Director, producer, cinematographer, and a pioneer in the art of time-lapse photography.

Inspired by his parents, who were Holocaust survivors, Brooklyn, New York-born Louie Schwartzberg shifted from a political science major in college in the late 1960s to learn about photography and, eventually, produce the type of storytelling that embraces love, hope, joy and the wonder and beauty of nature.

“At the time, there was a revolution at my doorstep and I learned how to use the camera because I wanted to document the police protests,” noted Louie Schwartzberg, whose library of filmmaking for television, film and streaming includes the 3D IMAX film, Mysteries of the Unseen World with National Geographic, narrated by Forest Whitaker; the documentary Wings of Life for Disneynature, narrated by Meryl Streep; and the documentary Fantastic Fungi, now on Netflix, which delves into the magical world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth.

To celebrate its five-year milestone, Fantastic Fungi was released in theaters throughout the country to offer viewers the opportunity to experience the film in a digitally remastered format.

“When I started doing these photo essays about those turbulent times for my political science class, I discovered my voice and I fell in love with photography,” said Schwartzberg. “My parents, who never lost faith despite what they went through, are my inspiration to tell the stories about people who overcome adversity and still live positive lives.”

Through his photography and filmmaking, Schwartzberg showcases the stories that celebrate life and reveal the mysteries and wisdom of nature, people and places. And the accolades, to-date, are significant.

Schwartzberg is the first filmmaker inducted into the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Foundation’s Invention Ambassadors Program. He received the Debra Simon award for Leadership in Mental Wellness from the Global Wellness Summit. His series of Gratitude Revealed shorts, which launched on Oprah.com, feature his intimate conversations themed to why gratitude is a pathway back from the disconnection in our lives. And, in 2020, he received the Grand Visionary Award from the American Visionary Art Museum.

More recently, Schwartzberg launched The Louie Channel in 2023, a free streaming platform featuring his filmmaking and the work of other artists, all dedicated to inspiring wonder, awe, gratitude and hope. Since its debut, The Louie Channel already boasts approximately 93,000 subscribers and continues to grow.

Schwartzberg is also the creator of the Soarin’ Around the World flight simulator attraction at Disney Theme Parks worldwide, which takes guests on a scenic aerial tour of the globe. He co-created a Fantastic Fungi cookbook with Eugenia Bone, the main character in the film. His exclusive content was featured in a 360-degree display at the Sphere arena in Las Vegas to inaugurate Earth Day 2024 in April. And he has been helping researchers study the benefits of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) via the concept of “visual healing” through Fantastic Fungi and other nature-themed videos.

Additionally, Schwartzberg is active in the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) community, and has delivered speeches at NASA, Global Spa and Wellness Summit, The Nantucket Project and Bioneers.

From the Beginning

“In my early childhood in Brooklyn, we never went traveling because, for my parents, food on the table and a roof over your head was heaven on earth and they were just grateful for life,” recalled Schwartzberg. “But I remember the fascination of watching leaves and popsicle sticks go down the gutter when the water was running. And we went up to the Catskills once, where I could smell grass and remember how invigorating that was.”

“When we moved to Los Angeles, I was in awe looking at the palm trees, and the blue sky,” he noted. “I simply found my love of nature and. After college, I ended up in a small California town called Mendocino, where I stayed for three years. There were a bunch of us from UCLA and NYU, and we all had PhDs and masters and all kinds of degrees. But we did not know how to live off the land. We had no idea how to dig a garden, how to dig a well, or how to cut a road, and it was a new education for all of us.”

In Mendocino, Schwartzberg honed his skills as a photographer and a filmmaker, where he modified old cameras that you could not look through to shoot using time-lapse photography.

“I wanted to shoot the clouds. I wanted to shoot shafts of light and forest and flowers and all kinds of magic that shifts your perception when you alter time and scale,” said Schwartzberg. “A friend who built electric cars made a battery powered motor that ran on flashlight batteries, and we modified these old bodies with still camera lenses so I could shoot 35 millimeter outside.”

Through this journey of time and scale, Schwartzberg makes what appears to be invisible visible.

“My goal is to have cinematography be an art form and not just something you use for television show or for a commercial or a movie,” he noted. “When I was shooting this incredible time lapse of nature, a couple people in Hollywood found out that I was doing it. There was a film going on called The Secret Life of Plants, which Stevie Wonder did the score for, and they wanted to use my footage. And I started to license the imagery that I owned, and the studios began to use my imagery for main title opens and commercials”

“Eventually, I amassed a large contemporary stock company, which Getty images acquired in 1996,” he said.

Schwartzberg is credited for the main title design in TV series like comedy The Famous Teddy Z and mystery drama Snoops; and in later years as a cinematographer for films like Any Given Sunday, Erin Brockovich, and Men in Black II.

“Ultimately, I started my own production company with the business model and the idea that there was a market for beauty and for something that would captivate your attention without being exploitive or violent,” he said. “I think there is an alternative to conflict and fear, and it is called beauty and love.”

Schwartzberg also added music videos to his list of duties, such as Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal. “They needed my cool, trippy imagery of time lapse clouds and all kinds of nature,” he noted. “And I would come to the production company, get on the phone, talk to ad agencies, talk to the networks, and I would hustle.”

“When digital came into play in the mid-1990s, we were the first to digitize imagery, have it partnered with companies like Sprint, IBM, and Silicon Graphics. And we created a virtual network where ad agencies and production companies could collaborate online.”

“Through it all, I am not just shooting something pretty. I am showing you a story of, like, how does that thing survive? How do they enable each other, which is part of survival? Nothing lives alone in nature, so you have to look at symbiotic relationships.”

Looking Ahead

“Right now, I am actively building content for The Louie Channel. But a new vertical for my imagery is healthcare, which is aiding patients during oncology and during dialysis to help them heal faster. The fear in your mind can trigger disease and if you can heal the mind, then maybe that is a way to heal the body.”

For Schwartzberg, satisfaction results from creating films and images that can have a positive effect on the future of the planet. “I hope my films inspire and open people’s hearts,” he noted. ” Beauty is nature’s tool for survival, and technology is catching up to my vision.”

“After all these years, I feel like I am just getting started,” he said.