Céline S. Cousteau (born June 6, 1972) is a socio-environmental advocate and public figure. She is known for her work as a documentary film director, producer, explorer, artist, public speaker, brand ambassador, designer, author, and wellness workshop facilitator. She has been a panelist at the United Nations in New York, speaks on stage to audiences around the world, and has interviewed many prominent figures including President Lasso of Ecuador. She is the Founder/Director of CauseCentric Productions and previously Co-founder/ Chairman of the Board of the Outdoor Film Fellowship. She is the daughter of ocean explorer and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau, and granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau.

Céline Cousteau
Cousteau in 2013
Born
Céline S. Cousteau

(1972-06-06) June 6, 1972 (age 52)[1]
NationalityAmerican and French
Organization(s)CauseCentric Productions, The Outdoor Film Fellowship, The Javari Project
Known forFilm production and direction, exploration, conservation, design, ambassadorship
Children1
Parent(s)Jean-Michel Cousteau
Anne-Marie Cousteau
RelativesFabien Cousteau (brother)
Jacques Cousteau (grandfather)
Simone Cousteau (grandmother)

Early years and personal life

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Cousteau is the third generation of the Cousteau family of explorers. She was born in California to Jean-Michel Cousteau, a documentary-filmmaker and environmental advocate, and Anne-Marie Cousteau, an expedition photographer.[2] She is the sister of Fabien Cousteau, an ocean explorer and shark advocate, and granddaughter of pioneering ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.[2] She grew up in their family homes in France and the United States.

Cousteau spent some of her youth aboard her grandfather's research vessel the Calypso with her family.[3] One of her major expeditions on board was at age nine when she journeyed to the Amazon. The expedition lasted 18 months of which she spent 2 weeks navigating its coastal and jungle waters in areas that were still largely unknown to the outside world. It was through this experience that Cousteau began to learn about the interconnectedness of not only the environment, but humanity.[3] She has spent her life dedicated to understanding the human "tribe" and the relationships forged between individuals, communities and ecosystems; this has been the inspiration behind her films, artworks and activism.[4][3]

She has one son with her partner Çapkin van Alphen, an Australian cameraman.[2]

Education

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Cousteau attended the Norfolk Academy in Virginia and the United Nations International School in New York City, and graduated from Skidmore College in 1994, where she majored in psychology and minored in studio art. She received her master's degree in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Training.[5] She received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Aveiro.[6]

Career

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Cousteau is the founder and CEO of CauseCentric Productions. CauseCentric Productions produces and distributes multi-media content with an emphasis on short films to amplify the voices and communicate the stories of solution focused grassroots organizations and individuals working on environmental and socio-cultural issues.[7] She also the co-founded of the Outdoor Film Fellowship, formerly the Céline Cousteau Film Fellowship, a film fellowship program that existed for 3 years equipping young filmmakers, creatives, and activists to motivate change through storytelling.

Cousteau released her first feature documentary, Tribes on Edge, in 2019.[8] She first went to the Vale do Javari Indigenous territory in the Brazilian Amazon in 2007 as part of a documentary for PBS, "Return to the Amazon". In 2010, the Indigenous Peoples of that land asked her asked her to come back and tell their story to the world. There she spent time with tribes of the Vale do Javari, Brazilian Amazon whose existence has increasingly become threatened by the modern world.

Art and fashion

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  • Spring/Summer 2016 - Ocean Mysteries Collection, guest Designer for Swarovski[9]
  • Fall/Winter 2016 - Tribute to Tribe Collection, guest Designer for Swarovski[10][11]  
  • Fall 2017 - Regenerating the Reef Couture Collection, Associate Designer for Deborah Milner[12]

Ambassadorships and associations

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  • International Spokeswoman, La Prairie skincare company (2007–2014)[13]
  • Sustainability Partner, Contiki Holidays (2010–2014)[14]
  • Advisory Council Member, Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation (2012)[15][16]
  • Council Member on Global Agenda Council of Oceans, World Economic Forum, (2012–2016)[17]
  • Ambassador, the TreadRight Foundation (2014–Present)[18]
  • Ambassador, Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program (2015)[19][20]
  • Advisory Board Members, Marine Construction Technologies (2015–2019)[21]
  • Brand Ambassador, Keen Footwear (2016)[22]
  • Advisory Board Member, the Himalayan Consensus (2017–2019)[23]
  • Board of Directors, National Aquarium in Baltimore (2018–Present)[24]

Filmography

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Year Production Role Notes
2006/2007 Ocean Adventures Series: America's Underwater Treasures Series Host, Field Producer TV mini-series, PBS[25]
2006 Ocean Adventures Series: Grey Whale Obstacle Course Series Host, Field Producer TV mini-series, PBS[25]
2008 Ocean Adventures Series: Return to the Amazon Series Host, Field Producer TV mini-series, PBS[25]
2008 Amazon Promise Director, producer CauseCentric Short Film
2008 Mysteries of the Shark Coast Co-host TV movie, Discovery Channel[26]
2009 Ocean Adventures Series: Call of the Killer Whale Series Host, Field Producer TV mini-series, PBS[25]
2009 URCSF: Grow Gardens in Uganda, Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2009 Green Chimneys: Foster Healing with Animal Assisted Therapy Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Antartica" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Canales y Fiordos" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Desierto y Cobre" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Isla de Pascua" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Juan Fernandez" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Pam Denisse" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Patagonio" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Pisagua" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Punta de Choros" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "Valparaiso" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, episode "El Fin de la Aventura" Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2009 Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar, Episode Co-host TV series, Consejo Nacional de Television[28]
2010 Healing Seekers: Search Traditional Medicine Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2011 Sirenia: the Mystique of the Manatees Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2011 Scars of Freedom Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2013 Exploring Eden in Patagonia: from Glacier to Bay Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2013 Exploring Eden in Patagonia: Diving In Director, producer Short Film, CauseCentric[27]
2018 L'aventure continue avec Céline Cousteau en Patagonie, episode 1 Co-host, Co-author TV series, France 3[29]
2018 L'aventure continue avec Céline Cousteau en Patagonie, episode 2 Co-host, Co-author TV series, France 3[29]
2019 Tribes on the Edge Director, producer, Co-writer, Host Feature-length documentary and impact campaign, CauseCentric[8]
2019 Legends of the Deep: Bermuda Triangle, The Secret Shipwreck Co-host TV mini-series, Science Channel[30]
2019 Legends of the Deep: Search For The Sunken UFO Co-host TV mini-series, Science Channel[31]
2019 Legends of the Deep: Curse Of The Sea Monster Co-host TV mini-series, Science Channel[32]
2019 Legends of the Deep: Mystery of the Spy Sabotage Co-host TV mini-series, Science Channel[33]
2020 Céline Cousteau à Madagascar, Des arbres et des hommes Co-host, co-author TV series, France 3
2020 Céline Cousteau à Madagascar, La forêt de merveilles Co-host, co-author TV series, France 3

References

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  1. ^ "Family Tree Legends". Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c McCarthy, Fiona (2012-12-10). "Explorer Céline Cousteau on her grandfather Jacques". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  3. ^ a b c Schuster, Angela M.H. (2018-06-07). "Céline Cousteau Wants You to Put That Plastic Fork Down". Robb Report. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  4. ^ "With Céline Cousteau, Swarovski Explores the Amazon - Fashion Unfiltered". Fashion Unfiltered. 2016-10-14. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  5. ^ "Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter gives lecture at UAveiro". Wag Mag. 12 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Cause and Effect". Universidade de Aveiro. 30 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Our Mission". CauseCentric Productions. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on May 22, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Tribes on the Edge". Tribes on the Edge. June 25, 2019.
  9. ^ "It's a Woman's World". Crystals from Swarovski. June 25, 2019.
  10. ^ "Swarovski Celebrates Tribue to Tribue Collab with Celine Cousteau". The Fabulous Report. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  11. ^ "Swarovski x Celine Cousteau Unveil Tribute to Tribe Crystal Collection". Editorialist. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "REGENERATING THE REEF, A COLLECTION BY DEBORAH MILNER". London Fashion Week. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "La Prairie, Celine Cousteau, Skincare, beauty tips". Vogue Australia. June 25, 2019.
  14. ^ "Contiki Holidays Announces Adventurer & Filmmaker Celine Cousteau as its Sustainability Partner". PR Newswire. June 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "Board of Directors". Adventure Scientists. June 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "New Organization Links Adventure Athletes and Scientists in Conservation". National Geographic. June 25, 2019.
  17. ^ "Ocean Conservation Is a Family Affair for This Explorer". Huffington Post. 2015-04-22.
  18. ^ "CÉLINE COUSTEAU". TreadRight. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  19. ^ "Noted filmmaker promotes environmentalism among UAE students". Gulf News UAE. June 25, 2019.
  20. ^ "Celine Cousteau launches Roots & Shoots leadership programme in Abu Dhabi" (PDF). rootsnshoots org. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  21. ^ "About | Marine Construction Technologies, PBC". 24 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24.
  22. ^ "Keen Follow Your Feet - Dauntless - Celine Cousteau". Youtube. June 25, 2019.
  23. ^ "Diving Into Celine Cousteau's Environmental Advocacy". Newswire. 2013-02-21. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  24. ^ "Céline Cousteau, Jacques Cousteau's granddaughter, named to National Aquarium board". Baltimore Sun. 2018-02-13.
  25. ^ a b c d "Jean-Michael Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, About the Series". PBS.org.
  26. ^ "Mysteries of the Shark Coast". IMDb. June 25, 2019.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g "CauseCentric Short Films". CauseCentric Productions. June 25, 2019.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Oceano, Chile Frente al Mar - CNTV". CNTV. June 25, 2019. Archived from the original on 2020-09-11. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  29. ^ a b "l'Aventure Continue avec Celine Cousteau en Patagonie". TL. June 25, 2019.
  30. ^ "Legends of the Deep Bermuda Triangle: the Secret Shipwreck". IMDb. June 25, 2019.
  31. ^ "Legends of the Deep: Search for the Sunken UFO". IMDb. June 25, 2019.
  32. ^ "Legends of the Deep: Curse of the Sea Monster". IMDb. June 25, 2019.
  33. ^ "Legends of the Deep". IMDb.
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