Biographie
Explorer, educator, and storyteller Josh Bernstein has traveled more than 2,000,000 miles by train, plane, bus, bike, and camel to over 80 countries and all seven continents in the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. He is the founder and chair of the First Light group of companies which includes the First Light Institute, First Light Studios, First Light Education, First Light Expeditions, and the First Light Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity. Together, this for profit / not-for-profit hybrid ecosystem focuses on the most important global challenge we face today: ensuring a sustainable future for humanity and our planet by creating engagement, building advocacy, and inspiring action.
Explorer - As the host of over 50 hours of prime-time, award-winning documentary content for History, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian Institution, and NASA, Josh has traced the Ark of the Covenant from the caverns of Jerusalem to the mountains of Ethiopia, communed with tribal chiefs in the most remote jungles of the Amazon Rainforest, and has hunted with alleged cannibals by moonlight in the forests of Papua New Guinea. He has ventured deep underground with NASA scientists to explore the origins of life on Earth and helped recover the Apollo F-1 engines off the floor of the Atlantic Ocean-all on a quest to shed light on some of the most fascinating mysteries on our planet.
Educator - For 25 years, Josh was a wilderness guide with BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School, the oldest and largest survival school in the country. Josh first attended BOSS as a student in 1988 and rose through the ranks from apprentice to instructor to marketing director to president & CEO of the company, which he then led for 17 years. In 2013, Josh sold BOSS and moved to Washington, DC to work with the Smithsonian Institution on a new STEM education initiative with grants from the Smithsonian, the Department of Education, the Bezos Family Foundation, and others. The success of Josh's work with the Smithsonian led to the opportunity to create two additional STEM programs for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Project Ianos with the Aldrin Family Foundation in 2021-2022 and Students To Launch with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 2022-2023. All of these STEM initiatives used best-in-class methodologies to help the students of today prepare to face and solve the challenges of tomorrow.
Storyteller - A critically acclaimed author and public speaker, Josh connects and communicates with audiences through a variety of media, including books, photographs, documentaries, and feature films produced by First Light Studios. As a television presenter, Josh is known to audiences in 220 countries and territories around the world for his approachable, authentic style and insatiable curiosity. For three years, Josh hosted the record-breaking hit series Digging for the Truth on the History Channel which, to this day, is still the highest-rated and most respected adventure-archaeology series on TV. He was also the host and executive producer of the Discovery Channel's epic series Into the Unknown with Josh Bernstein. His newest series is called Explorer At Large and seeks to build a sacred connection between people and our planet through multi-media content and programs that spotlight STEM solutions, celebrate indigenous wisdom, and inspire wonder.
In addition to his work on camera, Josh executive produces and narrates feature films, documentaries, and short-form videos for global clients including governments, government agencies, and other high-profile institutions and foundations committed to quality storytelling that makes a difference.
