Anna Sagatov

Tell us about your work/ research. What kinds of things do you do?

As an underwater cinematographer and science communicator, I capture the beauty and complexity of underwater environments and scientific stories through film. I work both in the water SCUBA diving with my camera in environments like kelp forests and coral reefs, and from research vessel control rooms on ROV video operations where we send down underwater robots to the deepest parts of the ocean to explore places no human has ever seen before. I collaborate closely with scientists to create accurate and engaging films that make scientific discoveries accessible and exciting. I aim to inspire awe, curiosity, conservation, and a deeper appreciation for our oceans.
 

What sparked your initial interest in your career?

Though I was raised in northern Virginia, nowhere near the ocean, my first word as a baby was "fish," and I asked for my childhood bedroom to be decorated like a coral reef, so this career seems pretty fated! I can't remember a time when I didn't love nature. As a child, I explored the creek in the woods behind our house and was always especially drawn to aquatic environments. I have also always been creative and appreciative of beauty, art, and form, finding joy in nature's beauty, cleverness, and functional efficiency.

As I grew older, I took an open water SCUBA diving course in college with a friend on a whim. Even though our first open water dives were in a rather bland rock quarry in Virginia, I was completely hooked on diving. That summer, I volunteered in Mexico to do coral reef substrate surveys with a first-generation GoPro in hand, and I continued from there. I transferred to the College of the Atlantic to study the intersections of art and science, got my divemaster certification in Thailand, and later earned a master's degree in Science and Natural History Filmmaking.
 

Who influenced you or encouraged you the most?

Though I've known many inspiring individuals professionally and in academia, the person who has always believed in and encouraged me the most is my mom. While I've had several mentors throughout my life, none have been as steadfast as she has. She has always appreciated my ability to distill complex scientific topics into understandable terms. Thanks, Mom! I couldn't have done it without you.

I'm also deeply inspired by those who create work about the ocean and champion ocean conservation, such as Sylvia Earle, Jacques Cousteau, Gavin Thurston, Jeff Hester, and Shireen Rahimi. Ocean filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer Caitlin Bailey has inspired me immensely; knowing her has changed my life. She is one of the most humble, kind, hardworking, and accomplished filmmakers I know. Environmental artist Mara Haseltine will always be my "ocean mom." I interned with her in my early 20s in New York City, and she got me into the Explorers Club, helping me find my people—scientists, explorers, and nature lovers. I will always be grateful to her.
 

What element of your work/ study do you think is the most fascinating?

The most fascinating part of my work is learning from the scientists I collaborate with. I became a filmmaker and science communicator to learn forever and to inspire wonder about the natural world in others. Scientists delve deeply into the intricacies of their studies, and I love learning about their discoveries and expertise. For instance, I've come to adore faceless siphonophores because I find it fascinating that they are colonial organisms, and I'm mesmerized by the alien-like creatures of the deep and their ability to thrive in environments that would destroy many other animals.
 

How did you get involved with Ocean Exploration Trust? How did you become part of the expedition team?

Over the past few months, I applied to several positions on the Nautilus because I was impressed with their science communication and wanted to be part of the team. In 2022, I sailed on the NOAA Okeanos Explorer as part of their video team. Dr. Ashton Flinders, a research geophysicist who had sailed with me on the Okeanos and was featured in several of my videos, recommended me to the Nautilus video team. He convinced the video lead, Ed McNichol, to hire me!
 

What other jobs led you to your current career?

My career path, like many others on this expedition, hasn't been straightforward. Though my jobs have been diverse, my work has always involved elements of science, nature, art, or film. Although I only began working in ocean science and exploration in 2021, my time in the film industry and in other jobs has provided invaluable experience and skills that I'm able to apply to what I do now. I’ve worked on a range of film productions, from low-budget independent films to large projects like Paramount’s Yellowstone and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. These experiences taught me effective communication, integrity, respect, adaptability, and the power of storytelling, which I now apply to my ocean science film projects.

Working in the film industry also helped me realize that I wanted my work to be more meaningful. While the people, creative aspects, and adventures were exciting, I wasn't always passionate about the projects' messages. I sometimes had to take jobs on projects I wasn’t proud of because I needed the work, as that is the nature of freelancing in one's early career. I learned that I thrive on creative teams, but need to be passionate about the work and the people I'm collaborating with. My goal is for my work to inspire awe for science and the natural world and encourage positive action and ocean conservation.

Chronologically, here are some of the jobs I've had from high school through the present:
-Barista
-Server at a farm-to-table restaurant 
-Divemaster in Thailand
-Bartender at a craft cocktail bar
-Piano teacher
-Natural history/fossil store retail
-Camp counselor at an ecology summer camp
-Development intern at Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory
-Technician at a neurofeedback clinic
-Community Director at a DIY biological laboratory in NYC
-Production assistant on many film projects, ranging from a National Geographic natural history shoot, to a Hillary Clinton documentary, to Yellowstone, to…Keeping Up with the Kardashians
-Set decorator/set designer on many film projects, ranging from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and projects that got into Cannes Film Festival and Sundance to…a Lifetime Christmas movie
-Segment producer on a paranormal/science travel TV show
-Videographer for a marine science nonprofit
-Video engineer on the NOAA Okeanos Explorer
-Scuba diving shop retail
-Founder of a networking platform for ocean professionals 
-In-water videographer on a surf documentary about Black women surfers in Baja
-Freelance videographer 
 

What are your degrees and certifications?

MFA- Science and Natural History Filmmaking. Montana State University, Bozeman, MT. 
BA- Human Ecology- Interconnections between art and science. College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME. 
PADI Divemaster
FAA drone pilot
 

What are your hobbies?

Scuba diving, surfing, yoga, playing music with my friends, exploring nature.
 

What advice would you give someone who wants to have a career like yours?

Everyone’s path to this job is extraordinarily different. The best thing I can say is…Don’t give up! Again. Don’t. Give. Up. If this is what you’re meant to do, you’ll feel it in your heart and it’ll propel you forward even when you feel like you'll never make it. The only way out is through. When faced with a challenge or a setback, ask "what can I learn from this and how can it make me stronger?"

Be respectful to EVERYONE. Don’t talk badly about people. Do a good job at whatever you do, no matter how small or inconsequential you think the job might be. You never know what paths these things may lead to. I once worked as a day player (temporary crew) on a two-day shoot for a Travel Channel show. I put my all into it even though I never thought I’d see any of that crew again. Years later the producer from that shoot reached out and hired me on a show that lasted over six months that changed the course of my career. That job propelled me in the direction of being on the Nautilus crew.

This career is challenging and uncomfortable. There’s a lot of gear. It’s expensive and cumbersome and annoying and sometimes you’re going to wish you were a freediver with a GoPro. But when you get comfortable with it, you realize that it’s what allows you to capture these amazing images that make joy and excitement bubble up inside you, and hopefully the audience too. You have to know that you’re going to make it. This is cliche, but it’s true- What separates the people who make it from those who don’t is that the ones who don’t make it stop trying. Even if you have to take weird jobs to make ends meet so you can afford to go diving or buy the camera system you want, it’s all in service of making it happen, and it’s all part of the adventure, and it’ll make a good story someday. This is a competitive field, and you’re going to feel like a crazy weird person compared to people who have chosen an easier life path. (Also, don’t get on your high horse thinking you’re cooler than anybody, because you’re not.) But if you have this sense of knowing that this is what you’re supposed to do, then it’s absolutely the most worth it thing in the world when you finally start to become the person you’ve dreamt of being. You will get in the water and film whales! Just keep going. Put yourself in environments where you’ll meet other people who inspire you and like the same things you do. Go diving. Take risks and be brave. Talk to people! Remember that boldness is always rewarded- seriously. Go surfing (even if you’re bad at it). Learn your camera really well. Film your friends in the water. Make a playlist that inspires you to make it happen and listen to it when you need a boost. Journal about your future dream life. Read Journeys in the Wild: The Secret Life of a Cameraman by Gavin Thurston. Remember that this life you want to live can happen, and is doable, and that you’re taking steps in the right direction every day. Meditate every day. Feel gratitude for the beautiful life you’re living. Take care of your body because you need it to do this job and to live life to the fullest. Do not let your ego get in the way- your purpose is beyond yourself. Remember that you’re strong, and that the most important thing is your purpose of showing people the wonder and beauty of the ocean, because it’s the best thing in the world. Remember that fear destroys and let every decision you make come from a place of love.