J.J. Kelley is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and explorer with a passion for venturing into the world's wildest places. As the host of the Travel Channel's new 8-part series "Lost In The Wild", he delves into the stories of history's greatest adventures gone wrong.
With three of his documentaries featured on the cover of National Geographic magazine, including the Emmy-nominated "Warlords of Ivory", Kelley is a producer and correspondent for National Geographic Channel's flagship documentary series "EXPLORER". As a commercial director, he recently completed "Nonstop Scouting", a travel and sports series for Delta Air Lines.
Kelley's journey as a filmmaker and explorer began when he was just 19 years old, loading his pickup truck with camping gear and driving from the lower 48 up to Seward, Alaska. This sparked a lifelong passion for adventure, which has taken him to the Appalachian Trail, where he thru-hiked, and to the Arctic Ocean, where he biked the length of Alaska.
As an avid adventurer, Kelley has also paddled from Alaska to Seattle in a homemade kayak, journeyed the full length of India's Ganges River, and explored the Bering Sea on the TV show "Deadliest Catch". He is a fellow at the Explorers Club and brings a unique mix of humor and grit to his investigations.
Kelley's work has won numerous awards, including the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival's Best Conservation Film for "Battle for the Elephants", the Conservation Achievement for Media and Film Award from TUSK, and the Best Short Film award at the Blue Ocean Film Festival for "GYRE". His documentary "26 Years and Counting" exposed the long-lasting effects of the 1989 Exxon-Valdez oil spill, which now threatens the localized extinction of a population of orca whales.
Kelley's work has appeared on National Geographic Channel, NOVA, Discovery Channels, New York Times, Outside, PBS, and more.
