Naomi S. Boak
Naomi Boak is an accomplished media and communications executive known for creating innovative, audience-grabbing television and media with an eye to community impact. She is a Primetime Emmy Award-winning executive producer and double Webby Award-winner who has created, developed and produced successful projects for broadcast television, digital and major corporations for over 25 years. She has used this experience to create successful media projects that engage and change lives.
In 2019 Naomi made a major pivot to follow her passion about Alaska brown bears to become the media ranger at Katmai National Park in Alaska. In that position she hosts two live broadcasts each week on Explore.org where 19 million people watched the live streaming bear cams in 2020. She also contributes to the park's social media. The culmination of each season is Fat Bear Week (a March Madness-style competition to name the Katmai’s fattest bear) which Naomi co-produces, writes and manages. Participation in Fat Bear Week increased 15 fold in the three years she co-produced the mega social media campaign. Boak is accustomed to representing projects and organizations to the public and the media. For example, Naomi was interviewed by countless media outlets for Fat Bear Week -- The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times of London, Reuters, USA Today, The Lost Angeles Times, NPR, CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, etc. You get the idea.
Before striking out on her own as a producer/director and engagement consultant, Naomi served on the national production team at Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) as senior executive producer. In that role, she developed primetime PBS specials and series from concept and fundraising through production, promotion and distribution. Boak also developed and managed national PBS community initiatives that engaged stations and communities alike. A true herder of cats.
Naomi’s ability to be a catalyst for innovation is grounded in her wide-ranging and extensive experience. She was executive producer of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning documentary, The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s. She also created websites, nationwide community outreach initiatives and social media campaigns, as well as managing PR campaigns and sponsor relationships. At TPT she helped raise over $7 million to fund projects. Prior to her PBS work, Naomi was senior producer for a presidential campaign, wrote and produced Emmy Award-winning primetime children’s specials for CBS and was showrunner for the daily comedy show Snap Judgment on CourtTV. She led television production and public television sponsorship worldwide for the IBM Corporation and was executive producer and director of new programming for the Lifetime Medical Television Network. Before that she led the production team at the Merrill Lynch Video Network, directing and advising senior management. In 2019 she was consultant to the Executive Director of MCC Theater Company in NYC. The 33 year old Off Broadway company was experiencing unprecedented growth and change, including moving into a brand new 2 theater facility. I advised the Executive Director on how to adapt to that growth and change. For many years, Naomi worked with her Labrador Retrievers as a therapy dog team. Their work included accompanying grieving families to Ground Zero immediately following 9/11 and helping children with cerebral palsy work toward therapeutic goals. Naomi received an A.B. in anthropology from Stanford University and did graduate work at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
In 2019 Naomi made a major pivot to follow her passion about Alaska brown bears to become the media ranger at Katmai National Park in Alaska. In that position she hosts two live broadcasts each week on Explore.org where 19 million people watched the live streaming bear cams in 2020. She also contributes to the park's social media. The culmination of each season is Fat Bear Week (a March Madness-style competition to name the Katmai’s fattest bear) which Naomi co-produces, writes and manages. Participation in Fat Bear Week increased 15 fold in the three years she co-produced the mega social media campaign. Boak is accustomed to representing projects and organizations to the public and the media. For example, Naomi was interviewed by countless media outlets for Fat Bear Week -- The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Times of London, Reuters, USA Today, The Lost Angeles Times, NPR, CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, etc. You get the idea.
Before striking out on her own as a producer/director and engagement consultant, Naomi served on the national production team at Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) as senior executive producer. In that role, she developed primetime PBS specials and series from concept and fundraising through production, promotion and distribution. Boak also developed and managed national PBS community initiatives that engaged stations and communities alike. A true herder of cats.
Naomi’s ability to be a catalyst for innovation is grounded in her wide-ranging and extensive experience. She was executive producer of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning documentary, The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s. She also created websites, nationwide community outreach initiatives and social media campaigns, as well as managing PR campaigns and sponsor relationships. At TPT she helped raise over $7 million to fund projects. Prior to her PBS work, Naomi was senior producer for a presidential campaign, wrote and produced Emmy Award-winning primetime children’s specials for CBS and was showrunner for the daily comedy show Snap Judgment on CourtTV. She led television production and public television sponsorship worldwide for the IBM Corporation and was executive producer and director of new programming for the Lifetime Medical Television Network. Before that she led the production team at the Merrill Lynch Video Network, directing and advising senior management. In 2019 she was consultant to the Executive Director of MCC Theater Company in NYC. The 33 year old Off Broadway company was experiencing unprecedented growth and change, including moving into a brand new 2 theater facility. I advised the Executive Director on how to adapt to that growth and change. For many years, Naomi worked with her Labrador Retrievers as a therapy dog team. Their work included accompanying grieving families to Ground Zero immediately following 9/11 and helping children with cerebral palsy work toward therapeutic goals. Naomi received an A.B. in anthropology from Stanford University and did graduate work at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.