What does it take to earn the trust of people operating in the world's most dangerous and secretive economies? For Emmy Award-winning journalist and filmmaker Mariana van Zeller, it means going where others won't and uncovering the human stories behind the headlines. As host and executive producer of National Geographic's Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller, she has taken audiences inside the global shadow economy, investigating everything from drug trafficking and the opioid crisis to international scams. Across five seasons, the groundbreaking series earned 16 Emmy Awards and 88 nominations, establishing van Zeller as one of investigative journalism's most compelling voices. Today she continues that work through The Hidden Third, her independent media company and video podcast exploring the hidden economies and forces shaping our world.

Born in Portugal and educated at Columbia University, van Zeller has earned honors including Peabody and duPont-Columbia Awards for her fearless, empathetic reporting. She has built her career in some of the most male-dominated environments in the world, often as the only woman in the room with cartel members, smugglers, and law enforcement. As co-founder of Muck Media, she executive produced Netflix's The Fall of El Mayo and has helped produce acclaimed documentaries including HBO's American Pain and the Emmy and Sundance-winning Science Fair.

Drawing on extraordinary encounters from the front lines of investigative journalism, van Zeller offers audiences a revealing look at the hidden forces shaping our world, how scams became a global industry, the power of empathy to build trust, and what it takes for women to lead in spaces where they are the minority.