Kinga philips biography samples

Introduction

Kinga was born into a Warsaw, Poland, family of explorers and adventurers. Whale sharks are filter feeders eating mostly plankton but show up to these waters to dine on tuna eggs…and this was an all you can eat buffet.

Massive speckled beasts surrounded us like animatronic Disney creatures on rails.

Ramon has been instrumental in orchestrating protective measures and continues to fight to protect the sharks.

After all that, however, we checked the weather and Ramon informed me that whale sharks don’t like rain and disappear into the depths so tomorrow’s trip would be postponed.

I, on the other hand, like rain. Transparent water, white sand that puts freshly fallen snow to shame, perfectly coifed palm trees and ridiculous sunsets.

I was no longer there to get the perfect shot. The series is hosted by Samuel L. Jackson.

JOURNALIST, EXPLORER...ALWAYS CURIOUS. 

Never one to sit still, Kinga has tested herself for the past 20 + years by traveling the globe...scuba diving, free diving, spear fishing, surfing, jumping out of airplanes, spelunking and swimming with sharks as a writer, producer and on camera journalist for networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC, USA, AMC, Travel Channel, Fox Sports, Universal Sports, Food Network, Current TV, Syfy, Discovery, History Channel, EPIX, BBC and National Geographic.

Kinga was born in Warsaw, Poland into a family of explorers and adventurers. Her dad, a geologist, trekked repeatedly across Europe and her mom, trained in botany, can give the Latin name of every plant.

Thirty-foot behemoths moved toward me with mouths agape until the very last second before impact when they would gracefully divert course and glide beneath like a semi-truck with the delicate nature of a ballerina. I came to see the whale sharks that migrate here each June to September. No one could fault you for a day spent lounging in a hammock with a cold one in hand.

But I’m not much of a lounger.

Except, instead of pasta, I indulged in tacos. My bike, nicknamed tetanus with wheels, proved itself to be a valuable off-road option and a considerable amount of exercise…which balanced the foodie in me.

On day three, I made it to the sharks. She graduated from Oklahoma State University's College of Arts and Sciences with a degree in Journalism and Broadcasting in 2000 before beginning her acting career. 

Never one to sit still, Kinga has tested herself for the past 19 years by traveling the globe: scuba diving, free diving, spearfishing, surfing, jumping out of airplanes, spelunking and swimming with sharks as a writer, producer and on-camera journalist for networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC, USA, AMC, Travel Channel, Fox Sports, Universal Sports, Food Network, Current TV, Syfy, EPIX and National Geographic.

Kinga was one of the original on-air journalists to launch Al Gore’s Emmy Award-winning Current TV, where she covered everything from travel, car culture and entertainment to current issues and hard-hitting vanguard journalism stories that put her in the line of fire…sometimes literally. She has done several projects for Travel Channel including The Wild Side with Kinga Philipps, which had her kite surfing, bungee jumping, free diving and mountain biking across the U.S.; the network's yearly special The Trip, where Travel Channel talent team up to show off exciting destinations; Travel Hacks, an animated multi-part series written and hosted by Kinga and based on her more offbeat and comical adventure travel moments and the award-winning THE REAL, a comprehensive locals perspective of exotic destinations...repeatedly nominated and winning Tellys, Webbys and the Cynopsis Model D, among others.

As a writer, she has two columns for Inside Hook: Off the Beaten Path, a modern nomad's guide to a world less traveled that explores some of the last bastions of wilderness this planet has to offer; and the acclaimed Real Life Laura Croft series that highlights inspiring and accomplished women.

Kinga is a board member of the nonprofit environmental group Shark Allies, dedicated to changing the image of sharks and conserving our oceans.

Currently, Kinga is on the road working on the six-episode documentary series Enslaved.

In 2025 Kinga participated in three Shark Week shows including Dancing With Sharks, the hotly anticipated and highly publicized competition show that opened the week. Expeditions are in her genes. Her folks believed in regular road trips, camping, cultural exploration, photography and natural sciences. She didn't stand a chance of becoming anything other than the world wandering, adventurous, story telling soul she grew up to be. 

She has traveled the world reporting on intense subjects like police corruption in Mexico, gangs in LA, women in the sex trade, humanitarian and environmental causes, world conflict and natural disasters.

If that’s not on your bucket list, write it in immediately.

Among the sharks were hundreds of manta rays spinning underwater and occasionally leaping out of it in alien displays of mastery over air and water. Instead of Javier Bardem, I met a weathered fisherman named Ramon…and his whale sharks.

Isla Mujeres is a 20-minute ferry ride from the mainland and can actually be seen from Cancun’s hotel zone.

We did two dives exploring local reefs and the well-known underwater museum where various statues, including a VW Beatle, have been erected to serve as a reconstructed reef.

On the morning of my departure I swam with the whale sharks again. Enslaved will premiere on EPIX in June.

In 2021 Kinga became the first female host in 33 years of her own show on Discovery’s SHARK WEEK with Tiger Queen.