and National Geographic photographer, Smolan is best known as the co-creator of the "Day in the Life" book series. His global photography projects, which feature the work of hundreds of the world’s leading photographers and combine creative storytelling with state-of-the-art technology, are regularly featured on the covers of prestigious publications around the globe including Fortune, Time, and GEO. His most recent project “The Human Face of Big Data” captures how our planet is developing a nervous system. The “Human Face” iPad app won the 2013 WEBBY for best educational app and the companion TV documentary won the 2014 award for “Best Cinematography" at the Boston Film Festival. More than a million people have watched Smolan’s “Natasha’s Story” on TED.com ( www.NatashaStory.com). Fortune magazine describes Against All Odds as “One of the 25 Coolest Companies in America. Smolan lives in New York City with his wife and business partner, Jennifer Erwitt, and their children, Phoebe and Jesse.
In 1977, Robyn Davidson walked 1,700 miles across the Australian outback. National Geographic sent Rick Smolan to photograph her perilous journey—a trek that tested and transformed them, forming an immutable bond that continues to this day.