# Addison O'Dea
**Addison O'Dea** (born 1979) is an American filmmaker and explorer who specializes in anthropology, with a focus on culture within conflict and war, and whose work centers on access to cloistered worlds and communities[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/). He is best known as the writer and director of the virtual reality documentary series *Discovery TRVLR* (2017), produced for Discovery and Google and filmed on all seven continents[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about), and as an executive producer of Eugene Jarecki's Julian Assange documentary *[The Six Billion Dollar Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-six-billion-dollar-man)* (2025)[3](https://professionals.idfa.nl/docs-for-sale/7b7bbff8-7073-4c15-8612-88951dd7b55e/the-six-billion-dollar-man/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979, New York City, New York, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) |
| Specialty | Filmmaker and explorer specializing in anthropology, focused on culture within conflict and war[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) |
| Signature work | *Discovery TRVLR* (2017), a VR documentary series for Discovery and Google filmed on all seven continents[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about) |
| Broadcasters | Discovery, Inc., National Geographic, Seeker, YouTube, and OZY[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) |
| Geographic reach | Work on six of the seven continents, including Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, East Timor, Myanmar, and Western Sahara[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) |
| Companies | President of Faultline Films, a production company for adventure, exploration, and travel genres in high-risk territories[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about) |
| Recent producing credit | Executive producer, *The Six Billion Dollar Man* (2025)[3](https://professionals.idfa.nl/docs-for-sale/7b7bbff8-7073-4c15-8612-88951dd7b55e/the-six-billion-dollar-man/) |
## Background
O'Dea was born and raised in New York City and spent considerable time in [The Bahamas](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bahamas), where his family has long ties; his interests were informed by his mother's family, who have worked in science, government, and the arts around the world since the 19th century[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/). He was formerly a contributing editor at *National Geographic Traveler* and the Special Projects Producer for the [National Geographic Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-geographic-society)[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about).
His documentary work has been broadcast by [Discovery, Inc.](https://www.edgepedia.org/discovery-inc), National Geographic, Seeker, YouTube, and OZY[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/). Over his career he has worked on six of the seven continents, in countries including [Mauritania](https://www.edgepedia.org/mauritania), Saudi Arabia, Bolivia, East Timor, Benin, South Africa, Algeria, Myanmar, Oman, Western Sahara, Vietnam, Togo, Brazil, and Mexico[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/). His published writing includes pieces for OZY, such as "Hunting the Haunts in the Hills of Hanoi" (2018), and for *National Geographic Traveler*, such as "Hiking Through Capri's History" (2010)[4](https://www.linkedin.com/in/addisonodea).
## Discovery TRVLR
*Discovery TRVLR* was announced in October 2017 as an immersive series produced by Discovery VR and Google's VR team, dropping viewers into the lives of locals across all seven continents in 360-degree video[5](https://staging.realscreen.com/2017/10/04/discovery-google-to-launch-vr-series-discovery-trvlr/). Sources differ on its length: IMDb and O'Dea's own website describe it as a 36-episode series[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) • [2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about), while Filmmaker Magazine and Realscreen reported 38 episodes[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/) • [5](https://staging.realscreen.com/2017/10/04/discovery-google-to-launch-vr-series-discovery-trvlr/). The first chapter rolled out on November 3, 2017 across YouTube, DiscoveryVR.com, and the Discovery VR app[5](https://staging.realscreen.com/2017/10/04/discovery-google-to-launch-vr-series-discovery-trvlr/).
O'Dea directed the episodes filmed in North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe, produced by the digital studio Here Be Dragons; the [Antarctica](https://www.edgepedia.org/antarctica) episodes were directed by Barry Pousman and produced by Yes Please Thank You, with Emmy-winner Saschka Unseld as creative producer[5](https://staging.realscreen.com/2017/10/04/discovery-google-to-launch-vr-series-discovery-trvlr/). Each episode follows a person with a specific role in their community, labeled by archetypes O'Dea created: the entertainer, who has an audience; the explorer, who has a mission; the guru, who carries culture; and the renegade, who defies convention[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/).
**Production.** The series was commissioned in April 2017 and filming began in July 2017[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/). The whole show was shot in stereo on the Google Yi Halo, a camera so new that the first rigs were prototypes, with a stereoscopic "sweet spot" between three and eight feet from the subject[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/). Filming days ran up to 14 hours across multiple time zones, with casting conducted on an almost 24-hour cycle by Skype; runners ferried drives back to Los Angeles for stitching in Google's Jump software[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/). Some locations required negotiations for safe passage through gangland and armed security[6](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/). In a 2017 Cheddar interview, O'Dea called the VR camera a "truth machine" that captures events as they happen and forces the director to take a backseat[7](https://www.cheddar.com/media/no-money-or-time-to-travel-discovery-new-vr-series-wants-to-fix-that/).
## Later work
O'Dea was the host, director, and producer of a limited series for Discovery Digital about history and culture in North Africa, which included riding the [Mauritania Railway](https://www.edgepedia.org/mauritania-railway) through the Sahara and visiting ancient libraries in Mauritania[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about). His IMDb credits list him as director of *Pandamonium* and as executive producer of *The Six Billion Dollar Man*, Eugene Jarecki's documentary on [Julian Assange](https://www.edgepedia.org/julian-assange) that premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/news/). The IDFA catalog credits him as an executive producer of that film alongside Mathilde Bonnefoy, Geralyn White Dreyfous, and [James Packer](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-packer)[3](https://professionals.idfa.nl/docs-for-sale/7b7bbff8-7073-4c15-8612-88951dd7b55e/the-six-billion-dollar-man/). IMDb news items also list him as producer on a Eugene Jarecki Tuareg project (2025) and on the giant panda documentary *Unlikely Heroes*, produced with Endeavor Content, Division7, and Film 45[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/news/).
He is the president of Faultline Films, a production company specializing in the adventure, exploration, and travel genres and structured to function in high-risk territories[2](https://www.addisonodea.com/about); his LinkedIn profile separately lists him as president of [Cartography](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartography), Inc., an advisory firm[4](https://www.linkedin.com/in/addisonodea).
## Personal life
IMDb lists O'Dea as being in a long-term relationship with the actress [Minnie Driver](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnie-driver); the two attended the 2025 Serpentine Gallery Summer Party in London together[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/) • [8](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/news/).
## References
1. [Addison O'Dea, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/)
2. [About, Addison O'Dea official website](https://www.addisonodea.com/about)
3. [The Six Billion Dollar Man, IDFA Docs for Sale](https://professionals.idfa.nl/docs-for-sale/7b7bbff8-7073-4c15-8612-88951dd7b55e/the-six-billion-dollar-man/)
4. [Addison O'Dea, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/addisonodea)
5. [Discovery, Google to launch VR series "Discovery TRVLR", Realscreen (October 4, 2017)](https://staging.realscreen.com/2017/10/04/discovery-google-to-launch-vr-series-discovery-trvlr/)
6. ["Speaking to a New World": Addison O'Dea on the Virtual Reality Series Discovery TRVLR, Filmmaker Magazine (December 4, 2017)](https://filmmakermagazine.com/103978-speaking-to-a-new-world-addison-odea-on-the-virtual-reality-series-discovery-trvlr/)
7. [No Money or Time to Travel? Discovery's New VR Series Wants to Fix That, Cheddar (November 17, 2017)](https://www.cheddar.com/media/no-money-or-time-to-travel-discovery-new-vr-series-wants-to-fix-that/)
8. [Addison O'Dea News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9974390/news/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Documentary and biographical films › Documentary filmmakers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license