Meet The Students

The Film Crew

Ashley EllisAshley Ellis - Writer, Director, and Producer The opportunity to make this film presented itself when Ashley met scientists Tico McNutt and Lesley Boggs in Los Angeles at an event for Conservation International as a representative of her USC student organization, Always Living in View of the Environment. After visiting them in Botswana in 2007, she became inspired by their personal story as well as the story of the people of the Okavango Delta region and felt the need to express this to a greater audience. Ashley graduated from the University of Southern California in December, 2007, majoring in Creative Writing with a minor in Cinema-Television. Though her passion is for writing, she selected USC specifically for her interest in film and loves every part of the filmmaking process. She has worked in the film industry with writers at Rabineau, Wachter, Sanford, and Harris Literary Agency as well as on the production side of the business at State Street Pictures at Fox Studios. She co produced, directed, and edited her first documentary, Rhythm and Rhyme in the fall of 2007 and plans to write her first feature length screenplay as a masters student at USC. Andrew RussoAndrew Russo - Director of Photography Experienced in both narrative and documentary filmmaking, Andrew’s passion lies in discovering the essence of the story when it comes to directing the photography of a film. He has worked on such films as Moon Rock Lighter Fluid The Harvest, The Lost Journal of Vice Marceaux and Scarecrow, as well as documentary such as Ready or Not, Michael Q. Schmidt: A Cinematic Portrait, and a short on Gracie Jiujitsu about Brazillian combat fighting and the famous Gracie family. Andrew has most recently shot Cast of Character’s with award winning writer Mark Goffman. He spends much of his time working on Best of the National Parks for the Travel Channel, which has taken him to Hawaii, New Orleans, the Grand Tetons, Southern California, and Alaska. He is currently assisting Jeff Feuerzeig on his up and coming feature film about heavyweight boxer Chuck Wepner, who became the inspiration for Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky character. Born in Chicago, Andrew received his undergraduate degree in international relations with a foreign policy and economics minor from the University of Wisconsin - Madison where he graduate with honors with distinction, before moving to California to attend the graduate program in Film Production at the University of Southern California. Kate LondenKate Londen - Assistant Director and 2nd Unit Director From Charlottesville, Virginia, Kate is an undergraduate senior at the University of Southern California and is studying Critical Studies in the film program. She says she has 
been interested in film practically her whole life, but narrowed in on 
documentary about three years ago. Kate has made numerous films both inside and outside of the classroom, the most comprehensive of which was Venice, Inc., a documentary about the regentrification of Venice, CA. which she shot in acclaimed documentary professor Bill Yahraus’ class. She has also assisted on other projects working in various different roles and contributing to every part of the process. She recently began interning for one of today’s most 
esteemed documentary directors. Freddie WongFreddie Wong - Editor Freddie Wong grew up in Seattle, Washington. As a film student at The University of Southern California, he discovered his talent in editing, and has edited several award winning short films and documentaries, including "East 
to West," which won a number of awards in student festivals around the 
United States, and "The Deadening," USC's first senior thesis zombie 
movie. He also was editor and cinematographer for "Bio.Rhythm," a 16 
mm short which was nominated for the MPSE Golden Reel Award in 2007.

Ashley Ellis - Writer, Director, and Producer Andrew Russo - Director of Photography Kate Londen - Assistant Director and 2nd Unit Director Freddie Wong - Editor

The Volunteers

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