McDonald is spotlighting untold stories every day, and he’s not afraid of taking what might seem to be a risky leap to bring them to National Geographic’s audience. Over the past 12 months, he celebrated the premieres of “Queens,” the first female-led natural history series that took a deep dive into matriarchal animals, and “Erased: Hidden Heroes of WWII,” which tells the story of the forgotten contributions people of color made to the war effort. He’s pushed for more female directors to lead National Geographic projects, and as a long-time trustee of The Grierson Trust, he finds the trend of programmers creating fewer, bigger projects fascinating and one that makes every premiere feel like a big bet. “It feels high stakes when you have fewer choices to make. And though there are fewer bets, it’s still essential to lift up new voices and the next generation,” he says.