Flying in a motorized paraglider over one of the most diverse continents in the world, George Steinmetz captures the stunning beauty of Africa’s landscapes and people. His pictures show not only the spectacular patterns of the land, but also the potential and hope that the continent encompasses.

Steinmetz made his first trip to Africa while in college, and spent two and a half years hitch-hiking across the continent.

“I didn’t have a goal to change Africa. I just wanted to marinate in it,” he said.

A self-taught photographer, Steinmetz has traveled through more than 30 countries in Africa photographing its diverse wildlife, landscape and culture. For the past decade much of his work has involved flying a ultralight aircraft to photograph remote landscapes. His foot-launched aircraft consists of a backpack motor and paraglider-style wing. It is the world’s lightest and slowest motorized aircraft and allows a unique and more intimate style of aerial photography.

His photographs have appeared numerous times in National Geographic magazine and in the German edition of GEO.

Photography: George Steinmetz
Producers: Bob Sacha, Megan Lange, Tim Matsui, Tim McLaughlin
Executive Producer: Brian Storm
Graphics: Jacky Myint
Production Assistance: Juliette Lynch, Jessica Licciardello, Tim Hussin, Alba Mora-Roca
Aerial Video: Alain Arnoux, François Lagarde

Amy Harlib, 56, describes her performances as “flowing feats of flexibility that few folks can achieve at any age, let alone over 50.”

She began with ballet, but quickly moved on to more demanding, yoga-based performance.

“I got bored really quickly,” she said.

Harlib, a Chelsea resident, uses humor, a love for science fiction and an uncanny ability to shape and contort her body for crowds throughout the New York City area.

Using some of her self-described obsessions as inspiration, she dedicates her performances to influences like Star Trek, Star Wars, Judaism and techno trance music.

She does so despite a disintegrated disc in her spine, two torn rotator cuffs, a hip replacement and bursitis in her left knee.
“I give my audiences everything I have. I crave it, and obsess about it, just like an addict,” she said.

For Harlib, who describes herself as a lifelong bachelorette, performance is a way of reaching out to and connecting with audiences.

“I know how to flirt with my audiences and make them love me. And when our audience loves us, it is the best thing in the world.”

Photography and Video: Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand
Interview and Editor: Finn Ryan
Field Producer: Tim McLaughlin
Producer: Jennifer Redfearn
Associate Producer: Juliette Lynch
Executive Producer: Brian Storm
Workshop Director: Jessica Stuart
Graphics: Tim Klimowicz

Brian Machon starts his work day by packing a bag, jumping on a train and ringing doorbells.

He is greeted with handshakes, kisses, hugs and hellos.

At 45, Machon has been practicing his craft for over 20 years and has spent much of that time in his clients homes. His customers come from diverse backgrounds and he often develops close personal relationships with them.

Machon’s own family lives in Copenhagen Denmark, where at the age of 16, he left home because of an abusive step-father.

“I hated being home. I always hated being home. I always hated him,” says Machon.

After finishing school, Machon left Denmark and moved to New York City where he slowly generated the business he has today.

Then three years ago, Machon felt a pain in his chest. The doctor said he was two to three weeks from a major heart attack.

This close call raised questions, specifically about his biological father, a man he’d never met. Machon wondered if he also had heart disease, and if so, what other diseases he might need to be prepared for.

He also thought it might just be interesting to meet him.

Machon has watched his clients’ families grow, and he has grown close enough to many of them to develop lasting friendships that extend beyond his role as their hairstylist.

His clients ask how his health is, and if he wouldn’t mind changing a light bulb before he leaves. He listens to to their confessions, makes dinner, and helps their kids with their homework.

“They become like my extended family.”

Photography, Audio and Video: Ricky John Molloy, Thomas Tolstrup
Assistant Producer: Nancy J. Haws
Producer: Tim McLaughlin
Executive Producer: Brian Storm
Graphics: Drew Jordan

Ethiopia has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world. 43% of girls in Ethiopia’s Amhara region are married before the age of 15. In response, the United Nations Foundation (UNF) has established educational programs throughout Ethiopia that put girls and women through school, and challenge traditional thinking on child marriage. By investing in education, the UNF hopes to inspire a change in local sentiment surrounding this sensitive cultural issue.

A Lasting Impact focuses on the personal experiences of those who have had their lives changed due to the influence of these UNF sponsored programs. The video further explores the larger implications that reforms like these create.

Videography: Jeff Erwin, Owen Smith
Photography: David Evan, Stuart Ramson
Producer: Tim McLaughlin
Executive Producer: Brian Storm

24,000 children under the age of five will die today, many from preventable diseases like pneumonia, malaria, measles, diarrhea and HIV/AIDS. Those deaths cause untold damage to families, and to communities worldwide. Inexpensive solutions for these problems exist, but they are not being deployed on the scale that is needed to stem the tide of child mortality.

In 2009, Save the Children launched the ambitious EVERY ONE campaign to reduce by two thirds those nearly 9 million annual deaths. Working directly with individuals, communities, and politicians all over the world, EVERY ONE holds government’s accountable for the health of their nation’s children. The campaign has set the aggressive deadline of 2015 to reach this goal, and will need the help of millions to save children’s lives.

Produced with this need in mind, Every One establishes the issue of child mortality and challenges the viewer to join a movement of individuals who are dedicated to its solution.

Photography: Olivia Arthur, Jodi Bieber, Pep Bonet, Magnum Photos, Rachel Palmer, Teri Pengilley, Aubri Wade
Additional photography: Save the Children
Additional Video: Save the Children
Producer: Tim McLaughlin
Executive Producer: Brian Storm