Meet Jamie Baldanza: Wildlife Photographer & Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Baldanza and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Be silly. Be honest. Be kind.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

I remember reading this and thinking, “YES,” that is who I want to be, that is who I am. In the age of social media, social injustices, and environmental crises it’s really hard to not get wrapped up in the negativity and get depressed.

This quote speaks to me deeply for several reasons… One, a number one priority in life is practicing kindness and compassion to all species. Two, in the world of storytelling, I recognize the need for honesty and transparency. In the wild horse advocacy world, there is a lot of false information flying around, so I really only try to report what I see and know. And of course, through all of this, I have to remind myself to be silly and laugh and stay true to my core. It’s ok to have a good time and smile, never forget that!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I used to be a city girl. Infact I went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and studied Advertising Design. I was fortunate to get a job right after graduation as a Junior Art Director at a NYC advertising agency… As my career grew, over the past 14 years I had helped develop some of the most recognizable brands in the world. As much as I loved this life… the traveling, culture, being paid to think of “cool” ideas, something was missing. My deep love for horses and all animals still tugged at my heart and I knew something needed to happen.

So… as an animal and horse lover since birth, I moved to NJ, got a farm with rescue animals, and quit my job to follow my passion – photographing wild horses all across the Western United States. As my instagram following grew, I decided that I could do more. Tapping into my years as a creative in the advertising industry I decided to start my own production company that brought animal causes to the public through film and photography. My biggest project to date is “Wild Lands Wild Horses” which will bring awareness to the wild horse cause. “Wild Lands Wild Horses” is an exploratory docu-series traveling across 12 states within 150M+ acres of public lands. It transports you through America’s western landscape and shines a light on the majestic yet politically complicated lives of America’s Wild Horse.

We have currently filmed and produced the pilot episode and won 10 awards at film festivals. Unfortunately, we lost out on the chance to network to get the series picked up because of Covid, so we decided to release it on YouTube on June 9th for all to watch! We are extremely proud of it, and just really excited to get it out there.

What is truly different about this docu-series is the approach that we take. The wild horse issue is intense, emotional, and layers and layers thick of complicated legislation. WLWH decided to take an unbiased approach when interviewing all stakeholders to our public lands (where our wild horses roam)… because to truly learn, we must talk to EVERYONE.

Approximately 95,000 wild horses and burros live in the wild and 50,000 in government holding facilities. The biggest threat at the moment is from the government roundups of wild horses roaming our public lands to address the sustainability of the range and range wars among livestock. We aren’t going to fix this over disagreements, we need to work together.

We have exclusive conversations with scientists, ranchers, government officials, and wildlife advocates, who – despite their differences – all share the same goal: To Keep The West Wild.

In the midst of all this seriousness we also decided to have fun and bring YOU to the wild to meet the horses and fall in love. We hope by doing this, people will be engaged through love instead of anger and hate.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, living only an hour from NYC, my absolute favorite place to take people is the Museum of Natural History. The blue whale is truly a sight to see!

But, if it didn’t have to be a city, I would bring everyone to my most favorite place in the world, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Tucked away in the town of Medora, North Dakota sits the badlands filled with wildlife (including wild horses). What’s amazing about this place is you can actually feel the heartbeat of the land. I encourage everyone to at least visit there once!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I did not get to where I am today, alone. I’ve had a whole community of wildlife and wild horse lovers build me up and cheer me on through this journey. Many organizations, wild horse advocates, scientists and more have spent hours educating and giving me advice.

In particular I owe alot to my “Wild Lands Wild Horses” partner Deb Lee Carson. Deb is one of the most educated and talented wild horse photographers I have ever met. What started out as me being a fangirl of hers, then slowly wiggling my way into her life, and then somehow getting her to become my mentor and one of my best friends, she really has been my rock and sounding board in the biggest project of my life.

I also want to thank my husband for supporting my big life change when I decided to leave the corporate world to follow my passion.

Website: https://www.wildlandswildhorses.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/thismustanglife

Facebook: facebook.com/thismustanglife

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_-7S8j6QGi6lsnKyvUAHBg

Image Credits
Jamie Baldanza Deb Lee Carson