Veteran Producer Jared Lipworth to Lead HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
Lipworth to Transition to Head of Studio Role Beginning in November
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is pleased to announce Jared Lipworth has been tapped to become the next Head of Studio. Lipworth joined Tangled Bank Studios in 2017 as Executive Producer and Head of Outreach and Impact, and has overseen some of the studio’s most ambitious film and outreach projects including the IMAX/Giant Screen film Blue Whales: Return of the Giants 3D and the digital-first series Wild Hope. In his new role, Lipworth will direct the studio’s strategic efforts to produce world-class science content and educational outreach efforts. Sean B. Carroll, PhD., who founded the studio in 2012 within the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will step down in November. He will remain active in several studio projects as executive producer and will return to biological research as an HHMI Investigator.
The announcement comes as the studio is about to unveil its latest documentary about one of the most ambitious rewilding efforts in Europe, Wilding, which will premiere globally at the BFI London Film Festival on October 6th, followed by the U.S. premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 11th. Carroll is departing with a full slate of films set to debut on broadcast, at festivals and in theaters next year, including Blue Carbon with CNN films and Flyways with PBS/Nature.
“It has been a great adventure growing HHMI Tangled Bank Studios into a first-class film production company,” said Carroll. “It has been a privilege to work with incredibly talented storytellers here and around the world. I am proud that we have been able to inspire so many people through powerful stories and garner the accolades of scientists, audiences and film critics alike. The studio will be in great hands with Jared at the helm.”
“Under Sean’s leadership, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios has transformed the landscape for science storytelling, reached millions of people with important and hopeful science stories and created a catalog of award-winning films that will inspire future scientists for years to come,” said Lipworth. “I am humbled and honored to be following in his footsteps and taking on this new role.”
Carroll, a pioneering evolutionary biologist, frequent public speaker, award-winning author and prominent storyteller in all media, launched Tangled Bank Studios 12 years ago as part of his vision for HHMI’s Department of Science Education. Through his tenure, Carroll now counts more than 30 executive producer credits on HHMI Tangled Bank Studios films including Emmy Award-winning Your Inner Fish, The Farthest and The Serengeti Rules, and Oscar-nominated All That Breathes, which also won best documentary at Sundance, Cannes and the London Film Festival. Carroll was also co-executive producer of the Emmy-nominated documentaries Nature’s Fear Factor with PBS’s NOVA and My Garden of a Thousand Bees (2021) with Nature/PBS, which won the Golden Panda Award at Wildscreen.
"In a relatively short time, Sean has established Tangled Bank Studios as a leader in science media, a dependable partner and risk taker,” said Executive Producer of Nature Fred Kaufman. “We need more Sean Carrolls. I wish him luck in his next adventure and look forward to continuing doing great things with Jared.”
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios has become one of the preeminent production companies, focused on producing stories about the power science holds for our planet, our health and our future. The studio has captured leading scientists around the world as they have made some of the most important scientific developments of our time. Just this week, the World Health Organization announced its approval of a breakthrough malaria vaccine that promises to prevent the disease that kills hundreds of thousands of children every year. The studio’s film with Wingspan Productions, The Battle to Beat Malaria, tracked the development and testing of the vaccine and the WHO announcement, and premieres on NOVA, November 15th. Equally timely, Race for the Vaccine (2021) for CNN followed the scientific teams racing to develop COVID-19 vaccines, navigating the challenges of global filming during the height of the pandemic.
“Sean created a haven at Tangled Bank for storytellers who wanted to convey the wonder of the natural world and the thrill of scientific inquiry,” said Janet Tobias, founder and CEO, Global Health Reporting Center, “I am thrilled that Jared will now lead Tangled Bank Studios, given his incredible sense of story, his gifts as a writer and his innovative impact leadership.”
Jared Lipworth came to HHMI from National Geographic Studios, where he was vice president of specials and executive producer on films including the Emmy-nominated NOVA: Dawn of Humanity and Explorer: Warlords of Ivory. Prior to that, he ran the science unit at WNET, New York’s flagship public media provider, where he oversaw award-winning science, technology and history series and specials. Titles include Secrets of the Dead, Innovation, the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism award-winner, The Human Spark with Alan Alda , and the Emmy-winning The Mysterious Human Heart.
About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company that crafts exceptional media about science and nature that inspires wonder, curiosity and hope. The studio, a vision of biologist Sean B. Carroll, is uniquely positioned to shine a light on some of the most significant scientific challenges and breakthroughs of our time. Recent films include Oscar-nominated All That Breathes, the only documentary to win best documentary at both Sundance and Cannes; Emmy Award-winners The Serengeti Rules and The Farthest – Voyager In Space; Emmy-nominated Nature’s Fear Factor and My Garden of a Thousand Bees; and Peabody Award-winner Inventing Tomorrow. To extend the reach and impact of each film, the studio undertakes educational and public outreach efforts in partnership with mission-driven organizations. For more information, please visit WWW.TANGLEDBANKSTUDIOS.ORG .