Deep Look
Deep Look is KQED’s wildlife video series with PBS Digital Studios, using macro cinematography and microscopy to explore the hidden lives of small animals and plants.
At 100 nudges, fangea sends Deep Look’s team an official invite.
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Latest
Deep Look’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus their backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
- How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood2016 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios - This Mushroom Starts Killing You Before You Even Realize It2016 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios - What Happens When You Put a Hummingbird in a Wind Tunnel?2015 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios - These Hairworms Eat a Cricket Alive and Control Its Mind2019 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios - Pygmy Seahorses: Masters of Camouflage2014 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios - Barnacles Go to Unbelievable Lengths to Hook Up2022 · Wildlife short
KQED / PBS Digital Studios
Overview
- Started
- October 2014
- Based in
- San Francisco, California
- Created by
- KQED, with an original concept by Josh Cassidy
- Presented by
- PBS Digital Studios
- Format
- Wildlife films using 4K macro cinematography and microscopy
- Host
- Margaret Katcher, announced in May 2025
- Breakout
- The mosquito-bite episode led the series’ most-watched videos in KQED’s 2019 roundup.
Mini bio
How it started.
Deep Look launched in October 2014 from KQED in San Francisco, working with PBS Digital Studios. Lead producer and cinematographer Josh Cassidy came up with the concept. The pilot, “Pygmy Seahorses: Masters of Camouflage,” watched tiny seahorses blend into coral.
Finding its audience.
The films turn small creatures into characters with obstacles to overcome, pairing close-up footage with clear storytelling. The mosquito-bite episode became an audience favorite. In June 2019, Deep Look became the first station-produced PBS Digital Studios series to reach one million YouTube subscribers.
The people behind the lens.
KQED’s May 2025 team announcement named supervising producer Gabriela Quirós, lead producer and cinematographer Josh Cassidy, producers Rosa Tuirán and Mimi Schiffman, vertical video producer Jenny Oh and engagement director Sevda Eris. Margaret Katcher joined as host, succeeding Laura Klivans.
A wider view.
In 2026, the team also published Big Ideas episodes hosted by Niba, exploring questions such as why animals glow and why most mammals no longer lay eggs. Alongside those broader stories, Deep Look kept its lens on animals including mudskippers, roly-polies and banana slugs.
Creditschronological, newest first
- 2026Big Ideas: Why Mammals Gave Up on Laying EggsCompanion show from the Deep Look team; hosted by Niba
- 2026The Slimy, Sticky World of Banana Slug CourtshipDeep Look episode; by Mimi Schiffman
- 2016How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your BloodDeep Look episode; by Gabriela Quirós
- 2014Pygmy Seahorses: Masters of CamouflagePilot episode; by Josh Cassidy
Awards
- 2022 AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Gold AwardVideo Spot News/Feature Reporting, for episodes about honeypot ants, barnacles and giant water bugs.
- 2019 Northern California EmmyHealth/Science/Environment Feature/Segment, for “Why the Male Black Widow Is a Real Home Wrecker.”
- 2017 Webby People’s Voice AwardScience and Education Film and Video, for “How Mosquitoes Use Six Needles to Suck Your Blood.”
- 2015 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival awardBest Limited Series, Short Form.
Quotes
Deep Look is all about the wonder in the natural world.Lauren Sommer, former Deep Look host and writer, KQED
Sommer described the series in a 2017 behind-the-scenes feature about filming decorator crabs.
Trivia
- Each episode has an original score by composer Seth Samuel, according to KQED’s 2025 team announcement.
- The pilot featured pygmy seahorses successfully bred in captivity at the California Academy of Sciences.
- The team’s weekly newsletter is called Nature Unseen.
Find Deep Look
Follow the team into nature’s smaller worlds.
Are you Deep Look?
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