About the episode
Matt Porteous is not only the private Royal family photographer for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, he has turned his sights to the horizon by creating a beautiful ocean based platform called Ocean Culture Life to connect people from all around the globe through storytelling. Named by Harpers Bazaar as Wedding Photographer of the year, Matt is drawn to stories, and he excels in telling them. Driven by a desire to document experiences from the intimate to the adventurous, Matt is alive to the emotion hidden in each moment and possesses a unique ability to capture it. With an ever-growing passion and care for the water and our world, Matt is committed to bringing light to stories with a ‘why’, a purpose that goes beyond the individual. His continuing success is evident in the transformational energy and quiet honesty of his photos. Alas, Ocean Culture Life Storytellers not only inspire through their captivating imagery, but also have the ability to highlight the crucial work Ocean Guardians are doing around the world; surfacing their stories and inspiring individuals, corporations, or even governments to support their efforts. OCL’s storytellers are united by a love of the water and an instinctive ability to capture emotion and change through the lens. Across the world, Matt connect these talented creators with our Ocean Guardians, so that they can tell their stories in captivating photography and film. Through the fog of media that bombards us every day, these stories of progress, of incremental improvement and endeavour in the face of persistent and unrelenting pushback, are the ones that stay with us. In a matter of months, community projects, scientific research and conservation efforts across the world were soon brought to life by OCL’s storytellers, creating compelling content which catalysed positive change. Now OCL has grown beyond its island shores. Working with world-leading experts and creators, they hosted their first World Ocean’s Day this year, launched a new partnership with Oceanographic Magazine, and their influence continues to spread still further across the clear horizons that join ocean communities. In Hawaii, Matt stumbled upon the very tip of a worldwide community quietly devoted to protecting our oceans. In the three years since, OCL has uncovered inspiring stories, innovative ideas and pioneering science where so many would not think to look. But today, while we keep searching for stories below the surface, the ocean continues to suffer in silence. THE EPISODE DIRT @mattporteous @oceanculturelife From the private Royal Family photographer to Ocean conservation? How did Matt Porteous become a conservationist? Paul paints a vague and interesting picture of how he thinks Matt met Prince William and they immediately bond for life (again, hilarious) What is Matt’s earliest memory of ocean photography in England? (Hilarious) Matt goes into detail about how he uses his platform to give a voice to the ocean What's the fundamental purpose of what Matt does? Be anyone - you don’t need to be someone to pick up a camera and document the things that you are passionate about - Matt Draper story about leaving the coal industry to conservation See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
