Sam Branson on Man Versus Earth: "I Went from Being Calm and Collected to Catastrophic — Buried Alive in an Avalanche"

Sam Branson said it plainly: "I went from being calm and collected to catastrophic. It was claustrophobic — I was nervous and afraid. Experiencing tha…" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

"I want to make documentaries about global issues like climate change in a young, funky and cool way so audiences can relate to them," says Sam Branson, Founder of Current Sponge.

Sam Branson, the younger offspring of Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, is no stranger to adventurous expeditions and the effects of climate change. After a brutal and life-changing experience on an expedition to the Arctic — and several encounters with polar bears — Sam returned seeing the world in a whole new way: believing he could do anything, understanding that sometimes you have to face the possibility of death to feel alive, and having a better understanding of why his father undertakes these death-defying adventures.

With this renewed self-recognition and awareness, Sam became more interested in preserving the environment and independently went on an adventure to raise awareness among young people about the realities of global warming. Stepping outside his family's empire to launch his production company Current Sponge and his television career, Branson brought his experience as an explorer to Current TV. This Earth Day, as part of Current TV's Earth Fights Back weekend, Sam debuted Man Versus Earth — a one-hour special in which he investigates the many ways seemingly harmless snow can become a potentially fatal disaster, including volunteering to be buried alive in an avalanche.

Before the debut of Man Versus Earth, Daedrian McNaughton had a unique opportunity to talk with Sam Branson about his new project.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What is Man vs. Earth?

SAM BRANSON: Man Versus Earth is a series of documentaries narrated by me with people who have battled the elements of snow, wildlife, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes — and the cutting-edge technology that is created to survive them.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What was your motivation for going on these expeditions?

SAM BRANSON: In 2010 I started my own production company, Current Sponge, to make challenging, entertaining, compelling film and TV shows to educate people on serious subject matter and also to entertain. I've been lucky enough to travel, and I think the experiences of different cultures, people, and places has made me quite passionate about the world. I've always been interested in the medium of film, and what I'm doing now is using it as a tool to give those experiences to people who don't actually get to visit these places. And I've got quite a bit of experience in expeditions, so it was a natural journey to go on.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: After conducting these experiments, what was the most revealing and surprising result? And what was it like to be buried alive?

SAM BRANSON: One of the experiments was to be buried in an avalanche that we made ourselves. It was very interesting to be put in that situation and to experience what it was like getting someone out of an avalanche — how difficult it actually is. It was very hard. I was actually buried under 4–5 feet of snow and that was pretty nerve-wracking. Imagine being covered in a swimming pool that was actually covered in concrete. There was an inch of space for my face. While trapped in the avalanche my only lifeline was the Avalung apparatus which was attached to me and later removed for a few minutes for me to experience what it was like without the survival aid. The Avalung allows you to breathe for up to two hours. Otherwise, you've got only 15 minutes before you asphyxiate. Experiencing that made me realize I would never want to be caught in an avalanche.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Were you afraid?

SAM BRANSON: I went from being calm and collected to catastrophic. It was claustrophobic — I was nervous and afraid.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Some of your dad's exploits and projects are fairly dangerous. Do you worry for his safety?

SAM BRANSON: I would be a complete idiot not to worry about the safety of my dad, especially when your loved ones are doing life-threatening things — risk-taking events.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Do you have any intentions of following in your dad's footsteps and taking your adventures and expeditions to the next level?

SAM BRANSON: Maybe down the line. To be honest, I am actually focused on working hard on my production company and creating the business around challenging programs within different subject matter. I don't know what the future holds.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: What would you like viewers to take away from Man vs. Earth?

SAM BRANSON: I hope they would sit back and be thoroughly entertained by a very dramatic show and learn a lot about avalanches, naturally, and we would like to educate at the same time. Underneath the drama, there are quite interesting facts about science and technology. And I hope they get a better understanding of getting in the snow and learn its full force.

PREMIER GUIDE MIAMI: Because of who you are — the son of Sir Richard Branson — does this affect your social life?

SAM BRANSON: Not really.

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