About
Writer and documentary film director with over 30 years of experience in communications, healthcare, IT, and philanthropy.
I have a way with words.
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In this emotional, intimate sequel to "Ola: Health is Everything," students, teachers, and advocates share stories of hope and triumph that kindle the fires of our determination to build a vibrant, healthier world.
A timely and emotional debut documentary that celebrates Hawai‘i's most cherished social values, Ola challenges us to rethink what it means to be healthy. Ola (Hawaiian for "life" or "well being") explores the widespread social factors that affect our ability to create thriving, sustainable communities. Since its premiere at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival in 2013, this powerful and inspirational film has spawned a movement to energize our communities and create a healthier future for all.
Speaking
A little over ten years ago, after the release of the documentary Ola: Health is Everything, the potential and the promise of coordinated, community-based health driven by a focus on social determinants of health felt not just possible, but inevitable. After nearly four hundred screenings of the film across Hawai‘i, a broad community consensus was clear: solutions to larger systemic challenges to better health could be fostered by diverse partnerships and shared commitment to equity. A decade of tumultuous elections, social reckonings, and the global pandemic, have strained the fabric of our communities, unraveling it in ways that have put all of our collective gains in jeopardy. Inequities today—across health, economics, power, and the environment—are perhaps even more of a danger to a flourishing community. In this retrospective talk, the director of Ola reflects on how we must confront the use of power and partnerships, and the inconvenient truths behind them, to reframe what it means to be a community that overcomes the divisions allowing inequities to persist.
Side Projects
Independent production of documentaries, short films, and PSAs on compelling social issues, unexplored cultural endeavors, and community building.