Biography

J.J. Kelley is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and explorer focusing wild places around the planet. He's the host of a new 8-part Travel Channel series, "Lost In The Wild," which investigate some of history's greatest adventures gone wrong. Three of Kelley's documentaries have been featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine, including the Emmy-nominated "Warlords of Ivory," and he is a producer and correspondent for National Geographic Channel's flagship documentary series, "EXPLORER." As a commercial director, Kelley recently completed "Nonstop Scouting" a travel and sports series for Delta Air Lines.

From being a director on the Bering Sea's "Deadliest Catch" to leading the exclusive coverage of the tomb of Christ being opened for the first time in 800-years, Kelley's countless expeditions and work for National Geographic all began when he decided-at age 19-to load his pickup truck up with camping gear and drive from the lower 48 up to Seward, Alaska.

An avid adventurer, J.J. is an Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker and has biked the length of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean, paddled from Alaska to Seattle in a homemade kayak, and journeyed the full length of India's Ganges River. A fellow at the Explorers Club, Kelley's travels have instilled a sense of protecting the planet, and he brings a unique mix of humor and grit to subjects he investigates.

J.J. is the winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival's Best Conservation Film for "Battle for the Elephants," a NGTV-PBS special on the slaughter of African elephants for their tusks. He received the Conservation Achievement for Media and Film Award from TUSK and Best Short Film winner at the Blue Ocean Film Festival for GYRE, a National Geographic documentary he directed on the mounting tragedy of ocean trash killing wildlife on Alaska's remote coastlines. His film "26 Years and Counting" exposed that the long-lasting effects of the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill that now leaves a population of orca whales facing localized extinction.

Kelley's work has appeared on National Geographic Channel, NOVA, Discovery Channels, New York Times, Outside, PBS and more.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bryan Christy

J.J. Kelley is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and explorer focusing wild places around the planet. He's the host of a new 8-part Travel Channel series, "Lost In The Wild," which investigate some of history's greatest adventures gone wrong. Three of Kelley's documentaries have been featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine, including the Emmy-nominated "Warlords of Ivory," and he is a producer and correspondent for National Geographic Channel's flagship documentary series, "EXPLORER." As a commercial director, Kelley recently completed Webby Nominated 3-part series for Delta Air Lines titled "Nonstop Scouting" that explores the intersection of travel, culture and soccer.

An avid adventurer, J.J. is an Appalachian Trail Thru-hiker and has biked the length of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean, paddled from Alaska to Seattle in a homemade kayak, and journeyed the full length of India's Ganges River. A fellow at the Explorers Club, Kelley's travels have instilled a sense of protecting the planet, and he brings a unique mix of humor and grit to subjects he investigates.

Kelley has been a director on the Bering Sea's "Deadliest Catch," directed a National Geographic Exclusive Film documenting the tomb of Christ being opened for the first time in 800-years. His countless expeditions and work for National Geographic all began when he decided-at age 19-to load his pickup truck up with camping gear and drive from the lower 48 up to Seward, Alaska.

Kelley has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by the University of Minnesota. JJ is the winner of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival's Best Conservation Film for "Battle for the Elephants," a NGTV-PBS special on the slaughter of African elephants for their tusks. He received the Conservation Achievement for Media and Film Award from TUSK and Best Short Film winner at the Blue Ocean Film Festival for GYRE, a National Geographic documentary he directed on the mounting tragedy of ocean trash killing wildlife on Alaska's remote coastlines. His film "26 Years and Counting" exposed that the long-lasting effects of the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill that now leaves a population of orca whales facing localized extinction.
- IMDb mini biography by: National Geographic Expeditions