About the filmmakers

The Wild Lens Team for SEA OF SHADOWS:

Sean Bogle

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Sean (right) with drone operator Holger Fleig (left) shooting a scene for Sea of Shadows.

Sean made his directorial debut with the short film Souls of the Vermilion Sea about the plight of the vaquita.  He is a co-director and associate producer of Sea of Shadows.  Sean has worked with a wide variety of wildlife species as both a filmmaker and a biologist, most notably the Hawaiian Monk Seal, Stellar sea lions, Northern elephant seals, Northern fur seals, Pacific fishers, black bears, and the elusive Ivory-billed woodpecker.

Sean is a founding member of the Wild Lens Collective, where he has produced numerous short conservation films and manages outreach and impact campaigns for a variety of clients.

Matthew Podolsky

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Matthew (center) about to head out to sea to document the vaquita capture effort in the fall of 2017.

Matthew is a documentary filmmaker and co-founder of the Wild Lens Collective.  Matthew's films include the Emmy-nominated Bluebird Man, and the feature length film Scavenger Hunt, about the California condor.  Both films won numerous awards and screened at film festivals across the globe.  Matthew is also a host and producer of the Eyes on Conservation podcast, a top-rated interview series focused on global conservation issues.

Matthew worked closely with fellow Wild Lens filmmaker Sean Bogle to produce the short film Souls of the Vermilion Sea, and served as co-director and associate producer of Sea of Shadows.

Ru Mahoney

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Ru runs sound for a Sea of Shadows interview with a local fisherman in San Felipe, Mexico.

Ru is a freelance science and impact producer interested in multi-platform media projects that employ evidence-based strategies to increase literacy about the world’s most important science, conservation, and social issues.  Her research on science communication and diplomacy through media has been funded by the National Science Foundation and US Department of State.

Ru served as the impact producer for Souls of the Vermilion Sea, developing impact focused strategies for spreading awareness of the vaquita's extinction crisis.  She also served as the field producer (and occasional boom operator) for Sea of Shadows.

But we didn't do it Alone!

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Sea of Shadows crew on the final shoot in San Felipe, Mexico.  From left to right, Roland Winkler, Matthew Podolsky, Tobias Corts, Sean Bogle, and Richard Ladkani.

Our Wild Lens crew made up just a portion of the full crew that worked on Sea of Shadows.  We must recognize the amazing work done by our fellow collaborators on Sea of Shadows, including director Richard Ladkani, location sound expert Roland Winkler, 2nd camera Tobias Corts, and drone operator Holger Fleig.  We also had amazing support from the producers of the film, Wolfgang Knoepfler and Walter Koehler from Terra Mater Factual Studios.

The Wild Lens Crew for SOULS OF THE VERMILION SEA:

Sean Bogle and Matthew Podolsky

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Sean (right) and Matthew (left) at a remote fishing camp on the Baja peninsula.

Sean and Matthew launched their vaquita outreach and education campaign in the spring of 2015 when they began shooting for the short documentary, Souls of the Vermilion Sea.  The project was born out of a strong desire to use media and storytelling to help prevent the extinction of the vaquita.  Sean and Matthew produced and directed this short film.

Brenda Razo

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Brenda on location in San Felipe, Mexico.

Brenda lives in Mexico City, where she has been working as videographer since 2010 on numerous independent films.  In addition to her videography and filmmaking experience, Brenda is a skilled stop motion animator, giving workshops for the Institut Français of Latin America since 2012.  Brenda also works as an independent photographer and visual artist and has presented numerous photo exhibitions throughout Mexico as well as in Sydney, Australia.

Brenda served as a co-director, field producer, and camera operator for Souls of the Vermilion Sea.

Ramona Mays

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Ramona (far right) at the the premiere of Sea of Shadows with Sean Bogle and Matthew Podolsky.

“Oceans bring peace, reduce stress and create emotional well being for us all.”

In addition to serving as the Executive Producer for Souls of the Vermilion Sea, Ramona is a life-long environmentalist, a yoga instructor and movement therapist, and a co-founder of the Mays Charitable Fund. She has worked with the stranding department at the Marine Mammal Center for six years releasing and rescuing seals on the Northern California Coast and is a primary donor for the Marine Mammal Center’s Monk Seal hospital which was officially opened September 2014 in Kona, Hawaii.  She serves on the advisory committee for All One Ocean which is a grass roots organization in Marin County, responsible for setting up cleaning stations on our beaches and empowering youth to get involved in keeping our oceans clean. She is committed to the conservation of the vaquita, and is working closely with the Marine Mammal Center and The Sea Shepard’s Operation Milagro in addition to her work on Souls of the Vermilion Sea. Ramona believes strongly that if all concerned people work together on this effort to save the vaquita, then we will have accomplished something great and worthwhile.

Joseph Leibrecht

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Joseph on location in the Northern Gulf of California prepping for a drone launch.

For ten years Joseph worked as a professional artist and multi-media designer before being introduced to the world of conservation biology. He now has six years of field experience working with a diverse array of wildlife species as both a filmmaker and a field biologist.

Joseph served as a camera operator and drone operator on Souls of the Vermilion Sea.

Gabriela Sosa

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Gabriela (far left) on location in San Felipe, Mexico with Matthew Podolsky and Brenda Razo.

Gabriela is a court-certified and conference Spanish and French interpreter. Her work as a producer has been recognized by the Film and Television Academy and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Gabriela served as an interpreter and  field producer for Souls of the Vermilion Sea.  If you need her services contact info@giftofthegabinterpreting.com

Emily Bender

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Emily Bender is a documentary producer and editor based in Boise, Idaho. She served as a story consultant on Souls of the Vermilion Sea.

Emily has over a decade experience providing production support for shows on PBS, HBO and MTV. She has worked as a trip leader in Alaska, a photographer in Seattle, a journalist in Berkeley and wants to spend the rest of her life producing and editing documentary films in the Northwest United States.  She studied documentary at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California at Berkeley.  She also studied documentary photography at the Salt Institute for Documentary studies in Portland, Maine.