Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool in effecting change and I was super lucky to be selected for the Wildscreen Emerging Talent Internship hosted by AFRISOS in Arusha Tanzania. – Maliha Sumar
My background is a bit of a hodge-podge, I’ve worked in the industry and out! My journey has taken me through roles in production management, festival coordination, and teaching, each of which has honed my skills in communication, project management, and creative thinking.
Wildscreen 2024 sees the return of our iconic kit show, dedicated to showcasing the companies and technology at the cutting edge of natural world storytelling.
1. Tell us a bit about your role!
I am the social media/comms intern – I tend to do blog and research-based tasks. I’ve only been here for a short amount of time as of answering this so cannot go into too many details, but I’ve been told I’m going to be all over the place. A Jack-of-all-trades if you will!
2. What’s your background?
Before joining Wildscreen I didn’t really get up to much other than nerding out over animals and the natural world but not having a clue where that could take me in life. Other than my A-levels in college and working part-time in retail for a couple months, I really struggled to put a plan in place for what I wanted in the future – I knew I definitely didn’t want to go to university at the very least. However, here I am over a year after leaving college and stagnating, and I’m finally getting an idea of where I would like to be in life! Yippee.
3. What motivates you?
Our natural world. I know it sounds a little cliché to say, but I’m hoping that I can make even the slightest difference with what I write. From a young age I’ve always had a special interest in creatures of all shapes or sizes, and if I can spread my love of animals through that, then I’m satisfied. It’d be even better if I can encourage others to fall in love with nature too.
4. If you could change one thing about the natural history industry, what would it be?
I’d make it more readily available to everyone. I’ve heard many people say that information is hard to find or is far too complicated. And that’s really sad; if you’re passionate about something it shouldn’t be difficult to find out information. Articles, research papers, textbooks and more make it hard for people like me (short attention spans) to really learn about something you love. If paragraphs were separated and words were explained better for the general public, then I’d be much happier.
5. What are your career goals?
Honestly? I don’t know. I know I want to keep in the field of the natural world and writing, since mean a lot to me, but as of now I guess I’ll just see where the wind takes me.
6. Favourite moment working at Wildscreen?
As of answering this, I’ve only been here for three days, so there isn’t much I can talk about. But in general, everyone’s been so lovely and welcoming, and far from how I imagined office life to be like, and I love it.
7. What’s your favourite story from nature?
I’m guessing this is about real-life stories, but as a huge book nerd, I’m going to answer with The Animals of Farthing Wood. While it’s obviously not a true story, the idea of a fox, a badger, an adder, an owl, and many more of our British wildlife putting aside their differences to escape certain doom via humans certainly means a lot to me. While I feel a little silly saying it, the story is really inspiring – while gruesome and heart wrenching – and made me wish for every animal making their way to their safe havens. (Adder’s the best character).
8. Describe working for Wildscreen in three words!
Inclusive. Fun. Friendly.
Ooh this is a difficult question. Part of me wants to say Komodo dragon because I’m very biased and they’ve always been my favourite species – I fed one last year! I think I’ll settle on a peregrine falcon, though, so I can explore as much as I can in a short amount of time. They’re speedy.
10. What’s a fun fact about you?
I was on the BBC radio once a few years ago, and was asked alongside a few other people who I would interview and – be it alive, dead, fictional, or real – who would it be? Everyone else said inspirational people, like Malala, Gandhi, or Frida Kahlo… I said Jack the Ripper, whoops.
