John D. Boswell of Bellingham is the executive producer for National Geographic show, “Origins: The Journey of Humankind.” (Contributed photo)

John D. Boswell of Bellingham is the executive producer for National Geographic show, “Origins: The Journey of Humankind.” (Contributed photo)

The journey from YouTube sensation to TV producer

His YouTube videos have been viewed more than 100 million times.

Now John D. Boswell can add another achievement to his resume: television producer.

He thought up the concept behind “Origins: The Journey of Humankind,” a documentary show that premiered in March on the National Geographic channel.

He also composes music and edits for the show.

Each episode, hosted by Jason Silva, explores a different factor that helped to shape humankind, from mastering fire, to communication, to war.

“Our approach to history, we’re telling it cinematically,” Boswell said. The show cuts between Silva’s philosophical monologues, film-quality reenactments, commentary from experts, and fast-paced videos. “We’ve elevated the genre in terms of the look, the feel, the music.”

Boswell’s vision was to take scientific information and present it in a fresh, modern way that viewers can’t look away from.

It’s what he’s been doing his whole career, ever since he became a viral sensation on YouTube.

Boswell’s love of music started in high school in Spokane when he was in a heavy metal band with his friends.

“I’ve long outgrown those days,” he said. “But I had a great time in high school.”

Boswell moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University. He never left.

“I never really wanted to leave,” he said. “It’s such a beautiful place.”

His interest in music continued through college, although he chose to major in economics.

In college, he also discovered his fascination with science.

While it never interested him in high school, he found a new love for it taking elective classes.

“It kind of awakens that childhood wonder you have about dinosaurs and space,” he said.

At the same time, he first caught a late-night rerun of astrophysicist Carl Sagan’s documentary series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” on TV.

“I’ve always, since then, loved the series,” he said. However, the TV show first aired in 1980, and Boswell thought the presentation and graphics haven’t aged well.

Then in 2009, he found a series of YouTube videos called “Autotune the News,” in which the creators would auto-tune and remix a series of recent news clips together to create a funny song.

“I just thought it was the craziest thing ever,” Boswell said. He realized he could do something similar himself. “I had experience with all those programs.”

Instead of trying to create something funny, he decided to revisit his love of science, specifically, “Cosmos”.

“How can we freshen up this fascinating stuff that not a lot of people are paying attention to just because it’s being presented in old fashioned ways,” he thought.

He remixed clips from the show, autotuned Sagan’s narration into a song, added music and put it up on his YouTube channel called “melodysheep.”

The video went viral, and “A Glorious Dawn” has been viewed more than 10 million times.

He’s continued to create remixed songs and put them on YouTube, mostly about science.

Third Man Records, musician Jack White’s record label, released “A Glorious Dawn” on vinyl.

Last summer, the label teamed up with a group of scientists, and with a weather balloon and specially designed record-player, Boswell’s remix became, according to the label, the first phonographic record to be played in space.

“It was a huge honor for me,” Boswell said.

The popularity of his videos led to him to pick up a lot of freelance work remixing and composing for the entertainment industry.

A few years ago, he got a regular job remixing and composing for Disney cartoons.

“That was a lot of fun, but it was exhausting watching cartoons 10-12 hours a day,” he said.

That work, however, plus his YouTube success got him noticed. He said a production company approached him, and asked him what TV show he would make, if he could do anything he wanted.

He thought back to his love of “Cosmos,” and the let down he felt about the show’s recent reboot.

“I didn’t feel like they pushed the envelope enough,” he said. If he were to make a TV show, he’d want to take the scientific information, and present it in a way that was completely new and different.

“I came up with this grand vision,” he said. “It was very experimental, very avant-garde.”

He cut together a rough, speculative trailer out of clips from TV and movies. Eventually, the trailer made its way in front of the CEO of the National Geographic Channel, who was impressed.

Boswell said the channel was in the middle of a re-brand, looking to get away from reality shows and move toward more premium content.

“I basically just got really lucky in terms of the timing,” Boswell said. “They were hungry for something like this, something big and ambitious and epic.”

The show has changed a lot as it has gone from inception into reality, Boswell said.

“The original ambitious vision and what you’re watching is, there’s a big discrepancy,” he said.

Originally, he wanted the first half of the season to focus on space, then get into human history. Since production started his role has been researching, editing and composing. It has been a learning process.

“I’m new to TV, I’ve never done it before,” Boswell said.

The actual content, however is familiar. Once again, he is making science look cool.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.