Episode 184: A Look Inside the Wild Heart of Texas with Ben Masters
September 25, 2026
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Ben Masters, director “Deep In The Heart 2: Texas Rivers” and founder of Fin & Fur Films
Episode Summary
Independent filmmaker and wildlife biologist Ben Masters, founder of Fin & Fur Films, joins the Rewilding Earth Podcast to discuss his journey from riding wild mustangs across the Continental Divide for “Unbranded” to capturing cinematic, Planet Earth-style natural history right here in North America.
We dig into his latest feature, “Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers” (narrated by Ethan Hawke), what it takes to spend months in the field tracking secretive predators, and why long-term conservation in a state that is 95 percent privately owned requires 100-year thinking and multi-generational ranch stewardship.
Texas is a land shaped by water; its rivers are the arteries that deliver life and nourish ecosystems. “Deep in the Heart 2” brings us otters making a comeback, mountain lions on the prowl, mesmerizing underwater footage of an alligator snapping turtle, and a river rewilding success story that you have to see and hear to believe.
Ben’s sincerest hope is that the movie inspires millions of Texans to float, love, and protect the thousands of miles of incredible rivers, countless springs and creeks, and fertile bays and estuaries that are the lifeblood of the Lone Star State. There’s love and passion in every frame, a vibrant cast of animal characters, and a meaningful call for conservation action.
Topics
- From Mustangs to Movies: How an epic, backcountry ride sparked “Unbranded” and shaped Fin & Fur Films’ lean, field-first production style.
- Cinematic Storytelling: Borrowing feature-film tension and using cutting-edge visuals and thermal technology to show wildlife behavior that nature documentaries rarely capture.
- Texas Beyond the Headlines: Why real conservation in Texas relies on private landowners, generational ranchers, and overwhelming public support for new state parks.
- The Reality of Rivers and Dams: How thousands of aging reservoirs lose up to 40 percent of their water to evaporation, starve floodplains of sediment, and reshape river health.
- Neches River Comeback: A look at a river’s remarkable recovery, turning a polluted, once-clearcut timber run into a thriving, wild bottomland forest. As the last wild stretches of the Neches were being threatened, a small coalition began to defend and advocate for the river, spreading a message of stewardship and hope. Their efforts have secured a wild, healthy river with conservation easements, refuges, and preserves.
- Where to Watch: The theatrical run for “Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers,” followed by digital release and community screening opportunities.
Extra Credit
- “Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers:” About the film, take action toolkit
- Conservation partners: Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Texan by Nature, Caesar Kleberg Foundation for Wildlife Conservation.
- Fin & Fur Films website
- Rewilding Earth Podcast episodes featuring Fin & Fur films: “The American Southwest” elevates the art of storytelling in wildlife films, Filming for “Borderlands Jaguar”
Director of Digital Outreach (D.O.D.O.) for The Rewilding Institute
Host and Producer of the Rewilding Earth Podcast
Jack started Rewilding work as Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance in the mid-1990’s, organizing the Sky Island Wildlands Network design, ripping up illegal roads on forest service lands, installing wolf acclimatization pens on Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch & conducting howling surveys to help make way for the final stage of the Lobo reintroduction program in the Southwest.
Through the years, Jack has worked with Dave Foreman and the Rewilding Gang to further Rewilding initiatives and education.