Nate LubeckNate Lubeck
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Explore Annenberg

Explore.org Streaming Wildlife Network

Modernized a global live-streaming platform to inspire millions with wildlife storytelling.

2020 – 2021Sr. Frontend Developer
Visit Live Experience
Explore.org live streaming interface

Explore.org connects millions of viewers with live animal cams and educational storytelling. I led the front-end modernization effort, moving from legacy jQuery templates to a React/Apollo experience that supports real-time interaction and accessibility.

The new platform handles high-traffic events like bear migrations while giving the editorial team better tools to curate, annotate, and share conservation stories.

+41%Time On Stream

Increase in average session duration after relaunch

−60%Publishing Speed

Reduction in time required to launch new live cams

AAAccessibility

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance achieved across the experience

The Challenge

Deliver a modern, accessible streaming experience for audiences and moderators worldwide.

  • Legacy stack made it difficult to support real-time chat, annotations, and interactive layers
  • Editorial team needed a faster workflow to showcase new cameras and storylines
  • Platform had to cope with surges of concurrent viewers during headline events

What We Built

A modular React front end with GraphQL data orchestration and streaming optimizations.

  • Introduced Apollo-powered data layer for real-time updates and caching
  • Rebuilt video player shell with adaptive bitrates, live captions, and DVR-style controls
  • Created authoring tools for moderators to schedule events and surface curated playlists

The Outcome

Explore.org can now scale mission-driven storytelling without sacrificing performance.

  • Audience engagement jumped as fans stayed longer and participated in live chat
  • New camera deployments went from weeks to days thanks to reusable templates
  • Editorial insights inform conservation partners through improved analytics

Services Provided

  • Frontend modernization
  • Accessibility engineering
  • Streaming optimization
  • Editorial tooling

Technology Stack

  • React
  • Apollo GraphQL
  • Node.js
  • AWS CloudFront
  • Mux
  • Tailwind CSS

Key Deliverables

  • Responsive streaming shell
  • Moderator scheduling tools
  • Accessible component library
  • Analytics dashboards

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