National Geographic Unwrapped

On Nov. 4, National Geographic’s current CEO, Gary E. Knell, appeared in Redlands to talk about the magazine and its success. National Geographic is one of the world's largest non-profit organizations with a worldwide audience of over 600 million people each month through its media and magazines. When Knell was introduced to the audience, he opened with a discussion on media's role in teaching our younger generation today. He shared that he is glad National Geographic can be a source of media that will teach others. He presented the first National Geographic printed and showed the audience the history of the magazine, which started out as a simple map, but the publishers' curiosity and love for science drove them to travel around the world and discover new things. As the years progressed, National Geographic moved to talk about other cultures, countries, and life that were once unknown to many people. Knell described his love for media and how people are getting interested in photography again, making people want to travel and become a photographer themselves. At the end of his presentation, Knell passed a microphone around for questions. In return, he received a good amount of questions about the magazine, advice, and his own success.