Media and Outreach
Documentaries
I love sharing my passion for sharks with the public, and media is one of the best ways to do it. As a newly emerging expert on these iconic, and ancient, creatures, and particularly the popular megalodon shark; it has rapidly become an integral part of my work to effectively communicate with the public. Indeed, documentaries were a key driver behind my own love to sharks and palaeontology at a young age upon seeing Nigel Marven dive with a CGI megalodon in BBC’s “Sea Monsters”; something that was even mentioned in the show’s Wikipedia page!
Since publishing my first paper on megalodon in 2020, I have been involved with multiple documentary productions. Behind the camera, I have served as an expert consultant on the science presented and even on animated models of megalodon. In front of the camera, I have appeared as a presenter and interviewee.
My first on-screen documentary appearance took place in 2021 when I filmed for Storyhouse Productions’ “Secrets of the Sea” in Zurich to discuss megalodon alongside my PhD supervisor Dr Catalina Pimiento. The program was broadcast on ZDF, a public broadcaster in Germany.
My most significant documentary appearances are on the episode “Sharks” for the program “Giants” by Off the Fence in 2022; and on “Monsters of the Deep” by Mentorn Media in 2024. In the former, which compared the great white shark (a modern “giant”) to the ancient “giant” megalodon, I conducted a zoom interview with presenter Dan O’Neill and filmed a second interview at the zoological museum at Swansea University. The show is now streaming on Curiosity Stream. The latter work involved me presenting my 3D modelling work on megalodon alongside renowned naturalist and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall, which was broadcast on the UK’s Channel 5 in December 2024. Both programs led to crew members praising my presentation of the science; while other researchers who watched the programs commended my on-camera persona as “passionate and authoritative.” An interview I conducted for Crackit Productions’ “Shark”, despite ultimately being cut from the final program, even led to a crew member telling me “that was the best interview we’ve filmed all show”.
I am always happy to discuss new documentary projects focusing not just on megalodon, but also on sharks or palaeobiology as a whole. I am keen to join many of these productions as a researcher, where I could further utilise my established academic network, and as a presenter of the science itself. So please give me a message if you’d like to work together!
See my full showreel to get a taste of my media experiences.
Animations
During my PhD, I had the privilege of consulting on two wonderful animations about the megalodon.
The first of these videos, commissioned to accompany my paper on the 3D modelling of megalodon, was created by the extraordinary Cooked Illustrations, based in Cardiff. My jobs behind this video included some scripting and providing the background of the paper. The final thing beautifully summarises the story of the paper and the results it found.
The second video was perhaps my most popular output of my work on megalodon, reaching over 1.3 million views on YouTube. Following a successful application to do an animated lesson on megalodon for the remarkable TED-Ed, I worked with the crew to write the script of the video, consult on all the science and the storyboarding, and to provide some additional questions for the lesson. These can be found on the TED-Ed website, and were produced to encourage viewers to not only learn more about megalodon, but to engage and think critically about how understanding the extinction of this iconic animal could help us consider ecological effects of losing today’s sharks.
My favourite thing about these videos is their subversion from portraying the megalodon as a big, scary monster; instead depicting it as rather cute and cuddly. Such is the magic of animation. If viewers can feel sorry for this gigantic apex super-predator going extinct, then just maybe it can get them thinking about today’s shark species and how threatened they are.
Want to collaborate on a new animation? Then let’s talk! Message me here.
Podcasts and radio
A huge part of my science communication work has been appearing on numerous podcasts, news and radio over the years. Like my other media work, this kicked off following the publication of my first megalodon paper, where within hours I was on BBC News to talk about it. Just days later, I was on my first podcast, run by “Dinosaur George”, creator of TV’s Jurassic Fight Club.
Highlights of this portion of my career have included appearing on BBC radio to discuss cage diving with great white sharks, and numerous appearances on Essex radio to talk megalodon teeth and even sharks in the River Thames!
Additionally, my podcast appearances have included World of Sharks, run by the Save Our Seas foundation and presented by Dr Isla Hodgson; the Evolution Soup YouTube channel (twice); and Shark Stories by shark diver and filmmaker Madison Stewart. Some of my absolute favourite work, however, has been my three appearances (so far) on the brilliant Let’s Jaws For A Minute by film nerds Sarah Buddery and MJ Smith, who analysed Jaws minute-by-minute (or thereabouts). I first came on to discuss the film’s shark dissection scene, and returned twice more to talk about my megalodon research, and to chat about the films The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench. I have since been given the title of the podcast’s “resident shark boy”; a title I very much approve of.
Please send me a message if you’d like to feature me on your podcast or radio show. They’re great fun and I’d love to do more!
Book consultation
Popular science books, especially those aimed at younger readers, are crucial for connecting us to science; and palaeontology has always been a popular topic for such books. Indeed, the companion book to BBC’s “Sea Monsters” was my bible growing up.
To my great privilege, I have consulted my knowledge on megalodon to multiple books in the last few years. Among these books are the megalodon book of the “Extinct” series by Professor Ben Garrod; the children’s book Prehistoric Beasts by Dr Dean Lomax; and the fossil guide book Frozen in Time by the Bristol Dinosaur Project’s Rhys Charles. In the former two, I offered my expertise on megalodon research; while the latter allowed me to not only share my research with wider audiences but to discuss Walton on the Naze - the one location in the UK where megalodon teeth can be found!
Want my consultation for your book? I’d love to help! Get in touch.
News stories
As an up-and-coming expert on sharks, and particularly megalodon, I am often approached by national and international press to comment on new discoveries about this iconic extinct animal; and not just when it comes to my own work.
For example, I provided comments to The New York Times about the first work that attempted to determine the growth of this animal. I also provided comments on the discovery of a megalodon tooth found in the middle of the Pacific Ocean; which may have been the first direct evidence supporting my own hypothesis of megalodon’s ability to migrate across oceans. More recently, I discussed an ongoing debate as to what megalodon may have even looked like, which remains a basic but enigmatic question.
The story I’m most proud to be a part of, however, is a story in 2024 in which a 10-year-old girl found an incredibly complete megalodon tooth on a beach right here in the UK. I was contacted by the girl’s mum, who kindly provided me scaled photographs of the tooth. This allowed me to not only confirm the identity of the tooth her daughter had found; but to tell that wee girl precisely how big her megalodon would’ve been when it lost its tooth. Making a young fossil hunter happy and confirming her “once-in-a-lifetime” fossil find was truly one of the most rewarding moments of my career!
Got a story you want my comment on? Drop me a line here!
Artwork by Juan Jose Giraldo
Selected media portfolio
Documentaries
1. Mentorn Media (2024). “Monsters of the deep” – two-part documentary series on prehistoric and modern oceans for broadcast on Channel 5 on British television in Autumn 2024. Filmed with host Steve Backshall in July 2024. Aired on Channel 5 on UK television in December 2024.
2. Crackit Productions (2024). “Sharks” – 3-part documentary series for broadcast on Channel 5 on British television. Filmed in April 2024, though ultimately cut.
3. Off the Fence Productions (2023). “Episode 4: Sharks”. The documentary series “Giants” produced by Off the Fence Productions for CuriosityStream. Filmed 2 separate interviews in July and October 2022; and aired in May 2023.
4. Storyhouse Productions (2021). The documentary “Secrets of the Sea”. Filmed in May 2021 and aired on ZDF in October 2021.
Animations
1. TED-Ed (2023). “Why did Megalodon go extinct? – Jack Cooper and Catalina Pimiento”. Animated educational lesson with Ted-Ed with over 1.3 million views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LGCk08zMbg&t=143s.
2. Cooked Illustrations (2022). “The megalodon: A tale in 3D”. Animated video accompanying scientific publication on megalodon. Produced in English, Spanish and German. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBpIcsrof7M.
Podcast, radio and news appearances
1. Baffling Biology (2025). “Episode 1. Dr Jack Cooper” – Podcast interview with Lucie Murphy, Nikita Bedov and Olivia Tollerson. https://lnkd.in/dqFwUvtV.
2. Evolution Soup (2025). “The Sixty-Six-Million-Year Shark Extinction ~ with DR JACK COOPER”. Interview with Mark Torrender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3tz846u-m0.
3. Fisheries Society of the British Isles (2024). “Inside the FSBI - FSBI PhD Student, Dr Jack Cooper”. Outreach video for my work as a PhD student with the FSBI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPNFeE8syzQ&t=2s.
4. World of Sharks (2024). “Megalodon: Inside the life of a superpredator” – Podcast interview with Dr Isla Hodgson, sponsored by the Save our Seas foundation. https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/podcast/megalodon-inside-the-life-of-a-superpredator.
5.The Pulse (2024). “Why megalodons have captured our imagination and what researchers have learned from their extinction” – Podcast interview with Lauren Tran-Muchowski. https://whyy.org/segments/megalodons-and-what-researchers-have-learned-of-their-extinction/.
6. Bearded Tit (2024). “Megalodon: The Facts ft Jack Cooper #147” – Podcast interview with Jack Perks. https://beardedtit.podbean.com/e/megalodon-the-facts-ft-jack-cooper-147/.
7. Let’s Jaws for a Minute (2023). “Episode 96: The Meg and Meg 2: The Trench” – Podcast interview with Sarah Buddery and MJ Smith. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jawsforaminute/episodes/Episode-96-The-Meg-and-Meg-2-The-Trench-e292e3p.
8. Let’s Jaws for a Minute (2022). “Patreon Exclusive 1: OnlyFins: an Interview with Jack Cooper” – Podcast interview with Sarah Buddery and MJ Smith exclusively on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/posts/patreon-1-with-71653987.
9. Shark Stories (2022). “The Meg” – Podcast interview with Madison Stewart. https://sharkstories.buzzsprout.com/1737603/9878878-the-meg.
10. BBC Radio (2021). “Shark enthusiast Jack Cooper on Megalodons and shark diving”. Interview with Tim Wheeler. https://soundcloud.com/user-376006937/shark-enthusisast-jack-cooper-on-megalodons-and-shark-diving.
11. Evolution Soup (2021). “Megalodon – The shark that ate whales – with Jack Cooper”. Interview with Mark Torrender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKqh3R8GliU.
12. Let’s Jaws for a Minute (2021). “Episode 28 – Shark Autopsy” – Podcast interview with Sarah Buddery and MJ Smith. https://anchor.fm/jawsforaminute.
13. Dinosaur George Podcast (2020). “Megalodon body dimensions – Interview with Jack Cooper” by George Blasing. http://www.dinosaurgeorgepodcast.com/megalodon-body-dimensions-interview-with-jack-cooper/.
14. BBC News (2020). “Just how big were prehistoric mega-sharks?” Interview with Kasia Madera. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta6kzC9kCd4&t=2s.
News stories
15. CBBC Newsround (2024). “Megalodon: 10-year-old finds ancient tooth fossil on UK beach” – comments made for news story. Involved in confirming identity of the fossil tooth. https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/68887847.
16. Discover Magazine (2022). “Larger, 65-foot-long Megalodon might have fed on whales.” By Sean Mowbray. https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/larger-65-foot-long-megalodon-might-have-fed-on-whales.
17. Forbes Magazine (2022). “Whale-Y Big Bites: Study shows the Meg could swallow modern predators whole” by Melissa Cristina Márquez. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2022/08/22/whale-y-big-bites-study-shows-the-meg-could-swallow-modern-predators-whole/?sh=31f090121f2d.
18. Popular Science (2022). “3D models show that the megalodon was faster, fiercer than we ever thought” by Laura Baisas. https://www.popsci.com/science/3d-models-show-the-megalodon-was-faster-fiercer-than-we-ever-thought/.
19. CNN (2022). “The extinct superpredator megalodon was big enough to eat orcas, scientists say” by Zoe Sottile. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/08/20/world/megalodon-giant-shark-discovery-scn-trnd/index.html.
20. The New York Times (2022). “The Megalodon was bigger, faster and even hungrier” by Asher Elbein. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/17/science/how-big-was-megalodon.html.
21. Associated Press News (2022). “Giant sharks once roamed the sea, feasting on huge meals” by Maddie Burakoff. https://apnews.com/article/science-oddities-fossils-sharks-fish-cd87e463438196637b95b4d52832645d.
22. The Guardian (2022). “Ancient megalodon shark could eat a whale in a few bites, research suggests” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/17/ancient-megalodon-shark-could-eat-a-whale-in-a-few-bites-research-suggests.
23. Science Alert (2022). “The Megalodon was so huge it could have devoured an orca in just a few bites” by Michelle Starr. https://www.sciencealert.com/the-megalodon-was-so-huge-it-could-have-devoured-an-orca-in-just-a-few-bites.
24. Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald (2020). “North Ayrshire man helps reveal enormity of the Megalodon shark” by Gianni Marini. https://www.ardrossanherald.com/news/18749842.north-ayrshire-man-helps-reveal-enormity-megalodon-shark/.
25. Forbes Magazine (2020). “Measuring Megalodon: Scientists Find Out How Large This Shark Once Was” by Melissa Cristina Márquez. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2020/09/10/measuring-megalodon-scientists-find-out-how-large-this-shark-once-was/.
26. BBC Wales (2020). “Shark researchers size up real 'Megalodon' for first time” by Matt Lloyd. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-54011932.
27. The Guardian (2020). “Researchers reveal true scale of megalodon shark for first time” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/03/researchers-reveal-true-scale-of-megalodon-shark-for-first-time.
28. CNN (2020). “Vast size of prehistoric megalodon shark, which had a fin as long as a human, revealed for the first time” by Sara Spary. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/03/world/megalodon-shark-scli-intl-gbr-scn/index.html.
29. Science Focus (2020). “Prehistoric megalodon was a mega-shark that had ‘fins as large as an entire adult human’” by Amy Barrett. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/prehistoric-megalodon-was-a-mega-shark-that-had-fins-as-large-as-an-entire-adult-human/.
Additional projects
1. Two commissioned artworks of megalodon jaws and body outline with Jeff Maynard, PhD, director of Symbioseas. www.symbioseas.org.