As senior vice president, editorial development, at National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F), Maryanne Culpepper oversees story development for all NGT&F programming.



Culpepper was appointed to her current position in 2003, and plays a key role in extending National Geographic's editorial assets to the broadcast format. To this end, Culpepper develops content and coordinates cross-divisional planning throughout National Geographic, utilizing Society-wide media, talent and marketing. Working closely with NGT&F's editorial groups, Culpepper spearheads efforts toward long-range editorial planning and facilitating collaboration between various production units, while initiating a consolidated review process for external proposals submitted to both NGT&F and National Geographic Channel.



Culpepper, an Emmy award-winning writer/producer with 20 years' experience in television production and broadcast management, joined National Geographic Television in 1996 as director, story development. In this position she analyzed and evaluated film/series proposals and oversaw various aspects of the production process, including field research, treatment writing and rights negotiation. Other responsibilities included the development of editorial content and the commission of production assignments.



Prior to joining National Geographic, Culpepper was founder and president of Graffiti Works, a film and video production company based in Orlando, Fla., and Washington, D.C. Other previous positions include producer/director at Auburn Television, where she produced, directed and wrote documentary and public affairs/informational programming for PBS' national and regional broadcast, and research director for WUFT-TV, Gainesville, Fla.'s public television station.



Culpepper won a regional Emmy award (Suncoast) for excellence in Children's and Family Programming for "Food TV," a comedy series on nutrition that aired on PBS. She has also won multiple CINE Golden Eagle awards, including one as writer of "At the Time of Diagnosis," a multipart series for Time-Life hosted by Dr. C. Everett Koop. "Lost in Time" was her first documentary production to air nationally on PBS in 1984.



Culpepper earned her Bachelor of Science in journalism and communications and a master's degree in communication from the University of Florida.