Expeditions:The US National Marine Sanctuary System Expedition Team

JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU, PRESIDENT, OCEAN FUTURES SOCIETY
Explorer, environmentalist, educator, film producer---for more than four decades Jean-Michel Cousteau has communicated to people of all nations and generations his love and concern for our water planet. The son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel founded Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work and to honor his heritage. Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned diplomat for the environment, reaching out to the public through a variety of media, producing over 75 films, receiving Emmy awards, the Peabody Award, the 7 d'Or, and the Cable Ace Award, and authoring hundreds of articles and several books. Jean-Michel travels the globe, meeting with leaders and policymakers at the grassroots level and at the highest echelons of government and business, educating young people, documenting stories of change and hope, and lending his reputation and support to energize alliances for positive change.

CÉLINE COUSTEAU, TEAM MEMBER
Whether Céline is free diving, horse riding, hiking through the Andes or swimming with sharks in the South Pacific, the daughter of ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau and granddaughter of legendary oceanaut Jacques-Yves Cousteau is an adventurer in her own right. With a master’s degree in international and intercultural management from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT., Céline served as regional coordinator for Africa and the Middle East for the Earth Council Alliance. She also led excursions as travel guide and regional director for Butterfield & Robinson, an exclusive adventure travel company based in Toronto. She first joined her father during the filming of The Gray Whale Obstacle Course and has been working on documentaries around the world ever since. She acted as associate producer, expedition diver and logistics coordinator for Return to the Amazon, during which she led a small team 4,900 metres up into the Andes and negotiated access to an indigenous conference never before filmed by a foreign crew. She lives in New York City.

FABIEN COUSTEAU, TEAM MEMBER
Third-generation ocean explorer, Fabien shares his father’s and grandfather’s love of ocean adventure and protection. Only four years old when he first scuba dived, Fabien has been exploring the aquatic depths and educating others about the global ocean ever since. His latest marine passion is the understanding and protection of sharks, producing a special, Mind of a Demon, which aired on CBS in June 2006. With a team of experts, Fabien built a four-metre, 545-kilogram shark-shaped submarine to enable him to swim among sharks without influencing their behaviour. Fabien played a key role in Return to the Amazon, interviewing experts, assisting in production, diving with the crew and leading a team to document the world’s most dangerous tidal bore. A graduate of Boston University in environmental economics, Fabien lives in New York City.

PAUL ATKINS, CAMERAMAN
Atkins brings unparalleled experience to Voyage to Kure and America’s Underwater Treasures. With his wife and fellow filmmaker Grace Atkins, he has won numerous Emmys, British Academy Awards and other honors for films such as Dolphins: The Wild Side and Great White Shark. His work is featured on National Geographic, BBC/Discovery Channel, IMAX Theaters, and all major television networks as well as in feature films. He shot the storm footage for Master and Commander, which won the 2004 Academy Award for Cinematography. Paul continues to explore ways to promote environmental causes, working recently on the BBC series Planet Earth, and with Cameron Diaz on her MTV series, Trippin.

RICK CHELEW, ADDITIONAL SOUND
With more than 20 years’ experience in the audio field, Rick is sought after for his creativity, critical ear and attention to detail. He has recorded sound on expeditions for National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel (TLC), the BBC and for many years was the guy hiding microphones in strange places for Candid Camera on CBS. Rick is also a professional bass player and singer whose band, the Cachagua Playboys, released their second CD, Surf Zydeco, in 2007. As a record producer, he has worked in the studio with T Bone Burnett, Richard Thompson, The Pentangle, Jennifer Warnes and Albert Lee.

ELLIOT COWAND, ADDITIONAL SOUND/ADDITIONAL CAMERA
Before graduation from the Louisiana State University, Cowand studied TV/Film and worked as a video camerman/editor at an advertising agency. After moving to Los Angeles he worked on such network telecasts as the Academy Awards, the Olympic games and NASA space shuttle landings. Cowand joined the Cousteau team for the Mississippi River expedition, working in research and logistics, and accompanying crews on expedition from Alaska to Costa Rica. Currently, Cowand divides his time between camera and sound for clients including American Idol, Oprah and National Geographic.

CHUCK DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Chuck Davis has worked as a director of photography and/or camera operator on several IMAX and IMAX-DOME feature documentaries including the Academy Award-nominated Alaska: Spirit of the Wild, and the Academy Award-nominated The Living Sea. Davis worked as an underwater camera operator on the Warner Brothers feature film, Sphere, and his production experience includes work on C.L.I.O. award-winning commercials and CINE Golden Eagle award-winning documentaries. Davis has worked on films with both Jacques and Jean-Michel Cousteau for more than twenty years. "I will miss many wonderful friends we made along the journey. As anyone who films in remote exotic locations knows, to be effective in these faraway places, you need the help of local folks who really know the waters—the lay of the land, so to speak—and who can speak the language and act as liaison to bridge the differences between cultures. We were very fortunate to have the help of many local folks—scientists, naturalists, conservationists, interpreters, boat operators, local business operators and government officials—who, in many cases, went the extra distance for us to make our film a reality."

LORI KALLESTAD DAVIS, ASSISTANT CAMERA OPERATOR
Kallestad Davis, a Minnesota native holds a BA in Visual Journalism from Brooks Institute of Photography. Her commitment to support the X-Team has landed her multiple roles. She worked on three episodes of the series as: A.C., additional camera operator and location sound engineer. In addition to working on The Ocean Adventures series for PBS, she has worked as a camera operator for A&E, Discovery Times, TBN, NRB and various independent film and video projects. Currently she is staff editor/videographer for Joni and Friends International Disability Center, a ministry that collects and restores used wheelchairs and distributes them, free of charge, to people in developing countries worldwide. In 2002 her love for the ocean, sailing and diving compelled her to move aboard her sailboat full time in Ventura, CA.

MATTHEW FERRARO, ASSISTANT CAMERA OPERATOR/CAMERA OPERATOR/MARINE OPERATIONS
Matt graduated from California State University Monterey Bay in 1999 with a degree in earth system sciences and policy. As an original expedition member for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s six-part Ocean Adventures PBS series, Matt’s duties have encompassed research, still photography, second unit camera operation, underwater lighting and marine operations. Currently he is staff cinematographer and in charge of diving operations for Ocean Futures Society.

ZIM JEROME GERVAIS II, MARINE OPERATIONS
Zim identifies strongly with his Native American heritage and says the spirit of adventure runs in his blood as a direct descendent of Chief Coboway of the Clatsop tribe in Oregon. As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, a graduate of Santa Barbara City College’s Marine Diving Technologies Program and a diving professional with more than 15 years of experience, Zim’s focus is on marine operations. He is a trained Inspiration-rebreather diver, a certified nitrox diver and blender, and a certified hazmat (hazardous materials) instructor. Zim holds a medical certification from the National Board of Diving and Hyperbaric Medical Technology and is a California emergency medical technician.

GARY HOLLAND, SOUND ENGINEER
Audio engineer for Jacques and Jean-Michel Cousteau since 1983, Gary has more than 30 years of professional sound and music recording expertise from television and feature film work under his belt. During his stint with Captain Cousteau, Gary developed a technique for capturing underwater hydrophone recordings in true stereo. Cornell University still uses his orca recordings from this time as the definitive hydrophone stereo recordings of this genre. Gary has worked on feature films, such as Ghost and Jerry Maguire, as well as television series, including The X Files and The West Wing. He also produced the CD Wavesliders, featuring world-renowned surfers, which includes the song “Cool Water,” the theme song for the non-profit environmental organization Surfrider Foundation. A native of New Orleans, Gary lives with his wife, Katie, and two of his three daughters in Southern California.

BROOK HOLSTON, PRODUCTION MANAGER/FIELD PRODUCER
Holston is a line producer and production manager with many years of experience on documentaries and film production of all kinds. She specializes in the details and logistics it takes to get big crews and tons of equipment to the right place at the right time. Holston has worked on science and nature shows for National Geographic Television and the BBC and television series such as the Shape of Life. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism and worked in television production in the Atlanta area for many years. She lives in Monterey, California, with her husband Phillip, who is a cameraman, and her two cats.

JACOB KILBRIDE, EXPEDITION TEAM MEMBER/MARINE OPERATIONS
Kilbride is the third generation of ocean adventurers and the third generation to work with the Cousteau family, this time as a key member of the Marine Operations crew for Ocean Adventures. Growing up in the British Virgin Islands, he spent four years in the U.S. Coast Guard as a boat coxswain and law enforcement officer with training in maritime rescues and search and recovery missions. Kilbride also attended the Santa Barbara City College Marine Technology Program where his training included decompression chamber operation, mixed gas diving, surface-supplied diving, and closed-circuit rebreather diving. He is also certified as an emergency medical technician.

JIM KNOWLTON, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER AND EDITOR
Editor and cameraman Jim Knowlton has helped create films for Ocean Futures Society since 1999. In addition to working as Post Production Supervisor on the Ocean Adventures series, his credits include editor and associate producer on "Sea Ghosts", cameraman and associate producer on "The Gray Whale Obstacle Course", co-editor and associate producer on "America’s Underwater Treasures", and associate producer on "Sharks at Risk". Knowlton previously worked on shark documentaries for the Discovery Channel, including "Sharks of the Deep Blue" (underwater cameraman and editor), "Sharks in a Desert Sea" and "Sharks of the Atlantic" (underwater cameraman).

YVES LEFEVRE, UNDERWATER CAMERAMAN
Lefevre has captured images for Jacques Cousteau, Peter Benchley and Jean-Michel Cousteau, and served as an expert in the dangerous world of sharks. Since first learning to dive at age 13, Yves has rarely been out of the water. In 1983, he set out for French Polynesia for the first time and returned in 1985 to found the Manta Ray Club, the first dive shop in the Tutamoto archipelago, a haven for more than a dozen species of sharks. Lefevre has been a trusted colleague of Jean-Michel and his OFS team as they have gone face-to-face with the ocean’s top predator.

HOLLY S. LOHUIS, EDUCATION/RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Holly is a marine biologist with a degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara and has been diving around the world with Jean-Michel Cousteau for over a decade. Holly is apart of the expedition team, serving as a key liaison between the expedition team and scientists and is responsible for confirming the factual accuracy of the content of Ocean Futures Society documentaries. Also a marine educator, Holly has educated thousands of children and adults about the wonders and fragility of the marine environment and the importance to protect them for future generations. Overlooking the Pacific, Holly and her 4 year old son, make their home in Summerland California.

BLAIR MOTT, CHIEF DIVER
As Ocean Futures Society’s chief diver, Blair’s expert skills have enabled him to lead and supervise diving teams in 45 countries in a vast array of conditions, in environments as remote and unforgiving as the polar regions and the Amazon. He is responsible for training the expedition team in advanced diving techniques, and helps to design, test and maintain a wide variety of critical marine operations equipment. A graduate of Santa Barbara City College’s world-renowned Marine Diving Technologies Program, Blair has logged thousands of hours underwater, including time spent working on the Keiko Project in Iceland. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife Aime.

RICHARD MURPHY, Ph.D, DIRECTOR OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION
A PhD in marine ecology from the University of Southern California, Murphy began working with Jacques and Jean-Michel Cousteau in 1968 and has been involved in projects and expeditions around the globe, including Papua New Guinea, the Fiji Islands, the Caribbean, Indonesia, the Mekong River, the Amazon, the Sea of Cortez, Australia and New Zealand. He has served as chief scientist, photographer, writer, educator and project director, and has created many educational programs for young people in developed and developing countries. His book Coral Reefs: Cities Under the Sea offers a unique and fascinating look at how coral reefs function and what lessons they can teach us in making our own communities more sustainable.

JULIE ROBINSON, STORY DEVELOPMENT/FIELD PRODUCER
Robinson is co-author of the limited edition book, America’s Underwater Treasures and was second unit field producer for the expedition of the same name and contributed the principal story development, research and scouting for the PBS television project. A marine ecologist, U.S.C.G. licensed Captain, a PADI Dive Instructor and a technical diver certified on the Drager rebreather, she specializes in marine production and has produced, or managed underwater units for projects around the world for National Geographic, PBS and the Discovery Channel. Her closest dive buddy is her husband, Gary Sullivan, a captain and former Navy SEAL.

ANTOINE ROSSET, CAMERAMAN
Born to a French family in Hong Kong and growing up on the pristine beaches of the Philippines, Rosset has a cameraman’s eye and a sense of adventure. A resident of Normandy, France, he also spends time in his darkroom, often in order to send images back to those people who are the subjects of his camera but never have the chance to see themselves. He believes in giving back and one way is to work on missions like Voyage to Kure for Ocean Futures Society. Working as an assistant cameraman, Rosset has worked on Cousteau documentaries around the world for the past 20 years.

DON SANTEE, DIRECTOR OF EXPEDITIONS
Santee has worked side by side with both Jean-Michel Cousteau and Jacques Cousteau for over three decades. Assuming diverse duties as expedition leader and production manager, he coordinates everything from diving expeditions to film logistics. An underwater photographer for books and magazines, he has also worked on over 26 television documentaries. In addition to acting as the team's medical officer, Santee is also responsible for training the Ocean Futures team on advanced technical dive procedures and working with state-of-the-art closed circuit rebreathers. Santee makes his home in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife Hilary and son Edward.

PAMELA STACEY, CO-PRODUCER/WRITER
Pamela Stacey is an Emmy-nominated writer for a variety of film projects, including work as producer and writer of a one-hour ABC network special on dolphins, writer and producer of films for Ocean Futures Society/PBS productions, Cousteau Society/Turner Broadcasting, and IMAX feature films. Pam served as chief editor for the Cousteau Society’s "Dolphin Log" magazine for children and is an author/editor of books about water, coral reefs and ocean protection. Ms. Stacey has written and co-written several episodes of the Ocean Adventures series including "The Gray Whale Obstacle Course", "Sharks at Risk", "America’s Underwater Treasures", and "Return to the Amazon". She resides in Southern California.

BOB TALBOT, CAMERMAN
Talbot’s whale and dolphin photographs have inspired wonder in people around the world. In addition, he is the recipient of The Environmental Hero Award presented by the United States Department of Commerce as well as the Ark Trust Genesis Award. Talbot is a board member of the American Oceans Campaign, Earth Communications Office, and Sea Shepard Conservation Society. Talbot’s photographs have been published in magazines such as Audubon, Time, Natural History, American Photographer, National Wildlife, Outdoor Photographer, BBC Wildlife and National Geographic. His film work includes wildlife sequences for the feature films Free Willy and Flipper. He directed and photographed the IMAX film Ocean Men. Talbot has worked with the Cousteau team for over 20 years.

BYRON THOMPSON, CO-PRODUCER/CREATIVE DIRECTOR/EDITOR
Creative Director and Editor for the Ocean Adventures series, Thompson is also a writer, producer, and director of feature films and television programs. His editing credits for Ocean Adventures include "Return to the Amazon", "Voyage to Kure" and "Sharks at Risk", as well as co-editing "The Gray Whale Obstacle Course" and "America's Underwater Treasures". His other projects have included the features "Warrior Angels", with Golden Globe winner Rutger Hauer (2002, director and screenplay), and "Stonebrook", with teen choice nominee Seth Green (1998, director and producer).

CARRIE VONDERHAAR, EXPEDITION PHOTOGRAPHER
As chief expedition photographer for Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures PBS series, Carrie was the first woman to dive Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary on a closed-circuit rebreather and to work with Jean-Michel as both a topside and underwater camera operator. She is also the only expedition member to travel the entire length of the Amazon from the Andes to the Atlantic for Return to the Amazon. Her degrees in French, political science and fine arts from Wittenberg University in Ohio and advanced studies at the Université Rennes 2 in France led to studies at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. Carrie was the photographer and photo editor for Jean-Michel’s award-winning, limited-edition book America’s Underwater Treasures, and her images have been published in DIVER, Worth, Sublime, Santa Barbara Magazine, Outside, Men’s Journal, Outdoor Enthusiast, Reader’s Digest, SAVEUR and Discover, as well as various international magazines.