Floating In A Galaxy Of Stars: Pier Nirandara on Swimming With Sharks In Hollywood And Drifting With Sardines Off South Africa

Big Deep - An Ocean Podcast

In today's episode, I speak with award-winning author, film producer, and underwater photographer Pier Nirandara.
Pier's connection to the ocean started as a young girl growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, with weekend family trips to a nearby beach house. Her time there sparked an interest in storytelling, which led her to writing a trilogy of novels about mermaids when she was just 15 years old. And, remarkably, all three novels went on to be number one national bestsellers in Thailand. From there, her path took her to college in the US and a successful career as a film producer at studios in Hollywood.
But her connection to the ocean never left her and I first heard about her in an article in the Hollywood Reporter about a private dive club she had started for studio executives in the entertainment industry, which she called Hollywood Sharks. So I reached out to Pier and she responded immediately, as she was always open to raising awareness around the world's oceans. And of course, the interview was fantastic.
Pier was thoughtful, funny, and kind, and over the course of our interview, Pier discussed where she initially found that connection with the water, the surprising parallels between aspects of the world's oceans and her inspiration for literature, and an unexpected life-changing moment she had in a sardine run off the coast of South Africa.

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