Mercer Memories: Nathan Edmondson, CLA ‘10

1537
Mercer alumnus Nathan Edmondson is comics and screenplay writer and cofoundaer of the nonprofit Eco Defense Group, a conservation and counter-poaching nonprofit organization that provides support for African wildlife.

Nathan Edmondson is a comics and screenplay writer and creator of the nonprofit Eco Defense Group. He graduated from Mercer University’s College of Liberal Arts in 2010 with degrees in art and art history. He is a native of Augusta and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Gretchen, and their four children.

Here are five things to know about Edmondson:

 1. Mercer opened his eyes to the world.

“I think Mercer was highly effective at giving me a sense of context of everything I was interested in pursuing,” Edmondson said. “I was exposed to a diversity of resumes and backgrounds, particularly in the Great Books Program.”

Through his studies at Mercer, he gained writing and artistic skills and a worldview that would give him plenty of subjects to tackle. His Great Books courses fostered his ability to think in many different areas as well as his love for mythology.

2. Writing comics wasn’t always his plan.

Edmondson had an interest in writing and loved art, but comics was something he chanced into while at Mercer and found that he enjoyed.

He wrote “Olympus,” “Genesis,” “The Light,” “The Activity,” “Dancer,” “The Dream Merchant,” “Who Is Jake Ellis?” and “Where is Jake Ellis” for Image Comics. His credits for Marvel include “Ultimate Iron Man,” “Black Widow,” “Red Wolf” and “The Punisher,” the company’s longest-running and best-selling series. He did “Grifter” for DC Comics and “Splinter Cell: Echoes” for Ubisoft.

“Each presented its own unique challenges, and, ironically, writing seems to get harder with every project,” Edmondson said.

“What you’re proud of is success in that endeavor, and I think that each one is unique in that way. I appreciate getting through any project. I’m always excited about the next one.”

3. His works are coming to the big screen.

20th Century Fox started production on a film version of “Who Is Jake Ellis” in August, Paramount is making a movie of “The Activity,” and Edmondson has sold movie rights to two of his other comics.

Edmondson’s primary focus now is writing screenplays. He’s working on the script for a spy thriller and has plans to do another thriller set in Kruger National Park in Africa. He’s also writing the TV pilot for “Prodigal.”

Mercer alumnus Nathan Edmondson is a comics and screenplay writer and creator of the nonprofit Eco Defense Group.

4. He started a nonprofit organization.

Last year, Edmondson co-founded Ecological Defense Group (EDGE), a conservation and counter-poaching nonprofit organization that provides support for African wildlife.

“This nonprofit is something that I didn’t see coming,” he said. “I fell into it, and there are things I want to do long-term with this group, differences I really want to make.”

Protecting endangered species like rhinos is an ongoing campaign and a difficult task. There’s a high possibility that some of these animals will be extinct in the near future, and EDGE’s goal is to change that outcome.

5. Writing and work in Africa are part of his future goals.

His long-term goal is to find the proper balance between writing and effectively working with this nonprofit. He wants to continue to write exciting things, but also give his kids the opportunity to “see extraordinary things happening in an extraordinary part of the world,” he said.

Eventually, he would like to live with his family in Africa part-time. He wants his children to be able to see and experience some of these endangered animals firsthand.