arlohemphill Professional member

Bio

Arlo Hanlin Hemphill (born October 7, 1971 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a California-based actor, explorer, marine biologist and ocean conservationist. Always drawn towards acting, the international life of a field conservationist prevented him from seriously pursuing it as a career until 2007 (at the age of 35). Once making the decision to become an acting professional, he quickly landed several principle roles in Indy films being shot in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is now resides in Los Angeles and is developing a lifelong career in film.

Prior to entering the film industry, Arlo committed numerous years to field work in Latin America and the Caribbean, working in a variety of marine, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the U.S. National Park Service, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program, and Ecuador's Jatun Sacha Foundation, where he co-founded the Congal Biomarine Station.

During a three year stint in Washington, DC, Arlo served as a Director of Conservation International's Global Marine Division, where with Dr. Sylvia Earle, he led the organization's efforts to reform global ocean governance policies in international waters. He has served on the World Commission on Protected Area's High Seas Marine Protected Area Task Force and the Steering Committees of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence.

Aside from his film work, Arlo is now an independent consultant specializing in expedition/exploration services, marine conservation, ocean policy, scientific diving and biological assessments. He is a Fellow National of the Explorers Club and has been listed in Nature (Myerset al. 2000) as one of 100+ global biodiversity experts, where he is credited for his expertise pertaining to the Greater Caribbean and the Chocó-Darién-Western Ecuador biodiversity hotspots.

In compliment to his technical expertise, Arlo also offers a diversity of talents in communications, including journalism, editing, Internet publishing, partnership-building and public-speaking skills. As a hobby, Arlo is further developing his communication skill sets as filmmaker, focusing on both comedic and natural history works.