Josh Bernstein

Josh Bernstein

"International explorer, photographer, author, and television host Josh Bernstein has traveled more than 500,000 miles by train, plane, bus, bike and camel to over 40 countries, exploring the biggest mysteries of our planet in pursuit of knowledge and discovery.

"Josh has traced the Ark of the Covenant from the caverns of Jerusalem to the mountains of Ethiopia, searched for the Holy Grail in the bowels of Nazi Germany, and communed with tribal chiefs in the darkest jungles of the Amazon Rainforest. He has ventured deep underground with NASA scientists to explore the origins of life on Earth and has hunted with alleged cannibals by moonlight in the forests of Papua New Guinea – all in a quest to uncover some of the most fascinating mysteries of our planet.

"Josh’s television career began in 2005, when he debuted as the host of a new adventure-archaeology series called Digging for the Truth on The History Channel. The series quickly became the highest-rated original series in the network’s history, and Josh continued to host “Digging” for two more record-breaking seasons. In 2007, Josh moved from The History Channel to Discovery Channel, where he has served as host and executive producer of In the Unknown with Josh Bernstein. Josh is currently developing a number of new projects to be announced shortly.

"In addition to his work on television, Josh is also the president and CEO of BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Based in the small town of Boulder, Utah, BOSS is the oldest and largest wilderness survival school in the world. Josh first attended BOSS as a student in 1987 and, over the past 22 years, he has advanced through the ranks, becoming president and CEO of the company in 1997. At BOSS, participants challenge themselves on survival courses up to one month in length, learning primitive skills like how to make fire without matches, build shelter from local materials, and turn river rocks into cutting edges. Under Josh’s direction, BOSS has consulted on many television and Hollywood productions, including a number of realty shows and all of the island survival scenes for Cast Away starring Tom Hanks.

"Josh has two degrees from Cornell University (BA, Anthropology and Psychology). After graduating from college, he spent a year in a post-graduate program in Jerusalem studying, among other things, mysticism and ancient texts."

• Trustee, Global Heritage Fund
• Director, The Explorers Club