Patricia Sims
As filmmaker and writer, Patricia has a passion for large-brained megafauna - from dolphins, to primates, to elephants. Her quest to portray the interrelationships between humans and animals has led her around the globe in pursuit of the issues that threaten these relationships. She has directed and produced numerous award-winning films for international broadcasters, sponsors, and organizations. Her films explore the conservation challenges that modern and traditional societies face through stories that expose the complexity and paradox of our relatvionships with animals, nature and each other.

"Zo" Michael Clark
As technology activist, director of photography, and editor, Zo has employed his many talents to portray the interconnectivity of life on this planet. He has won many international awards for his work and his credits range from documentaries, episodic television, commercial and feature film productions. Zo's mission is to use digital and traditional media to inspire awareness, awe, and action for a mirthful, sustainable future.

Brent Lewin
Brent Lewin is a documentary photographer that splits his time between Toronto and Bangkok. His photographs portraying Asian elephants in Thailand have been profiled in publications such as National Geographic, The New York Times, Applied Arts, and Discovery Magazine Asia. His elephant photos have received many awards and he is featured in PDN-30 magazine as one of the top thirty photographers to watch in 2010. As photographer and videographer, Brent has worked with us since the early stages of the film's development, and expresses his passion for elephants through images that portray the modern human-elephant relationship in Thailand.

          Photo: Brent Lewin

Tewan "Ten" Chatdamrong
Ten brings his savvy coordinating and translation skills to the team as the location producer and fixer. With several years of working with international production teams in Thailand under his belt, Ten has been involved with many types of projects - but always holds a special place in his heart for elephants. He is dedicated to helping to find solutions that improve the conditions for both elephants and mahouts in Thailand.

Manwe Darcy
Manwe is a Canadian-born cameraman and sound recordist who lives in Thailand. His filmmaking skills range from news reporting to dramatic features. Manwe has a keen eye for detail that has enabled him to document extraordinary and memorable moments in the elephant's lives during our filming.

Nancy Songtaweesin
Born in Bangkok, Nancy is a native-Thai speaker, having a very international upbringing immersed in both Western and Eastern cultures and languages. She has translated for various NGOs both in Thailand and Canada, striving to convey the authenticity and wonder of her home country to audiences. Her passion for the plight of the elephants and mahouts in Thailand is truly inspirational.

Kattika "Poy" Tanjad
Poy has grown up around elephants in Surin province, which is where much our story is filmed. Since our first trip to Surin, Poy has been an enthusiastic, passionate, and dedicated supporter and friend who has helped us with local logistics and insight into the Surin way of life for people, and their elephants. WIth degrees in English and Ecotourism, Poy is a talented columnist and project manager who has worked with provincial government, international NGOs, and Thai celebrities on campaigns that educate people about the importance of care and conservation for Asian elephants in Thailand.

Ashley Melsted
Ashley loves elephants and we love having Ashley on the team. With her background in web marketing, she's our social media maven and aims to keep our updates connected to the world, and the world connected to us. She studied International Business in Bangkok, which helps her bring our story closer to home.

Robert Bateman
As a world-renowned artist and naturalist, Bateman is a conservation activist with a paintbrush whose creations remind us of all that we are losing. He has dedicated his life and work to the protection of wildlife through art that speaks to the wildness within all of us. His paintings are exhibited in numerous major public museums and private collections around the world, and he is the recipient of countless awards and academic honors. An ardent supporter of the need to connect young people with the natural world, Bateman's paintings teach us about the importance of preserving nature for our children and grandchildren, and future generations.

Dr. Steven Aung
A internationally-renowned pioneer in the integration of  western, traditional Chinese and complementary medicine, Steven is a professor of medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and other universities around the world. Steven grew up with elephants in his native Myanmar (formerly Burma).  He learned about traditional acupuncture for treating humans and animals from his grandfather.  His life and career are strongly rooted in the concept of finding balance in all things.  To this day, elephants have a special place in Steven’s heart and he has extended his practice of compassion in medicine, and traditional acupuncture to treating zoo elephants.

“Aster” Li Zhang
Aster is the Director of Programs of Conservation International (CI) in China and an Associate Professor at Beijing Normal University on Animal Behavior and Conservation Biology. With a Ph.D. on animal ecology, he has over ten years of on-the-ground experience researching Asian mammals especially elephant, tiger, panda, and the human-wildlife relationship in China. Prior to his work with CI, Aster was the China Director for the International Federation for Animal Welfare (IFAW). He has led many projects that have raised the profile of animal conservation and welfare in China and he is one of the most active voices on wildlife trade issues. Aster strives to ensure that wildlife and nature reserves within China remain protected. One of his current projects is the creation of ecological corridors that join the nature reserves within Yunnan province, SWChina so that wild elephants may roam freely between these areas, reducing the chance of human-elephant conflict.