When blessed with acclaimed filmmakers for parents and having grown up often setting up filming equipment, one is bound to aspire to make magic behind the lens.
This was the case for a Bay-born filmmaker who has travelled the world camera in hand.
Name any place in the world and you might find that Zach Vincent, 37, has been there to film a documentary for the likes of 50/50 or National Geographic.
Now based in Los Angeles, Zach’s journey in the industry began under the mentorship of his parents, well-known Bay filmmakers Mike and Sharyn Vincent. The Vincents ran Jasmin Films from 1983 when they shot documentaries for local and international networks on a range of subjects but predominantly wildlife which, unsurprisingly, became Zach’s most comfortable and informed subject.

His parents also used their cameras to challenge apartheid.
“They were very active during the struggle. My mom was in the Black Sash and detainee support groups, and my dad, while working for SABC, would smuggle footage of protests to BBC and Reuters,” Zach said. Mike and Sharyn are now based in New York.
Trinity High School alumnus Zach did a BSc in applied maths and biology at Nelson Mandela University from 2000 to 2004 before completing his masters in biology at the University of Cape Town.
“I love wildlife. I find the natural world extremely interesting and diverse, and I hate it when humans destroy our breathing and living planet.
“Growing up in South Africa makes that even more accessible since we have such amazing landscapes and biodiversity,” he said.
During his eight years in Cape Town, Zach filmed and produced for various South African channels, including the SABC. He also produced two seasons of Segkweng, a 50/50 insert of 13 parts a year on general animal behaviour in South Africa.
He left South Africa for the US in 2014 and was soon shooting and producing for ABC award-winning travel and wildlife show, Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin.
“It was an amazing experience, living in Hollywood and working in Burbank. The film history here is so great. I filmed tiger sharks, elephant seals, giant freshwater stingrays, leatherback turtles ... so many animals. It was a dream.”
In 2016, he shot footage in Angola for the film Into the Okavango, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in April.
“It was a great experience to see some of my shots in a National Geographic feature and one that is so important to our region of the world and the wildlife,” he said.
Zach was recently in Alaska to film acoustic research on the effect of human industry on the critically endangered beluga whale population. The project will be broadcast on Georgia Aquarium’s Facebook Page as part of their outreach...