Creative Lead, Writer, Executive Producer

Patsy Y. Iwasaki, Ph.D. is an associate professor of English at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. She received her Ph.D. in Learning Design and Technology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and also has an M.Ed. in education. Her research interests and teaching practices include instructional design and development, documentary film, English studies, media studies, digital humanities, migration narratives and storytelling in graphic novels, place and community-engaged, culturally relevant resources in education, and cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.

Dr. Iwasaki received a research grant from the Goto of Hiroshima Foundation which inspired her to collaborate with artist Berido to create the graphic novel Hāmākua Hero: A True Plantation Story about Katsu Goto, a 19th century labor advocate and a pivotal figure in the Japan-Hawai‘i immigration and social evolution narrative. In addition to conducting research and developing educational projects about Goto, she is currently creating and producing a documentary film about him.

She has conducted extensive research activities, published articles, and given presentations in the United States, Asia and Europe in these areas. Her forthcoming book Gathering the Story: Designing Education Through the Documentary Lens bridges theory and practice, featuring an instructional module for emerging filmmakers that synthesizes the industry wisdom and expertise of veteran filmmakers through primary research and in-depth interviews. 

Her teaching and research awards include the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Koichi and Taniyo Taniguchi Award for Excellence and Innovation, and the Pulama ‘Ike Award for connecting research to community and promoting the mission and spirit of UH Hilo. She is active in the community, serving on the boards for several organizations dedicated to education, youth and community building.

Director, Writer, Editor

Ryan Kawamoto is an award-winning television and film director based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi with Kinetic Productions. His most recent documentary, “Removed by Force: The Eviction of Hawaiʻi’s Japanese Americans During WWII”, presented by JACL Honolulu earned a Gold Telly Award at the 46th Annual Telly Awards in Film History and was nominated for Best Made in Hawaiʻi Feature Film at the 2023 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. It is currently broadcasting periodically on PBS Hawaiʻi and on Hawaiian Airlines In-Flight Entertainment. The film will also screen at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. on February 19, 2026.

Kawamoto has written and directed numerous documentaries exploring Hawaiʻi’s Asian American histories, including “Gannenmono: Hawaiʻi’s First Japanese Immigrants” and “Honouliuli: Hawaiʻi’s Hidden Internment Camp.” The Gannenmono film was presented to then Crown Prince Akishino of Japan in 2018. His film “Voices Behind Barbed Wire: Stories of Hawaiʻi,” presented by the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaiʻi, received the 2020 Preservation Honor Award from the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation. In 2012, he directed “The Untold Story,” the first feature-length documentary on World War II incarceration in Hawaiʻi.

Producer, Director, Editor, Writer

Danny Miller has produced, written, and edited award-winning documentaries for the Nature Conservancy and Florida Audubon that have aired on PBS and television specials for major film studios including Universal, Dream-Works, Focus Features and Castle Rock that have aired on HBO, Showtime and Cinemax.

Most recently he has Produced and Directed films about protecting Hawai‘i’s cultural and natural resources: including “Saving Ka’u’s Coast”, “The Punalu’u Experience” (aired on PBS) “Turning the Canoe,” “Changing Tides,” and “Seeds of Hope”(aired on PBS).

“Seeds of Hope” (Director/Producer/Editor/Writer) had its mainland Premiere at Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of the American Indian in July, 2014 and was distributed to every public school and library in Hawaii.

Producer, Writer, Photographer

Baron is the Founder/Publisher of Hawaii 24/7 (Hawaii247.com) a news website published online and via Amazon Publishing. Multiple award winner for Society of Professional Journalists Hawaii Chapter.

Photographer for clients: New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii News Now, KITV, KHON, Mamalahoa Kona Heritage Corridor (Hawaii’s first scenic byway project).

Board member for Pulama Ia Kona Heritage Preservation Council Steering committee for Kona Coffee Living History Farm – D. Uchida Farm.