National Geographic Announces First-Look Deal with Muck Media for Unscripted Series and Specials

National Geographic announced today a first-look deal with the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning production company Muck Media for unscripted series and specials.

What’s Happening:

The deal expands Muck’s relationship with National Geographic, which already includes Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller, nominated for nine Emmys at tonight’s News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
The development deal for unscripted series and specials comes on the heels of a fifth season pickup for Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller ahead of the season four premiere scheduled for early next year.
Additionally, on December 10th, National Geographic will premiere Science Fair: The Series, a spinoff of the Sundance Festival Favorite and Emmy-winning feature documentary directed by Muck Media partners Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster. The series will be available next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
In addition to van Zeller, Costantini and Foster, Muck Media’s other partners include journalists and filmmakers Jeffrey Plunkett (who also serves as showrunner for Trafficked) and Alex Simmons.
In addition to their Nat Geo projects, Muck’s additional recent credits include acclaimed documentaries American Pain (CNN Films/HBOMax), Mucho Mucho Amor (Netflix), and Menudo: Forever Young (HBOMax).

What They’re Saying:

Mariana van Zeller, Muck Media’s co-founder and host of Trafficked: “National Geographic is synonymous with adventure, curiosity and exploration, which are at the core of Muck’s approach to storytelling. From quirky teenagers studying science to black market operators and everything in between, Nat Geo has been so incredibly supportive of our work. We are deeply grateful and beyond excited for this opportunity to push our creative partnership to new bounds.”
Tom McDonald, executive vice president, Global Factual and Unscripted Content, National Geographic: “I’m a huge admirer of the work that Muck Media does – journalistic, stylish, thought-provoking and contemporary. The team is also such a joy to work with – collaborative, audience-focused and full of ideas … It’s thrilling to be deepening our working relationship further with this first-look deal.”