As
a competitive gymnast and member of the U.S. Jr. Olympic team,
an international model with the Ford and Elite agencies,
underwater photographer and television personality on
Discovery's "Shark Week", plus the owner of a
popular pole-dancing exercise studio, and the mother of
twins; Cat Gennaro has done it all.
Cat's career as an underwater photographer began in Maui, where
she became a dive master, boat captain and naturalist. At home
in the water, Cat developed an affinity for marine life that
would help her become the first woman in the world to free-dive
with a large mako and great white sharks. Cat's fearless diving
exploits were featured in the Discovery Channel specials
"Diary of a Shark Man" and "Great White Shark:
Uncaged" which was voted by viewers as one of the most
popular "Shark Week" episodes ever.
For the Discovery Channel "Air Jaws" specials, Cat
photographed award-winning images of great white sharks
exploding from the water to capture seals. In the making of
these specials, Cat won several national awards, including Sport
Diver Magazine in 2002 ,2003 & 2004. Her work has been featured
in magazines such as National Geographic, Forbes, Ladies Home
Journal, LA Times, Popular Photo Magazine, Direct TV's Access
Magazine and numerous national newspapers. Cat's photos also are
featured on American Express' credit cards.
Cat has co-produced several Discovery Channel "Shark Week"
documentaries including: "Jaws of the Pacific",
and "Shark Hunter: Chasing the Great White" which
anchored Discovery's highest rated Thursday night of 2005.
In addition to filming and photographing wildlife, Cat has
worked as an animal handler training lions, tigers and chimps,
and was a field producer, camera operator and still photographer
on season #1 of the hit MTV series "Wildboyz".
After giving birth to a beautiful set of twins in 2004, Cat got
back into shape by learning the art of pole dancing. She took to
this new sensual exercise craze like a fish to water and within
a year had opened her own studio, Poleates in
Westlake Village, California.
The immensely popular Poleates has taught over 300 women
how to stay in shape, improve their self-image and even
revitalize their love lives. She took pole dancing to new
heights when she competed in the pole dancing championships
"Pole-a-Palooza" at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas in November of
2007. Cat has expanded her Poleates line to
include clothing, perfume and an amazing instructional video
coming soon! Cat's Poleates studio has been
featured in numerous articles.
In 2008, Cat was
on camera talent, photographer and videographer for a two hour
featured documentary filmed in the Coral Sea. In 2009, Cat was
featured again in a hit show for Discovery called "Great
White After Dark". She also hosted and filmed some
unbelievable, never before seen behaviors from over six species
of sharks!
Also soon to come, Cat, her Ex-Husband Jeff Kurr and their two
five year old twins will be starring in a new, one of a kind
series for ABC Networks called "The WILD Life".
It's about the making of the family's infamous upcoming
documentaries on all wildlife with their five year old twins in
tow. This will start airing in October of 2010.
