NICHOLAS FILMS AND TIBET HOUSE US PRESENT
THE THIRD POLE
THE HEART OF EARTH'S UNTOLD CLIMATE CRISIS
A NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES
JOIN THE JOURNEY
The Third Pole—The Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau—is the world's largest store of water outside the Arctic and Antarctic. But the glaciers here are melting faster than anywhere on earth, threatening 2.5 billion people who live downstream and unleashing a global climate catastrophe. As the Third Pole transforms, the world must pay attention—what's happening here impacts us all.
To be filmed across five countries and a full year of seasonal change, this intimate documentary series portrays the breathtaking beauty—and looming danger—of the Third Pole. While celebrating these rich cultures and beautiful landscapes, this film series will also confront the crisis and explore the steps we must take to protect it.
Executive Producers
The Third Pole is co production of Nicholas Films and Tibet House US
Dan Nicholas
Executive Producer / Director
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Beata Tikos
Executive Producer
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Kyra Borre
Executive Producer
Ganden Thurman
Executive Producer
Advisor Council
Product Advisor
Dr. Robert Thurman
Bob Thurman—also known as Tenzin Bob Thurman—is a renowned scholar, author, educator, and one of the most influential voices bringing Tibetan Buddhism and contemplative wisdom to the modern West. Ordained in the 1960s by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the first American Tibetan Buddhist monk, Bob has spent more than five decades translating the depth of Buddhist philosophy into language that is intellectually rigorous, deeply humane, and accessible to contemporary life.
Named by The New York Times as “the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism,” Bob served for over 30 years as the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, where generations of students described his classes as transformative and life-changing. A prolific author and charismatic public speaker, his work bridges spirituality, culture, politics, art, science, and activism through the lens of compassion and interdependence.
In 1987, at the request of the Dalai Lama, Bob co-founded Tibet House US alongside Richard Gere, Philip Glass, and Tenzin Tethong to preserve and promote Tibetan culture. He is also the founder of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. In 2020, he was awarded India’s prestigious Padma Shri for his contributions to preserving Buddhist heritage. Through his teaching, writing, and activism, Bob continues to inspire a vision of a more compassionate, wise, and interconnected world.
Project Advisor
Dr. Betty Sue Flowers
Betty Sue Flowers, PhD, is an international foresight consultant, former Director of the Johnson Presidential Library, and former Professor at UT-Austin, with publications ranging from poetry therapy to sustainability, including two books of poetry and four PBS tie-in books, among them, the best-selling Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth.
She has served as a moderator for executive seminars at the Aspen Institute, consultant for NASA, CIA, and the Secretary of the Navy, Public Director of the American Institute of Architects, and editor of scenarios for organizations including Shell Global, the OAS, OECD, Eskom (South Africa), Malaysia, Oman, the World Energy Council, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Her publications include the complete edition of Christina Rossetti’s poetry for the Penguin English Poets Series, Presence: Human Purpose and the Field of the Future (co-authored), “The American Dream and the Economic Myth” (Huffington Post), “The Primacy of People in a World of Nations” in The Partnership Principle: New Forms of Governance in the 21st Century, “The Shield of Athena: Archetypal Images and Women as Political Leaders” in Ancient Greece, Modern Psyche, and the co-edited Realistic Hope: Facing Global Challenges. Her most recent book is Scenarios: Using the Future to Shape the Present.
Our Core Team
The Third Pole brings together a team of experienced non-fiction producers from diverse backgrounds who have a proven record of delivering intelligent, engaging stories to audiences across the world. Our team has produced over 350 hours of television and film, across 17+ networks with work that spans the breadth of non-fiction genres.
Director of Photography
Jigme Tenzing
Best known for his work on the
Academy Award-nominated feature film Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. Jigme has collaborated closely with filmmaker and Buddhist monk Khyentse Norbu Rinpoche. H has a proven ability to merge the poetic grandeur of the Himalayas with intimate, human-driven storytelling.
Producer
Sarah Rachael Wainio
One of the industry’s most sought after storytellers whose credits include weTV, The Food Network, MTV, FacebookWatch, Netflix, TLC, and Max. Sarah produced the first three seasons of MTV’s seminal show “Teen Mom: Young + Pregnant", and her work on THE LOST KITCHEN was nominated for a RealScreen Award.
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Head of Production
Joe Schroeder
Dubbed the “Swiss Army Knife” of Documentary and Nonfiction Production, Joseph is a multifaceted documentary producer, with credits in highly acclaimed programming for PBS, National Geographic, A&E, and many other networks.
Lead Researcher
Katherine Thomson
Dr. Kate Thomson, is a world class scholar of social history from the ancient world to the present. She holds a Masters degree from Oxford University and a PhD from NYU. Kate ensures that all productions meet the highest standards of research and intellectual rigor.
A CO-PRODUCTION OF
