Dan O’Neill

Film Work

Dan is currently in production for a new BBC One expedition series and a high-profile feature-length documentary about biodiversity for a top global streamer.

His upcoming series Snow Leopards with Dan O’Neill premieres this year on Love Nature and Sky TV. The series follows Dan as he leads an extreme conservation mission through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia to reveal the hunting behaviour, social dynamics and territorial range of the elusive snow leopard. For more than 70% of shooting days there were only two international crewmembers on location. As such, the series which Dan developed, directed and presented was nominated at Wildscreen Festival this year for the sustainability Panda Award.

In 2024, Dan fronted the National Geographic series, Zombie Animals. While in 2023, he hosted Giants, a globe-trotting series for Curiosity Stream which circled the globe on five epic expeditions in search of the greatest beasts to have roamed the planet.

Giants marked the first time in history that an openly LGBTQ+ wildlife presenter hosted a series for a major network.

Dan’s work for BBC Earth Digital includes: Snow Leopards: Ghosts in the Snow, a four-part docuseries following Dan and the Snow Leopard Trust into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, Dan O’Neill Investigates, which sees Dan explore the illegal wildlife trade and animal cruelty, and After We’ve Gone, an exploration of how nature would thrive without humans. Dan is also a regular face on BBC One’s, The One Show presenting VTs on wildlife, conservation and adventure.

In 2020, Dan travelled to rebel-occupied western Mindanao, to learn the conservation story of the most endangered raptor on the planet, the Philippine eagle. Dan’s independent film, Queen of Birds, which documented his journey, has been viewed over 2.3 million times and played a part in protecting a large area of intact forest.

Other work has included shooting and directing longform wildlife and expedition documentaries for broadcast, producing various digital miniseries, co-producing nature-inspired music with Grammy-winning artist Imogen Heap for Cate Blanchett’s Audible Original podcast ‘Climate of Change’, and co-directing digital fashion campaigns for the likes of Attitude Magazine. Attitude has also named Dan in their list of 101 Trailblazers in the LGBTQIA+ community globally, first in 2021, and then again in 2025, this time leading the STEM category with an article exploring his work with the International Snow Leopard Trust.

Expeditions

From the jungle of the northern Amazon to the frozen peaks of Central Asia, to ancient Mayan forests of the Yucatan, Dan has led numerous expeditions to find and study rare species. Regularly involved in field research and biodiversity monitoring, Dan primarily works as a mammal specialist, expedition leader and camera-trap technician.

Dan has particular expertise in big cat behavioural and spatial ecology. In 2023, Dan was appointed the Snow Leopard Trust’s first-ever Explorer in Residence, presenting him the opportunity to work with local communities and field teams to support conservation in the high mountains of Central Asia. The Snow Leopard Trust is the world’s largest organisation devoted to protecting this enigmatic cat and its mountain habitats.

Most recently, Dan returned from two months of fieldwork in the Yucatan mist netting and ringing birds. Last year, he joined the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society to camera trap and track tigers in India’s largest tiger reserve and led a snow leopard fieldwork expedition in Kyrgyzstan, as well as attend a biodiversity research expedition in Mexico studying pumas and jaguars. In December 2023, Dan led an expedition to Guyana, and in June 2023, he led a six-week scientific study to Honduras, capturing and ringing tropical forest birds and camera-trapping large mammals. In 2021, supported by the indigenous people, Dan led an expedition in search of jaguars, which was documented in the film, Last Eden: Guyana for Curiosity Stream.

Speaker

A popular speaker, host and compere, Dan’s extensive knowledge, storytelling expertise and exuberant personality allow him to connect with audiences of varying backgrounds, ages, and interests. Key topics include wildlife filmmaking, expedition & survival, sustainability, conservation, LGBTQIA+, extreme environments, and motivation.

Dan excels on panel discussions and interviews tackling the complex and often controversial issues that others may shy away from. With more than a decade of on-the-ground work on the front lines of conservation, he can speak confidently from a position of experience and authority on a broad range of nuanced topics such as hunting, wild animal collaring, community-based conservation, and the ethics of zoos, to name a few.

Speaker Testimonials

“Dan’s personal style of storytelling is truly moving and inspiring.” – Jayson Ibanez, Philippine Eagle Foundation

“Dan was an absolute delight to work with. He gave an inspiring talk to our college and university students who were fascinated and intrigued in equal measure.” – Jamie Cash, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies

Education and Interests

Currently working with the University of Bristol as an Honorary Research Associate, Dan is a vocal and committed advocate for diversity in STEM, science media, and adventure spaces, using his platform to push boundaries and tell inclusive, compelling stories.

Dan continues to be a passionate advocate for increased LGBT representation in STEM, natural history media, and adventure. His work has been featured in Attitude Magazine, Gay Times, The Advocate, The Independent, and BBC Radio 4, and more.