PRODUCTIONS
CAST
DR. WILLIAM HAINES
ENTOMOLOGIST, INTERVIEWEE
"Dr. William P. Haines was born and raised on Maui, and is broadly interested in the ecology, evolution, and conservation of island insects. In addition to managing the Pulelehua Project, he studies outbreaks of the koa looper moth, Scotoryrthra paludicola. Will received his B.S. in Biology from Cornell University, and Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is currently a Researcher in the Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences at UH Mānoa."
During the filming of this documentary, Will was focused on the conservation and restoration of the Kamehameha butterfly (the state butterfly of Hawaii). He worked many hours to raise these butterflies and then release them into the areas of the island where they used to exist but were drastically depleting. Although currently he is focused on the damselfly which is another endemic species to Hawaii that is depleting in numbers, he uses the Pulelehua Project to spread awareness of the issues facing the Kamehameha butterfly.
CHRISTINE ELLIOTT
GRADUATE STUDENT/ RESEARCHER, INTERVIEWEE
Christine is a graduate student who is working on her masters at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, is part of the Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences and is fortunate enough to be a member of the Rubinoff Insect Systematics and Biodiversity Lab.
Currently, she is studying the Blackburn's Sphinx Moth, which is a federally listed endangered species. She is working on the moth's population biology, due to a generous grant from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Coastal Programs.
REBECCA "BECKY" CHOQUETTE
ZOOKEEPER, INTERVIEWEE
Becky is a zookeeper at the Honolulu Zoo, who works in the new Ectotherm Complex section of the zoo. She works with invertebrates (from reptiles to insects) and is currently working on a new project the zoo recently took part in to adopt William Haines' method of raising and releasing Kamehameha butterflies back into the environment.
DARLENE LOO-MCDOWELL
OWNER OF "SHARING THE BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCE", INTERVIEWEE
"It is all about Sharing the Butterfly Experience, which is what I enjoy doing!
It started with a curiosity. I wondered if I could get butterflies to come to my garden if I had a milkweed plant. I purchased one and put it in the garden. The next time I checked there were tiny caterpillars happily eating. Fast forward: I figured out how to get the caterpillars safely to the chrysalis stage. Approximately 10 days later my beautiful Monarch butterflies were born.
I shared my amazing experience with lots of family and friends and was encouraged to start a business to help others have the same experience."
Darlene started a business called "Sharing the Butterfly Experience" where she raises Monarch butterflies, offers services for special events where she will share and/or release her butterflies, attends educational events where she will share her knowledge of butterflies with the public, and even sells butterfly kits.
CREW
JENNA CABALLERO
WRITER, PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, VIDEOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER, ANIMATOR, INTERVIEWER, NARRATOR, AND EDITOR.
Jenna graduated from Hawaii Pacific University in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in Integrated Multimedia. This documentary was her senior capstone project. She was first interested in butterflies when her mother started raising them for a project for work (she worked in an elementary school and wanted to teach the kids about the lifecycle of a butterfly). Fast forward a couple of years when she discovered the documentary Disney Nature: Wings of Life, which showed the beauty of monarch butterflies and brought up the issue of dying pollinator populations, and her admiration and passion for these creatures took off from there. She began informing people about the issue of declining populations for fear of experiencing a future where the only place you would be able to see a butterfly was in a museum.
As a multimedia specialist she has skills in photography, web design, animation, video production and editing, with a focus in graphic design. Although she is currently a store consultant at FedEx Office, she is working on gaining experience to pursue a career in graphic design
WILLIAM BRADDOCK
DIRECTOR, VIDEOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER, AND INTERVIEWER.
Will, a disabled Navy veteran, is currently finishing up his degree in Integrated Multimedia at Hawaii Pacific University. Throughout his career he has had many years of experience with photography while in the military. On July 13, 2015, one of his photographs was presented within The Ultra Color Collection and was honored with The Exposure Award at a private reception at the Louvre Museum in Paris. He is a fashion designer for his own company called Pila Fashion Design and is married to Ping Wang.
His ideal job would be an artist, photographer, clothing designer and coach/trainer. When he is not studying with school he is designing fabrics.
His life quote is: “Be Creative Everyday, Make Art, It improves your Mood. It's also great with coffee."
DANIEL NILO
VIDEOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER, ASSISTANT, GRIP AND ANIMATION SUPERVISOR.
"Daniel is a recent integrated multimedia graduate (with a concentration in computer science) at Hawaii Pacific University. As an integrated multimedia major, he really enjoys web designing as it reflects the two things that he loves ever since he was a child: computers and art. Since he plan to become a web designer or any occupation within the technology field, he is looking forward to following his own path elsewhere in order to showcase his skills."
