National Geographic Society and ThaiBev Partner to Champion Southeast Asian Storytellers

The National Geographic Society and Thai Beverage Plc. (ThaiBev) have announced a new collaboration to place Southeast Asian storytellers at the forefront of global conversations on conservation, culture, and community.

Focusing on the Lower Mekong River Basin across Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, the initiative supports local talent working in film, photography, writing, and multimedia. As rapid development reshapes the region, the program aims to capture hyper-local narratives where wildlife, ecology, and human traditions intersect.

"Southeast Asia has a deep and growing network of storytellers telling important stories about nature and community," said Kaitlin Yarnall, chief storytelling officer at the National Geographic Society. "This partnership supports storytelling by investing together to equip local talent, tell local stories, and amplify local impact."

For ThaiBev, the initiative aligns with its "Water of Life" sustainability framework, which focuses on safeguarding vital water resources and the ecosystems that depend on them.

"We chose water as the central theme for this storytelling initiative because water is a vital element of life," explained Tongjai Thanachanan, Director of the Sustainability Expo 2026 (SX2026) Organizing Committee. "Any water-related issue—whether it is too much water, too little water, or contaminated water—directly impacts every aspect of life.

Building a Regional Storytelling Community

Beginning with its inaugural cohort, the partnership will nurture Southeast Asian talent through three core pillars:

• Direct Grants: Funding original, locally led projects to put resources directly into the hands of storytellers closest to the communities.

• Storytellers Collective Workshops: Hosting training sessions to build technical and narrative skills across the region.
• Immersive Experiences: Creating multimedia exhibitions that blend ancient wisdom with modern formats to reach global audiences.
  
  
  "To create real change or positive impact, authentic voices from the ground reflect what is truly happening most clearly," emphasized Jeramai Pitakwong, Publisher of National Geographic Thailand. "The key is knowing how to ask the right questions to uncover accurate and compelling insights. A good story creates a significant impact, while a great storyteller leads to monumental change."

Meet the First Cohort of Explorers

Seven regional creatives have been selected as National Geographic Explorers for their ability to capture a genuine "sense of place" across the Mekong:

• Tami Banh (Landscape Architect): Documents eroding water intelligence in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta using mapping, illustration, and photography to build community-led climate adaptation tools.

• Jittrapon Kaicome (Photographer): Investigates cross-border mining pollution and its impact on public health, wild fisheries, and farming communities along the Mekong.

• Cat Lau (Community Storytelling Producer): Collaborates with Tai Lue master weavers in Thailand to create a mobile art installation and soundscape using ancestral weaving as a symbol of climate resistance.

• Huiying Ore (Photographer): Captures how villagers in northern Laos adapt centuries-old Indigenous river knowledge amid massive infrastructure development.

• Note Panayanggool (Artist): Explores the decline of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin in Cambodia and Laos by establishing the public Mekong River Sound Archive alongside an educational documentary and temple listening ceremonies.

• Ploy Phutpheng (Photographer): Examines how development alters ancestral landscapes in northern Laos and Chiang Rai, highlighting women as keepers of ecological knowledge and culinary traditions.
   

  

   

• Piyavit Thongsa-Ard (Documentary Photographer): Documents how fishing families in southern Laos balance economic survival with species conservation by relying on inherited river knowledge.

Through these locally rooted projects, the partnership ensures that as the Lower Mekong evolves, the stories of its transformation are told by the people living it.

MAIN PHOTO: A man casts a net near the bank of the Mekong River in Stung Treng, Cambodia.//PHOTO by Huiying Ore/National Geographic. 

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