Use the tools of the professionals
Festivals and organizers of live lectures as technology partners
MUNDOLOGIA FESTIVAL
“MUNDOLOGIA” is the Spanish word for knowledge of the world and in this sense we do not just want to take a superficial look at the world, but rather show a coherent picture of the earth as a living space by illuminating different cultures and countries, but also the lives of individual people and their unique ones stories are considered.
The MUNDOLOGIA Festival is an annual reportage festival that ends in a three-day event on a weekend at the beginning of February in the Konzerthaus Freiburg. Other topics in addition to the reports include photography and travel.
EXPLORA EVENTS
With around 70,000 viewers every year, Explora is the largest organizer of live lectures in German-speaking countries. Founded in 2005 and based in Switzerland, the company organizes 15-20 different lecture tours per season with a total of around 200 events on the topics of travel, countries, adventure, outdoor, reportage, (foreign) cultures and photography.
The focus is always on an authentic and extraordinary story that inspires and delights the audience.
WUNDERWELTEN FESTIVAL
The “Wunderwelten Festival” in Friedrichshafen is an event that focuses on travel, adventure and discovery. It provides a platform for travel reports and lectures about various places around the world. The festival brings together travelers, adventurers, photographers and nature lovers to share their experiences and adventures.
It also offers workshops, exhibitions and discussions on topics such as sustainable travel, cultural exchange and environmental protection.
EL MUNDO
The adventure and travel lecture festival El mundo is the “longest-serving” and probably most traditional storytelling and speaker competition in the German-speaking world. Since 1999, the most interesting presentations of the year have been honored at the festival by an expert jury. All lectures are limited to 30 minutes, which means the audience has an incredible density of experiences like nowhere else.
In this sense, all lectures are unique in their condensed form. The categories “Overall Presentation”, “Best Photography” and “Most Exciting Adventure” are evaluated. In addition, the audience prize will be awarded. The El mundo trophies for the award-winning lectures are now considered the “Oscars of the travel lecture scene” in the German-speaking world.
DISCOVERY DAYS
The Discovery Days take place annually in September in Switzerland and offer 18 storytellers the opportunity to present their brand new stories to the organizers, jury and 1,000 viewers. Both undiscovered talents and old hands with their brand new productions have the opportunity to win cash prizes worth a total of 20,000 CHF (approx. 21,000 euros) at the lecture festival.
The main goal, however, is to bring organizers and storytellers together to organize future events and tours together. The submission deadline for applicants is always in April. Explora, Mundologia and Grenzgang as well as the venue Flims/Laax are responsible.
GBV
The GBV | Society for Image and Lecture e.V. sees itself as a professional association of speakers of multivision lectures. Its goal is to promote the medium of multivision and collaboration between speakers and organizers.
This is achieved through regular newsletters, the publication of a catalog, the organization of the International Lecture Exchange and through annual member meetings.
The GBV currently consists of around 60 members. Most of them are speakers who practice the medium of multivision full-time. The GBV generally welcomes the admission of new members. They are appointed by the GBV board.
GRENZGANG
GRENZGANG is a cultural organizer, media producer and agency on the subject of travel and adventure. Since its founding in the summer of 2003, over half a million participants have attended more than 2,000 live and online events. Whether exciting adventures and expeditions, cultural encounters around the world and on your doorstep, touching nature experiences or gripping knowledge transfer: GRENZGANG is always “on the move with your head” and combines sophisticated entertainment with current topics that move and concern people.
What they all have in common is a love for the planet and a passion for sharing their experiences and insights with us.
ALLES LEINWAND
The All Canvas Travel and Adventure Festival in Vienna has been a highlight of the Austrian lecture scene since 2008. Exciting reports, adventures, great photographs and elaborate presentations delight the audience once a year. The best photographers, storytellers and speakers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria are invited to the festival.
Photo exhibitions, live music, a colorful bazaar and Nepalese food round off the program and also offer plenty of entertainment between the lectures. A meeting point for all travel and photography enthusiasts!
THE FASCINATION OF ADVENTURE
The Fascination Adventure Festival in Würzburg is an annual event that focuses on topics related to adventure, travelling, outdoor activities and nature experiences. It attracts adventurers as well as travellers, outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers who are interested in exciting stories and breathtaking travelogues.
The festival offers a mixture of multimedia lectures, film screenings and workshops. At the lectures, well-known adventurers, photographers and filmmakers talk about their journeys and expeditions to remote corners of the earth. These presentations are often accompanied by impressive images and videos that allow the audience to immerse themselves in distant worlds
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Speakers and Wings X trainers
MICHAEL MARTIN
Michael Martin published 30 illustrated books and books that were translated into nine languages, gave over 2,000 lectures and produced many TV documentaries. His works have received numerous awards, including a Medal of Honor from the Royal Geographic Society. Most recently he received the Gregor International Calendar Award and the ITB Book Award for his life’s work. GEO magazine has dedicated its own GEO to Michael Martin.
ZWERGER SCHONER
Petra Gerhard Zwerger-Schoner have turned their dream into a career and have been working as professional travel journalists, lecturers and filmmakers since 1999.
Their visually stunning and lavishly produced HDAV shows bring the two of them to the stages of the most renowned travel festivals and lecture halls in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
ULLA LOHMANN
As an expedition photographer and filmmaker for GEO, National Geographic and BBC, among others, Ulla’s everyday work consists of many exciting adventures that she shares with her audience authentically and with a lot of heart: abseiling into active volcanoes, living with little-known peoples deep in the jungle, discovering new ones Animal species or climbing in remote places with her husband, the alpinist Basti Hofmann.
In recognition of her research expeditions, she was accepted as a member of the famous “Explorers Club” in New York.
STEFAN FORSTER
My name is Stefan Forster, I am a professional nature photographer from Eastern Switzerland. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by rare and unique lighting atmospheres, clouds, sunrises and sunsets as well as original landscapes. In order to bring people closer to my life and the stories behind the pictures, I regularly tour Switzerland and Germany with multi-vision shows.
FLORIAN SCHULZ
Florian Schulz has been following his passion for nature photography for more than 25 years. The result of his work are breathtaking photographs and film recordings, which he shows in his lectures.
As an internationally recognized photographer, his images have been published by National Geographic, GEO and BBC Wildlife magazine, among others. He is the author of several books and has received numerous awards.
In 2021, Schulz completed his first IMAX cinema film and an ARD nature documentary about Alaska’s Arctic Refuge. He was nominated for a BAFTA Television Craft Award for his cinematography on the Netflix/Sky original series Predators. Schulz comes from southern Germany and spends an average of eight to ten months a year in the field documenting entire ecosystems with his photography and film projects.
MARTIN ENGELMANN
Martin Engelmann is a photographer, filmmaker, speaker and author. His pictures have been published by DER SPIEGEL, GEO, DIE ZEIT and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, among others. He reports on his adventurous travels in live lectures at around 100 events every year in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In September 2017, the report “The Last Maya” appeared in SPIEGEL as a visual story, which was created in collaboration with the Berlin filmmaker Katja Döhne. In mid-September, the film documentary “Martin Engelmann and the Last Maya” was broadcast on SPIEGEL.TV and SPIEGEL ONLINE.
DANI ARNOLD
The professional mountaineer and mountain guide, born in 1984, preferred to give up his job as a machine mechanic in 2011 and follow an unknown path into the mountains. It was like a return to his roots, because he grew up at 1,700 meters, high above the Schächental, and went to school every day by cable car down into the valley.
Mountaineering: Expeditions, rock climbing and ice climbing in various countries around the world are his passion. “It’s worth taking risks to achieve your dreams” – with this attitude, great will and technical ability, he was able to set alpine milestones. He tries to combine the combination of speed and difficulty in his projects. He looks for his limits not only in summer, but especially in winter.
DIE ABENTEUERREITER
Günter Wamser is living a dream. With his horses he crossed the American continent from the southern tip of Argentina to Alaska. He covered 30,000 km in the saddle.
What was initially intended as an adventure for 4-5 years became his way of life over the years, with all the ups and downs and many compromises. A life in which crying and laughing are often very close together. A life rich in intensity.
The Austrian Sonja Endlweber has been riding at his side since 2007. Most recently, the two adventure riders crossed the American West with their four riding and pack horses and dog Charlie.
“With our lecture we want to take our audience away from their everyday lives, give them time to marvel and dream and inspire them to live their dreams.”
ANDREAS PRÖVE
Andreas Pröve, born in 1957, a well-known photo reporter and author, had an accident at the age of 23 and has been paralyzed ever since. Shortly afterwards, he set off on his first trip to India in a wheelchair and continues to tour the world to this day, driven by his desire to discover. His stage presence is as offensive and up close as he travels. He captivates the audience authentically and emotionally. His books, which have reached the “SPIEGEL” bestseller lists, are also characterized by infectious wit and humor.
WILDLIFEPHOTO
Dieter Schonlau, born in 1963, and Sandra Hanke, born in 1968, have been traveling to the world’s rainforests for more than 30 years. A life in and for the tropical rainforest. Since Dieter Schonlau was given his first camera on his fourteenth birthday, it has been his passion to photograph the flora and fauna. Dieter Schonlau was very lucky to have found a partner in Sandra Hanke with whom he could share this passion.
In total, Sandra and Dieter have now spent over thirteen years in a wide variety of rainforests and the more time they spend there, the greater their enthusiasm and understanding for these mysterious jungles becomes.
INES PAPERT
Ines Papert takes viewers into the world of extreme climbing and mountaineering. The professional alpinist constantly updates her lectures with current adventures and tells in a high-quality illustrated multimedia show about climbing successes but also about defeats, about borderline first ascents, adventurous journeys and deep friendships.
She inspires her audience to face the difficulties on the mountain as they do in life, because when we reach the top, we all become the happiest people in the world.
CORRADO FILIPPONI
The travel photographer Corrado Filipponi is very active in the Swiss lecture scene. He gives over 60 talks and presentations every year and has already produced a total of 16 multivision photo reports. Part of his recipe for success may certainly be his confidence, his optimism and his openness to new things. He treats strangers with sensitivity and respect, so that his doors are open to him all over the world.
His live photo reports are beautifully photographed, elaborately researched and presented in an entertaining way. His authentic music selection is fantastic. No wonder he is currently one of the most popular and hottest Swiss speakers on the scene. His topics include the entire north of Europe, Scotland, the Azores, Namibia, Botswana, New Zealand, Cuba, Switzerland and the largest rivers in the world.
Weitere Informationen: www.dia.ch
DIETER GLOGOWSKI
Dieter Glogowski was born in Frankfurt am Main in 1956. He works as a freelance photo and television journalist with a focus on the Himalayan region.
His “Country-People-Adventure” TV productions have received international awards; he is the founder of the Frankfurt and Darmstadt Weitsicht Festival and the author of various Himalayan illustrated books.
In 1993, the monks of the Lingshed Monastery in Zanskar elected him as their representative for Germany.
MICHAEL MORITZ
On his trip around the world, filmmaker and author Michael Moritz was stranded in a small mountain village in Nepal for several months when the pandemic broke out. Today his lectures tell of this impressive time and show what can happen when you embrace the unchangeable. In the summer of 2022, his debut documentary film “Namaste Himalaya” was shown in Austrian and German cinemas and his book “Namaste Corona!” was published by Malik-Verlag.
HARALD PHILIPP
Steep mountain paths are his cycle paths, the Alps are his playground. His successes are in summit books, not on result lists.
As a bike professional, he doesn’t ride against other bikers – he rides with them.
During his live lectures, Harald takes his audience on a fast-paced multimedia ride: helmet cameras allow you to see the path through his eyes, aerial photos make it weightless and slow motion captures the most beautiful moments. The only thing missing is the wind. Harald honestly reports not only on successful adventures, but also on failures and dead ends. Up on the stage – but always at eye level with his audience. In addition to mountain bikers, Harald Philipp’s lectures also appeal to all mountain athletes, travel fans and nature lovers who are (still) without a bike.
GERLINDE KALTENBRUNNER
The Upper Austrian professional mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner seduces the audience into a world of rock, ice, snow, lofty heights and the interaction between the mountaineer and the forces of nature.
Her biggest dream – to climb an eight-thousander – came true at the age of 23 when she climbed the Broad Peak pre-peak in Pakistan at an altitude of 8,027 meters. Since then, the thought of the high and highest mountains has never left her mind.
JOE PICHLER
In the summer of 2010, his latest adventure took him across Asia to Kamchatka. A route that presented a particular challenge even for the experienced traveler. On the way he is confronted with the most extreme climatic conditions. It’s only a few days from the icy, glaciated peak of Elbrus in the Caucasus to the sand dunes of Turkmenistan’s scorching Karakum Desert. The journey takes you to Tajikistan along the legendary Silk Road. On the Pamir Highway, 4,500 m high passes are crossed on the border with Afghanistan and in Mongolia it shares its camp with nomads.
ANDY HOLZER
Andy Holzer is blind. But above all he is an extreme mountaineer. Hardly anyone believed Andy Holzer could do what he proves every day. When the East Tyrolean climbs the highest peaks in the world, his eyes don’t show him the way. The fact that he suffers from the disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which deprives him of 100 percent of his vision from birth, has never bothered him: “I don’t know it any other way. That’s why I can’t miss anything.”
MARIO GOLDSTEIN
Almost a decade has passed since he took the step of leaving and ultimately went on tour with his catamaran GOODLIFE. A search for the fulfillment of a deep, vague longing began. Since then she can’t seem to let him go. Or maybe yes? Was Mario able to find happiness? What experiences has he had? Would he do it again? If so, the same or different? What does it take to take this big step and just get out? Questions that Mario tries to answer. Told live and accompanied by a digital multi-vision show, you will immerse yourself in another world.
THOMAS HUBER
About ups and downs, success and failure, passion, courage and doubt…
Thomas Huber tells it in a varied and humorous way in his new live lecture from November 2018.
In the paradisiacal beauty of the Berchtesgaden mountains, Thomas climbs a spectacular first ascent. Happy to be able to live here, he talks about his life at home, between tradition and the stoner rock of his band Plastic Surgery Disaster.
DAVID HETTICH
The ambitious goal of underwater photographer David Hettich was to document all of our world’s oceans: he dived with hundreds of hammerhead sharks in the Pacific, swam in huge swarms of jellyfish, photographed saltwater crocodiles underwater and encountered dolphins and huge humpback whales. His extensive adventure travels took him around the entire globe: he traveled to the North and South Poles, took photos in Fiji, Micronesia, the Bahamas, the Galapagos Islands and the legendary Cocos Island in the Pacific. For “OZEAN Adventure,” David Hettich spent over 2,000 hours underwater; more than 100,000 photos and 250 hours of film material form the basis for this moving report. The result is a unique homage to our Blue Planet – the likes of which have never been seen live in German-speaking countries before.
REINER HARSCHER
Travel around the world without jet lag? Immerse yourself in the world instead of flying over it? You can have that! And the best thing about it: you don’t even have to go to a different time or climate zone for a truly extraordinary experience. The photographer and world traveler Reiner Harscher has been everywhere where you hold your breath with fascination, you simply forget about everyday life and the scenery is perfect. South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Canada and Alaska, Morocco and Persia, Norway, Scotland, Iceland and Tuscany – just a few of the places where Reiner Harscher looked the residents directly in the eyes and got to know exotic wildlife and marveled at untouched natural landscapes.
THORGE BERGER
In 2010, award-winning travel photographer Thorge Berger was on a photography expedition in India with legendary American photographer Steve McCurry and he said of him:
„Thorge has a real passion for his photography and a tireless curiosity to explore this amazing world we live in.“
And it is precisely this curiosity and the encounter with people and their cultures that drives him.
His photographs, which were taken on 5 continents and in over 50 countries, have been shown in many exhibitions, have won awards and are published in photography and travel magazines. Thorge Berger passes on his knowledge in many face-to-face and online workshops and as a book author. As a speaker, he regularly appears on large stages with his award-winning multi-vision lectures about India and Iran.
HARTMUT FIEBIG
The 50 greatest treasures between the Cradle of Humanity and Masai Mara. In 2011, Hartmut Fiebig settled in East Africa to realize his vision of the “50 Treasures of Kenya”. On the occasion of 50 years of independence, the photojournalist wants to capture Kenya’s 50 greatest cultural and natural treasures – a treasure for every year of freedom.
HUBERBUAM
Patagonia – the land of winds and bizarre granite colossi. Fitzroy and the Torre Massif create an enchanting picture in this region. Crossing all the Torre peaks is one of the great Alpine challenges of our time. To the Torre Standhardt, down to the Col de Suenos, over the Punta Herron to the Torre Egger, abseiling into the Col de Conquista and up over the north face – the “Maestri – Egger – Mythos” to the summit of Cerro Torre. An up and down like life itself, with the great goal of reaching the pinnacle of life. It’s a long road to supposed happiness – over 50 pitches of climbing, dangerous and difficult, plus the unpredictable weather of Patagonia. The chances of success are slim, the goal is magical and the style of climbing is pure and fair, the fixed ropes stay at home.
SEENOMADEN
Who hasn’t dreamed of traveling to the South Seas? To this day, no other region on earth harbors more desires and dreams than the islands of the Pacific, which lie dotted in an ocean that is larger than all the continents combined. The Sea Nomads, Austria’s best-known circumnavigation couple, have been cruising through the South Seas for four years on their second circumnavigation. Curiosity and longing drive them from one island to another. They often feel like they are “outside this world”.
HANS THURNER
Hans Thurner was able to realize his lifelong dream and turn the fascination that mountains, travel and also photography held for him into his career.
In addition to all the remote areas he has already traveled to – whether the South Seas, the Arctic and Antarctic, the Andes and the Himalayas, the deserts of Arabia or the Greenland ice sheet – he is still regularly drawn to the Alps, where he has been since his childhood. home is. Here, in addition to countless ski and climbing tours, he was also able to realize his long-held idea and hike through the entire Alpine arc from Vienna to Nice in 101 days.
Today he works as a mountain and ski guide, photographer, lecturer and author.
TOBIAS SCHORCHT
In 2020, Tobias Schorcht quit his job as a teacher and spent months crossing Patagonia using his own muscle power. Action-packed white water trips, up-close encounters with animals, but also intensive contact with locals make his award-winning show entertaining and entertaining.
In addition to traveling and speaking, he works as an adventure educator in Jena. Nowadays there is nothing he enjoys better than passing on his enthusiasm for being outdoors to children and young people.
WILLI ROLFES
Willi Rolfes is one of Germany’s renowned nature photographers. He lives in Vechta in Lower Saxony, on the edge of the moor. Professionally, he works as managing director of the Stapelfeld Catholic Academy. There he organizes photo workshops and is the initiator of the “Inspiration Nature” photo festival. He has been involved in nature photography since 1981.
He is particularly interested in northern German landscapes with their flora and fauna. For him it is important to develop a relationship with a landscape or a species of animal. That’s why he often spends a long time on a topic and sometimes spends years dealing with it.
His particular passion is the habitats of his homeland, the moor, the Geest and the Dümmer. He likes multifaceted portraits of landscapes and animals. They are more important to him than individual images suitable for competition. His photo stories appear in newspapers and magazines. Calendars with his photographs are published annually. A large number of illustrated books reflect his previous nature photography work. Some photos have won awards in national and international competitions. German television showed his nature photography work in several films, such as the “Expeditions into the Animal Kingdom” series.
BLACK FOREST COLLECTIVE
Simon Straetker (*1993 in the Black Forest) is a passionate filmmaker, globetrotter and environmental ambassador who produces inspiring films and photographs about the most remote areas of the world. He was awarded the German Nature Conservation Prize and was included in Forbes Magazine’s list of 30 under 30 Europe in the art category in January 2017. His work focuses primarily on one question: How do we make people fall in love with nature again?
Joshi Nichell (*1998) studies conservation biology and Catholic theology in Landau in der Pfalz and has been enthusiastic about the power of nature since he was a child, sometimes traveling for weeks with his backpack, which contains everything he needs for life. In 2016 he set off on a two-year journey and wrote the book “Full Happiness Ahead” about his hitchhiking trip to Tierra del Fuego. He works as a wildlife filmmaker, nature photographer and travel consultant.
Sarah Ziegler (*1994) is a filmmaker and diver. She studies biology in Freiburg and works at the film production company Black Forest Collective. She is on the board of Wild Europe e.V., a non-profit organization that promotes wilderness and biodiversity through multimedia projects in Europe. She is committed to environmental protection and civil sea rescue.
PASCAL VIOLO
Pascal Violo was born in Vienna/Austria in 1980 and has been traveling to Asia, North and South America for over 20 years. He is one of the best-known multi-vision speakers in Austria and presents his live reports at up to 100 times per year throughout the German-speaking region.
The photojournalist’s appearances are known for sparkling rhetoric, strong authenticity and sensitive photography. The travel photographer also regularly publishes illustrated books, DVDs and calendars.
Pascal has always been committed to disadvantaged people and a just world. In September 2020, his association Caravan of Humanity was born out of his impulse to help the people in the Kara Tepe refugee camp on Lesbos (Greece). Pascal and his team support needy refugees through donations of money and goods. Pascal also helps with numerous projects on site. He and his team are driven by lived humanity and a firm belief in a better world.
STEFAN TSCHUMI
Stefan Tschumi is a professional travel photographer, video producer, licensed drone pilot, lecturer in the areas of photography and video as well as author, lecturer and speaker.
“My home is Switzerland, but I am at home in the world.” That’s why the studied journalist is always drawn to distant countries, where he likes to take like-minded people with him on his photo trips. When you’re not physically traveling, you’re going around the world in lectures and seminars.
The focus of his photographic work is landscapes, people and animals. Stefan’s work has been published by National Geography Germany, ZEISS Lenspire and Sony, among others.
He also shares his knowledge with other people in photography and video workshops. “It is a great privilege to be able to lead a life like this. I would also like to give something back.”
PRISKA SEISENBACHER
Priska Seisenbacher, born in 1990, lives in Vienna.
The author and photographer’s focus is on Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Seisenbacher particularly provides insights into the realities of women’s lives. In her books and reports, she relates cultural, religious, historical and political connections to the people whose stories she tells, but also addresses traveling alone and reflects on her Western influence.
Seisenbacher’s reports are published in GEO and Terra Mater, among others, and her books appear in National Geographic, Bruckmann, DuMont and Reisedepeschen.
ANSELM PAHNKE
Anselm Nathanael Pahnke does not want to be defined and categorizing him with one word is also impossible. Anyone who knows him knows that he sees the world with his own eyes. The eyes of a person to whom nature is closer than the city.
Nevertheless, he likes to share his experiences with other people. His film Elsewhere. “Alone in Africa” won the Guild Award for Best Cinema Documentary and has been running on Netflix ever since.
A story about a journey of discovery, the search for adventure and the self. Anselm only traveled through the African continent by bicycle. 15,000 kilometers, 414 days, 15 countries.
BASTIAN MARIA
Bastian Maria has traveled to five continents over the past 15 years as an adventurer, backpacker and photographer. Always looking for authentic encounters with people from foreign cultures, he learned more about life.
In his most famous live lecture to date, “Thumbs Up – Hitchhiking to Japan,” Bastian talks about his slightly different adventure trip during the pandemic. He was arrested by Pakistani police, met eagle hunters in Kyrgyzstan and was chased by an elephant in Sri Lanka. A report about challenges, changes of plans and life as a hitchhiker and couch surfer.
CHRISTIAN BIEMANN
Aristotle said that nature always creates the best of what is possible. Christian Biemann is convinced of the accuracy of this claim. As a passionate travel and landscape photographer, he takes on the challenge of capturing the characteristics of countries and people from his own perspective and making them accessible to a wider audience.
Christian’s first educational path took him into technology. Later, trips to distant countries sparked his passion for photography and paved the way for his second career as a photographer and lecturer.
After traveling and giving lectures about Myanmar and Georgia, the next adventure is now upon us.
SVEN MEURS
Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated by encounters with wild animals and spectacular natural landscapes. In my home country, the Lower Rhine, I often roamed through the forests to watch deer, foxes and deer. When I was 15, my father gave me my first camera. A Minolta SRT 100.
But it was only a year and a half stay on the North Sea island of Amrum, in the middle of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park, that fully ignited my passion for nature photography. At the end of the 1990s I discovered my second great passion: traveling! Since then I have traveled a lot in Europe and Africa, always looking for nature and animal motifs.
When I moved to Cologne (2004) my view of nature changed. Suddenly I was in the big city. Concrete, hustle and bustle and high-rise buildings everywhere. The nighttime encounter with a fox in the city was the trigger for my favorite topic: photography in the urban wilderness.
W8LESS EXPEDITIONS
Lukas Wörle is an extreme mountaineer and paraglider pilot. In addition to many smaller projects in the Alps and the Karakoram, the rescue of a Pakistani high-altitude porter in the death zone above 8000m in 2023 and a paragliding take-off at 7000m a week later are notable successes.
Lukas and his brother Vincent convey these intense mountaineering experiences in multimedia lectures and workshops with their company w8less consulting.
LUTZ JÄKEL
Lutz Jäkel, born in 1970, is a photo and video journalist, book author and lecturer. He studied Islamic studies and history in Hamburg and lived for a while in Damascus (Syria) and Sanaa (Yemen). Growing up as a child in Istanbul, he has been traveling, photographing and writing about the world for many years. His work has received numerous awards and is marketed by the renowned photo agency laif in Cologne. The focus is on the Arab and Islamic world, but not only, he also feels right at home in other parts of the world. His reports appear in books, magazines and newspapers, including Stern, Spiegel, National Geographic, GEO, GEO Saison, and ADAC Reisemagazin. Most recently, his illustrated text book “Syria. A Country Without War” was published, which won the ITB Book Award as “Best Travel Illustrated Book”. Lutz lives in Berlin.
HEINZ ZAK
Heinz started climbing and taking photographs at the age of 15.
From the beginning, he tried to capture both mountain landscapes and climbing itself with his camera. Heinz quickly became one of Tyrol’s leading extreme climbers.
MARLIES CZERNY ANDREAS LATTNER
For Marlies and Andi, lectures are the most creative and beautiful way to tell stories about their adventures in the mountains. “4000 EXPERIENCES – To the 82 highest peaks in the Alps” was awarded at the El Mundo Festival – similarly, “Manaslu – Avalanches of Emotions” is anything but a classic expedition report.
With more than ten years of experience as a journalist, Marlies knows exactly what makes an exciting story. Andi is a passionate photographer and also has an eye for graphic design. Many drawings and animations are incorporated into the lectures with a wink and great attention to detail.
Both have climbed all 82 four-thousand-meter peaks in the Alps and undertook expeditions to the 8,000-meter peaks in Nepal and Pakistan. The couple has been living full-time in a camper van since 2019 and prefers the simple life in the mountains.
MARKUS BLUM
Markus Blum embodie sthe concept of adventurous ventures in its purest form. He has size traversed Iceland, rode on horseback through the wilderness of Canada and Kyrgyzstan, mastered a self-sufficient l ife in complete isolation from civilization and even tamed wild camels to ride with t hem and one specifically for this purpos er built covered wagon to pull through the outback of Australia. These goals alone are big challenges, but Markus Blum has met them, apart from Gr önland, together with his two daughtersmastered. What is impressive is her approach to new projects and goals in order to make her dream come true.
CHRISTINE SONVILLA MARC GRAF
Marc Graf and Christine Sonvilla are award-winning photographers, filmmakers and authors with university degrees in conservation biology and a work focus on nature and wildlife issues.
The two have more than 12 years of experience in their field and have received awards from the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year and other photography competitions.
So far they have published around 200 stories in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Terre Sauvage or Terra Mater and have carried out commissioned work for national parks, nature conservation organizations or bluechip TV nature documentaries for ORF, NDR, ARTE and ZDF. The two were responsible for the concept, book, main camera and direction for the universe documentary “Slovenia – On the Pulse of the Wilderness”.
ANITA BURGHOLZER UND ANDREAS HÜBL
“When time comes, comes cycling,” said the two Upper Austrians Anita Burgholzer and Andreas Hübel to each other as they exchanged their soft office chairs for hard bicycle saddles.
The jobs have been terminated, the car has been sold – “Get off the treadmill and get on the bike” is the motto. In their rousing report, Anita and Andreas talk about the intense, simple life in the saddle that took them 36,000 km through 35 countries and 3 continents. The HDAV live report “RÜCKENWIND – Around the world by bike” was also recently honored by the expert jury at the El Mundo Festival 2013.
MARKUS MAUTHE
They still exist in Europe – untouched forest areas where brown bears roam, where trees die of old age and the gray owl goes hunting. Photographer Markus Mauthe spent two and a half years on behalf of Greenpeace to capture the biodiversity and beauty of these habitats with his camera. Markus Mauthe supports Greenpeace’s global forest campaign, which aims to preserve the last intact virgin forests for future generations.
ULI KUNZ
The marine biologist Uli Kunz regularly takes part in expeditions and works as a photographer and research diver for scientific institutes. Since 2019 he has been a new presenter of the well-known show ‘Terra X’ on ZDF and presents the exciting world of the oceans.
Uli is also enthusiastic about the rather inconspicuous creatures in the sea and looks for slimy worms and prehistoric crabs in the lightless depths. To document the food chain in the Arctic, he dived under a thick layer of ice in Greenland and brought both numb fingers and photos of icebergs to the surface. He regularly tours with his show “Passion OZEAN” to arouse enthusiasm for the largest living space on our planet with his pictures and stories.
GREGOR SIEBÖCK
The world hiker Gregor Sieböck invites you to an evening with stories and pictures from the wide world: 20,000 kilometers on foot.
One morning, Gregor Sieböck follows his longing and goes out the front door in Bad Ischl, with the goal of reaching Japan, thousands of kilometers away, on foot: a backpack on his back, a hiking stick in his hand and many dreams in his heart! On the Way of St. James he hikes through Europe to Portugal. From the Iberian Peninsula the journey continues to the southern tip of Latin America, where he crosses the endless expanses of Patagonia. In the highlands of the Andes, Gregor Sieböck follows the royal Inca road from Peru to Ecuador
CHRISTOPH STRASSER
For many years, Christoph Strasser’s dream was to take part in the longest cycling race in the world, the 5,000 kilometer Race Across America. The 32-year-old Styrian can now look back on five participations. If he failed on his first attempt due to health problems, he was able to achieve second place and three victories in the following attempts, two of them in a new record time.
In 2013, he managed a trip for the history books with 7 days, 22 hours and 11 minutes, during which he only slept a total of 6 hours. But that wasn’t enough, he beat his own record in 2014 and reached the goal after 7d:15h:56min.
FOCUSWELTEN
Namibia, the country with the oldest desert in the world, has challenged its inhabitants in many ways for thousands of years. From the indigenous people of southern Africa to the modern farmer, we met people who opened our eyes to many skills that could have disappeared in just a few years.
Follow us on our search for the sophisticated adaptation strategies of people, animals and plants through magnificent landscapes and the most beautiful national parks on our planet. Blazing heat, temperature fluctuations between day and night of over 30 degrees, storms and icy cold determined our everyday filming and gave us a first-hand experience of Namibia – the land of extremes.
HELMUT PICHLER
Helmut Pichler comes from Gosau in the Salzkammergut and is a passionate adventurer and globetrotter.
He traveled to more than 160 countries around the world. His paths took him through jungles and deserts as well as to the Arctic, Antarctic and dangerous war zones. Helmut Pichler has been in acute danger several times, but with a lot of luck he has mastered every life-threatening situation so far.
The man from Gosau reports about his travels in the border area in the form of “picture stories”. He talks about his adventures honestly and in a rustic dialect accompanied by high-quality photos. Due to his unique style, he enjoys an excellent reputation both in public lectures and in many Austrian schools.
IMMANUEL SCHULZ
Immanuel Schulz’s interest in other cultures was awakened at an early age and he spent a fifth of his life in various countries around the world. In 2000, his first expedition took him through Namibia in a jeep with his brother Florian. In 2009, an adventurous six-month bicycle expedition followed to support an aid project. He drove 10,000 kilometers from South Africa to Kenya. Colombia is certainly at the center of his interest. A first stay in 2003 was followed by a study visit to Bogota. To deepen his insights, he lived in different regions of Colombia for over 3 years.
On Lake Constance and in Heidelberg he organizes the WunderWelten festival as well as events related to photography.
HARTMUT KRINITZ
As a professional travel journalist, he has published over 30 illustrated books and more than 100 calendars on European topics with well-known publishers. His images appear in leading magazines worldwide.
Through regular stays, often lasting months, he gains a very personal connection to the countries he visits and their residents. In his live multivisions, Hartmut Krinitz combines high-class photography, authentic music, literary excerpts, original sounds and well-founded live commentary to create an independent style.
PHILIPP UND VALESKA SCHAUDY
For many years, Valeska and Philipp Schaudy have been carrying out adventurous travel projects to all corners of the earth, often moving through remote, rarely traveled and inhospitable areas. The countless images and videos created on these tours form the basis for elaborately designed multimedia shows.
Philipp is currently presenting the lectures 2-WHEEL ADVENTURE and ARCTIC FEVER live.
TOBIAS HAUSER
Tobias Hauser lives and works as a freelance photographer, author and photojournalist in Freiburg im Breisgau.
After training as an energy system electronics engineer, he studied mathematics, technology and sport at the University of Education in Freiburg im Breisgau. After completing his studies, however, he decided to turn his passion, traveling and photography, into a career. He has been working as a freelance photographer and photojournalist since 1999 and has traveled to 5 continents with his camera. In 2003 he founded MUNDOlogia, Europe’s largest reportage festival, which attracts 17,000 visitors to Freiburg every year with its focus on photography, adventure and travel.
MARCUS HAID
The successful travel photographer and speaker Marcus Haid has been working on his new documentary about Japan since 2010, making a childhood dream come true and realizing in the process that, despite his many travels around the globe, he has never had contact with such an independent and foreign culture.
Deeply rooted in millennia-old traditions and at the same time at the forefront of modern 21st century technology. Shinto shrines in modern shopping malls, geishas and tea ceremonies alongside flashy and crazy youth culture.
RENATE KOGLER FRANZ MARX
The two award-winning photographers and musicians met and fell in love 25 years ago. Since then they have shared their common passions: photography, music, travel and an interest in foreign cultures.
They have been working on the live, moderated multimedia shows for over 2 years. Selected original sound and film recordings and the live music specially composed by the two merge with the spectacular images to create a unique work of art. The miracle of “people and nature” is at the center of their work, with all its challenges but also opportunities for good and peaceful coexistence.
DIRK SCHÄFER
When Dirk Schäfer published his first report, it was only printed in an insignificant newspaper. But he carries on. He is passionate about photography and being on the move. Preferably by motorbike because it offers him the freedom he needs. Today Dirk Schäfer is one of the most renowned travel and motorcycle photographers.
His work is published internationally in motorcycle and travel magazines. His travel reports have a permanent place in Europe’s largest motorcycle magazine and well-known manufacturers rely on his images and text material. The magazine “Travel Time” states that Dirk Schäfer … with his work as a photographer has a lasting influence on the look of motorcycle travel reports.
BRUNO BAUMANN
Author, director and speaker with Styrian roots and resident in Munich. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including award-winning works such as Kailash-Tibet’s Sacred Mountain. His reports have appeared in GEO and National Geographic, and as a director he develops and designs documentaries for TV formats. He undertook numerous desert expeditions, including a spectacular solo attempt in the Gobi Desert and crossings of the Takla Makan and Sahara. In his keynote speeches, he shows transfers from desert experience to topics such as the responsible use of resources and innovation.
He has been a Stumpfl user from the very beginning. In live, audio-visually designed live lectures, he dedicates himself to the topics of his life: Tibet, the Himalayas, Central Asia and the Silk Road.
ALEXANDER GOEBELS
Alexander Goebels was fascinated by whales and dolphins even as a child. Passionate about the films of Jacques Cousteau, his greatest dream was to swim with whales. He wanted to capture them in the picture just like his role model. So he started diving and dedicated himself to underwater photography. The search for the gentle giants of the sea led him to the Azores for the first time in 2009, where he fell headfirst in love with the nine islands. There his big dream came true. His live lecture “Azores – Mysterious Islands in the Atlantic” takes the audience to this unknown enclave of Portugal.
The live lecture comes closest to his type of presentation because it captivates his audience with his emotions and literally draws them into the stories.
Today the graduate engineer lives at Schliersee in Upper Bavaria and works throughout Germany and internationally as a pre-sales and presentation trainer for speakers and sales representatives. He himself gives lectures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
CULTURE CURRY
The Indian photographer Nagender Chhikara and the German journalist Christina Franzisket are best friends and have been working together as a team for several years. They published their reports in, among others, Amnesty International’s magazine, in the Frankfurter Rundschau or in the form of short lectures on the stage of the Weitsicht Festival in Darmstadt. This is exactly where the two of them will present their first major multimedia project “Culture Curry – On the Trail of Love through India” in autumn 2018.
The combination of their two cultures, their different personalities and perspectives make Christina and Nagender’s reports unmistakable.
SEPP FRIEDHUBER
Friedhuber Sepp is an Austrian veteran who, in addition to many award-winning images in national and international photo competitions, also made successful television documentaries for “Land der Berge” and also universe films such as “Primitive Amazon, River from the Desert” with Dr. Herbert Habersack and Prof. Dr. Gero Hillmer Hamburg produced.
Friedhuber Sepp has been presenting his experiences with high-quality projections for many years. Many of his lectures are now presented as high-resolution HDAV shows, whether with Leica RT projectors, as was the case in the past.
STEFAN ROSENBOOM
Stefan Rosenboom works as a freelance photographer and author on the edge of the Bavarian Alps and wherever seeing is so exciting and enriching.
His works are created slowly, on foot and always outside. On the eyes, open to the images, people and stories. Intense and time is key.
He publishes his own book projects, such as Siljas Reisen or Kiyo, for which he was nominated for the German Photo Book Prize.
The flying yurt, Italy’s wild soul, the illustrated book “Paths of Silence” published together with Andrea Nuß and Dieter Glogowski and the new illustrated book “Freedom Lives in the Mountains” are current publications.
His multivision lectures have received several awards. He organizes masterclass photography workshops for the Leica Camera AG Academy and regularly shows his work in exhibitions.
Stefan Rosenboom is a narrator with a camera, quiet and forceful, free and on his own path.
ANDREAS HOLLINGER
Andreas Hollinger is an employee of the Gesäuse National Park, photographer, presenter, author of climbing guides and speaker. Growing up in Admont, the gateway to the Gesäuse National Park, he discovered his love for the mountains at a young age. He lived this out in numerous mountain trips abroad, expeditions to Asia and South America and climbing days in the Gesäuse. He is responsible for around a dozen first ascents in the Ennstal Alps.
JÜRGEN MÜLLER
The professional photographer Jürgen Müller has been working as a photographic tour and workshop leader since 2010. The focus of the photo trips is on Europe and North America. On these trips, the images for his shows such as the internationally award-winning “USA-Landscapes”, “Rocky Mountain High”, his Ireland show “Augen-Blicke” or the visually stunning “Nordlandzauber” (Greenland, Iceland and Scotland) are always created live moderated with impressive photographs and stories of the locations visited.
Not only has he been programming his shows with Stumpfl Wings since the beginning, but as a Stumpfl specialist dealer he also holds training courses in Wings for beginners and advanced users.
PETER VON SASSEN
Peter von Sassen’s live photo reports are always something special – because the full-time TV journalist and presenter always manages to touch his viewers. This is achieved through a very emotional way of experiencing his professional photos, lots of original sounds and lovingly selected music and combining them with a lot of feeling. His stage presence certainly also contributes to this, as Peter von Sassen comments and narrates live with a noticeably trained voice. He finds his themes in the Arctic and Antarctic, but also in figures from contemporary history such as Wilhelm Busch or Astrid Lindgren.
He has trusted Stumpfl technology for many years.
STEFAN SIEGRIST
Stephan Siegrist has summarized his borderline experiences in rock and ice in a 100-minute report. He humorously comments on the magnificent images live. He talks about his highs and lows, about successes and failures – and about his drive to always want to overcome limits.
Stephan Siegrist: “When giving a lecture, I have to be able to rely 100% on the technology that works.
My new multivision consists of images and video sequences to which I speak freely. The Wings Platinum software from AV Stumpfl is easy to use and gives me complete freedom with absolute security, because I can’t afford a crash in the lecture hall.
CHRISTIAN PFANZELT
Christian Pfanzelt is a professional photographer, passionate mountain athlete and enthusiastic speaker.
After his successful multi-vision show “Rock’n Road America”, which mainly highlights climbing in the golden west of the USA, he is now presenting his latest lecture.
“Wetterstein – border crossings from Alpspitze to Zugspitze”.
The advertising photographer and mountain ambassador for Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Christian Pfanzelt, photographed the Wetterstein Mountains in all seasons for three years. The broad facet of all mountain sports is portrayed through emotional, amusing and historically exciting mountain sports topics.
STEFFEN HOPPE
For his new project Asia Monsoon Magic, photojournalist Steffen Hoppe exposed himself to the moody southwest monsoon in Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, India and Nepal. The focus is on the beauty of the rainy season: the temples of Angkor covered in moss and lichen, the changing play of light over the Andaman Sea, India’s intimate relationship with rain and the legendary monsoon shadow in the Nepalese Himalayas. What does it matter if, despite all the beguiling beauty, mold suddenly blooms on a lens?
JOSEF MORITZ
“A picture is touching when it contains the energy of the moment!”
Josef Moritz develops HDAV into HD Emotion and thus transports cognitive and personality-building content on an emotional level through perfect synchronization of language, music and images. “The nice thing about traveling is being able to “come home,” but to do that I have to leave first!”
Josef has been working as a wings trainer for AV Stumpfl for many years.
JOE HÄCKL
Some have a bird. He had a beaver: Joe Häckl!
As a passionate nature and travel photographer, he also has enough nonsense in his head to travel the world on his own and let other people share in his experiences:
Always with the camera at the ready, Joe Häckl moves off the beaten tourist path, but still in harmony with nature and respect for its human, animal and plant inhabitants. Is it any wonder that he even managed to get a female beaver as a pet!
BEATE STEGER
All senses ready! When the passionate photographer and filmmaker Beate Steger sets out, she captures not only magnificent images of fascinating landscapes and buildings, but above all emotional moments.
The journalist and anthropologist is particularly interested in people from other cultures and their traditions. It shows the world from a different perspective! And that’s what makes her lectures so unique: Beate Steger is always in the middle of things, off the beaten tourist path, always very close to the people. “The world is too beautiful to just stay at home,” says the globetrotter. Package holiday, all-inclusive, five-star hotel? Never! Beate Steger travels slowly and consciously, mostly on foot, by bike, by canoe or by regional public transport. On the way, she prefers to look for simple hostels and live with locals, where she gets to know other ways of life, eats traditional food and doesn’t always sleep comfortably.
THOMAS MEIXNER
The world cyclist Thomas Meixner comes from Saxony-Anhalt and has been traveling extensively around the world for more than 21 years. He has already visited 115 countries on several tours, covered around 220,000 kilometers and crossed all continents. It is the encounters with people and being out and about in fascinating nature that has drawn and will continue to draw the adventurer further afield.
Lectures and books were written about the tours and travel and slide shows became his profession.
MARTIN BUSCHMANN
Martin Buschmann is a passionate photographer.
He has been self-employed for over 30 years and runs a photo studio for advertising and industrial photography in Konstanz on Lake Constance. He also works for national and international agencies.
Under the label my-reisefotografie he runs seminars, photo trips and photo workshops! His book – The Start into Travel Photography – was published by Humboldt Verlag. As a speaker, he inspires a large audience with his live travel reports.
ROAMING_PEDALS
For over a year, Tanja and Johanna alias roaming_pedals were on the longest journey home of their lives. With two bicycles and a tent, the two women traveled from Cape Town across the African continent, through the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula and over the mountains of Iran and the Bosphorus back to Europe – to their hometown of Vienna.
Now they are back and sharing their travel experiences, memories of encounters with elephants, sandstorms and mountain nomads and emotional insights into life on two wheels in impressive multimedia presentations.
They may even find an answer to the recurring question “What’s it like to be two women, all alone?”.
GEREON ROEMER
The engineer, who was born in Düsseldorf in 1970, was captivated by photography from an early age.
And even though he traveled to the other side of the globe for his landscape photographs, it was with Norway that he developed the most intense relationship. Gereon Roemer spent well over a year traveling in Norway in all seasons. His focus is not just on documentary travel information or highlighting sights. It is the deep feeling for an extraordinary landscape that gives his photographs beauty, meaning and charisma.
THOMAS SCHENKER
Thomas Schenker quickly bought a small compact camera for his first trip. She didn’t survive the trip, but a passion for travel photography was born. During his geography and English studies at the University of Heidelberg, wanderlust was his constant companion and he traveled the world again and again. Since the camera gives him a new view of the world when he travels and, above all, often opens up a way to meet locals, he teaches himself how to take photos. Then he sets off on the trip that he has been dreaming of for 10 years, but was always afraid of the big undertaking: cycling from his front door and traveling by bike along the Silk Road to China.
ELKE FÜRPAß CHRISTIAN BINDER
Elke Fürpaß and Christian Binder have been traveling across the globe since 2006. Depending on the destination, with a backpack or with your 12-ton expedition vehicle. Christian interprets what he experiences through the viewfinder of his camera, Elke writes stories – sensitively, thoughtfully and often with clever humor. They combine both in their books and lectures. Professionalism and success in his professional life have given Christian the freedom to devote himself solely to traveling for 16 years. With the same meticulousness, but above all with a love of nature and an interest in foreign cultures, both travel the world and then show their version of it to those interested in their multi-media readings. It is the harmony of the image and sound compositions with the read word that distinguishes her presentations.
BERNHARD BRENNER
After completing his studies, Bernhard Brenner dedicated himself entirely to travel, photography and projection. In addition to photo tours to unusual travel destinations, he organizes the Alles Canvas travel and adventure festival in Vienna, lectures at the Photo + Adventure photo fair and other travel festivals, holds photo seminars at the Vienna Photo School and is a proven Wings expert. He creates Wings presentations for many well-known speakers. He holds Wings seminars at AV-Stumpfl and is currently writing a Wings specialist book. His presentations and photos have received several awards (2007 El Mundo Best Presentation, 2011 presentation “Gesäuse National Park – Wild Nature in the Climbing Kingdom” at the Villingen Schwenningen Media Festival in the Panorama Projection category, 2014 Lower Austria Press Photo Award Culture…)
However, he prefers not to sit in front of the computer, but rather to be outside on his photo tours, in nature or up close to foreign cultures.
FABIAN GEBERT
With a great fascination for adventure and cultures, Fabian has been traveling through different countries around the world for several months a year for many years. His particularly pronounced fascination with the African continent, which unfortunately is often unfairly neglected, began early on.
He initially explored East Africa and expanded his travels to the west of the continent, impressed by its cultural and scenic beauty. While he was in West Africa, the coronavirus unexpectedly spread across the globe. Fabian unexpectedly spent over 15 months on the African continent and experienced a particularly formative and valuable time there with many extraordinary adventures.
In 2020 he founded the Faszination Adventure lecture series in Würzburg with a focus on photography, adventure and travel.
GERFRIED SWOBODA
My name is Friedl Swoboda, a solo traveller like many others, but one with a few inner personalities who are all curious about what travelling has to offer. Perhaps it’s also about the balancing act between the worlds of different societies and different countries or simply about understanding people, how they tick and why they tick the way they do.
My project AROUND THE EARTH, which has been running since 2018, is actually supposed to take me around the world together with my six-legged friend called “Wüstenfuchs” – a Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer from the Austrian Armed Forces. But what is the real goal of travelling? It is not “that” beautiful photo, “that” great video, not the self-portrayal of a traveller, but the goal of transporting the emotional impulses to those who stayed at home in such a way that they begin to reflect, but ultimately leave the lectures with a certain smile. You could call this “Impulses of a traveller”.
