I am a passionate creator, avid story teller and wildlife conservationist. My main goal is to capture and share the beautiful stories of wild animals. I do this in hopes that it will bring people together to protect the wild habitats we have left here on planet Earth. 

I also possess many skills in digital media, filmmaking, high end image retouching, concept design, print works, and retail graphics. Having a passion for cinematic arts along with a skill set in special effects, cinematography and story telling has won me many awards at student film festivals.

Where it all began for me:

I have been interested in wildlife and filmmaking for as long as I can remember. I found so much inspiration in movies. I remember a very specific moment as a small boy where I was watching Star Wars, Return of the Jedi and wondering, “if they are not real, how the heck did they make the lightsabers?” As the determined kid I was, I went to the local library the next day and scoured through books and discovered these two things called filmmaking and visual effects. From that point on I was interested in making films. I recall how much time my best friend Ruben and I would spend making movies filmed on old iPods, the first generations to have cameras. 

Eventually I started hitting the technological limitations of my equipment which was later broken through in high school by the greatest teacher of all time, Peter Hansen. I remember touring the school for the first time thinking, “how ordinary” until I walked into the film classroom. There were more iMacs than an Apple store placed at every desk! I was completely blown away. I was in heaven. Through all four years of being at that high school, I had the privilege of learning under Mr. Hansen who provided many of us with an abundance of film equipment and knowledge. We had lights, software, computers, cameras, and a green-screen studio. His motto was always “yes!”

Here my life changed. I also had a few of my student films submitted into the Sonoma International Film Festival’s student section. I even won audience favorite my senior year and best visual effects the year prior. 

In regards to being immersed in the outdoors and engaged in wildlife, this I have been involved with since I could walk. My mother and I traveled to various states and countries with nature sightseeing as our focus. When I was in fourth grade, our class, like many, went on a guided nature walk at Bouverie Preserve. After the hike a few of us from different schools were selected to be a part of their Juniper Program. I, of course, said yes. I remember my mentor, Richard, who I completely blame for my obsession with raptors (the birds not dinosaurs). He had this way of making people appreciate nature. He would point out things most people would never see like distant hawks or small bugs. Then he would proceed to explain their purpose. Bouverie also brought in people with various skill sets. On training days we might have worked with a geologist, a biologist, a birder or someone who specialized in Native American living and culture. We went down the creek and ran all sorts of tests to see what makes a healthy waterway in nature. We saw all the microscopic critters that you would never know were there. Most importantly, we learned why they were there. 

After graduating from their program, I stayed and continued to volunteer. One of the most memorable projects was helping set up some of the early stages of their mountain lion study program. We would hike out and set up trail cameras in places throughout the preserve in hope of capturing glimpses of these amazing cats. I also worked on their newt population counts. I tried to stay with Bouverie through about high school, which was when time started becoming a real limiter in life. 

Many years later I returned after a scorching fire had burned through most of the land. This was a real wake up call as to how serious the climate crisis has become. It makes my heart sink when I think about such a beautiful place that filled much of my childhood being put at risk and burned by an issue we all participate in. All the animals who are affected, every microorganism that Richard had taught us to appreciate. The thought still makes me teary eyed but I am optimistic for the future. When we come together, there is a lot we humans can accomplish.