Neil Schwartz, Director 
Having directed both narrative and documentary shorts, Neil is excited to be directing his first feature documentary. Neil strives to produce balanced work revealing the shared humanity hiding in unique situations. His last documentary short The Boxing Barber, a vignette-style profile of San Francisco boxing trainer/hairdresser Michael Onello, was featured in the Shadow Box Film Festival in NYC, and his previous work has been featured on PBS and CNBC. Neil has also produced and directed commercial/industrial work both for organizations across Northern California and nationally.
Before turning his full attention to film, Neil was the founder and executive editor of Pology Magazine, an online magazine focusing on peoples’ experiences traveling (and living) in other cultures. An avid amateur astronomer, Neil can be found on rare, clear San Francisco nights hunting Deep Space Objects in his back yard into the odd hours of the morning. Neil graduated in 2001 from Hamilton College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Art.
Joe Mascaro, Ph. D. Writer/Researcher
Joe is a prolific science writer who covers the Anthropocene—the age of man—and human spaceflight and space policy, with regular contributions to The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Now Space and The Space Review. Joe is currently the Director of Academic Programs at Planet, a San Francisco-based aerospace start-up that operates the world’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. Joe was formerly Science and Technology Fellow at the American Association Advancement of Science in Washington DC, where he advocated for space policy and climate science. He also chaired the AAAS speaker series for Space Science and Policy.
From 2010 to 2013, Joe conducted postdoctoral work with the Carnegie Airborne Observatory at the Carnegie Institution for Science; he developed and utilized airborne and spaceborne remote sensing methods to improve our understanding of tropical forest carbon stocks and the carbon emissions that cause climate change. His dissertation work at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee focused on the biogeochemistry of novel forest ecosystems that have proliferated during the Anthropocene.
Wesley Chiu, Producer
Born and raised in San Jose, Wes moved to San Francisco in 2009 to attend San Francisco State University’s Cinema program. After graduating in 2011, he has worked on various commercial, television and independent film sets in the Bay Area, as well at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Wes resides in San Francisco, and is currently working on his first feature screenplay.
Mitchell Covington, Composer
Mitchell Covington is an Emmy award-winning composer, arranger, music director and conductor, working in the San Francisco Bay Area. His music includes works for orchestra, chorus, stage, film, television and video games. Mr. Covington received a bachelor’s degree in Composition from California State University in San Francisco and a Master’s degree in Conducting from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, graduating with honors.
In addition to his classical training, Mr. Covington has experience playing in various rock bands and a deep understanding of the most current music technology. He has scored dozens of film and television projects, including an Emmy award-winning documentary series for PBS. Mitchell lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Laurel, and dog, Chester.