Dan McKernan

Dan McKernan is the founder and Board Chair of Barn Sanctuary and former host of Animal Planet's Saved by the Barn. Over the past decade, he has worked at the intersection of rescue, public education, and advocacy-focused storytelling – building sanctuary operations while learning what actually moves people from awareness to action.

Dan's work spans hands-on animal rescue, investigations-informed public education, and large-scale media, with a focus on helping the animal rights movement communicate clearly and ethically. He is also the author of the children's book This Farm Is a Family (Zonderkidz/HarperCollins) and former host of Animal Planet's Saved by the Barn, both created to bring farmed animal stories to families and young people.

Now based in Australia, Dan speaks internationally on strategy and movement infrastructure: how to pair compelling storytelling with concrete calls-to-action, supporter pathways, and measurable outcomes for animals.