Where Are They Now? Young Explorer Aleksandr Rikhterman

Adventure Canada: Tell us about your project and the expedition you joined as a Young Explorer.

Aleksandr Rikhterman: I became a member of the first class of Adventure Canada’s Young Explorers on the 2016 Heart of the Arctic expedition. During my time on board, I produced a short documentary, also titled, The Heart of the Arctic. This film followed four other passengers as they became familiar with the landscape, the people, and how special the Arctic truly is, and I found my own feelings were also reflected in their realizations.

AC: So, what have you been up to since your expedition?

AR: After my expedition, I gave presentations at The Explorers Club clubhouse in New York City, which helped connect me to more expeditions and projects. I’ve since filmed a non-profit’s hike up Kilimanjaro and documented an Explorers Club flag expedition to survey hundred foot high-suspended cave entrances in Laos.

I’ve also collaborated with other Young Explorers as a direct result of my expedition. For example, I met Joshua Elves-Powell during the program and later joined him on a Rangers without Borders expedition to Kyrgyzstan as a filmmaker and interpreter/translator. This is all while producing corporate and commercial work in New York City and scuba diving around the world to become an underwater videographer.

My next big project will be to travel to Ukraine’s Antarctic research station, Vernadsky, to film a documentary that I’ve been working on in pre-production for the last few years.

AC: How did the Young Explorers program inspire you?

AR: By having the opportunity to travel to a new place and interview new people, my Heart of the Arctic documentary project marked a transition from my student videos to more professional documentary work. It solidified my choice in pursuing expedition documentary filmmaking and has helped to build the foundation of my filmmaking career.

The Young Explorers program gave me a way to showcase my work, become better known at The Explorers Club, and helped put me down a path of global exploration and filmmaking. I’m currently working as a freelance documentary and corporate video producer in New York City.