ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Daniel Foster owns EyeAwake Studio in Los Angeles , where he works as a director, editor and writer. His award-winning work is known for rich, global explorations, and capturing the essence of culture. In association with Novica and the National Geographic Society, he has directed and produced projects showcasing artisan rituals and ceremonies in Thailand, Cambodia, West Africa and Indonesia. Foster recently served as director and photographer for the television pilot, "Keepers of the Arts," which features work of artisans in South East Asia and Africa. He also wrote and directed the Thai-based travel show pilot "Nautical Angels" produced by Bigfoot Entertainment. His first short film, AIRBORN, recently captured a Best Experimental Film award after a 2005 world tour showing by the International Festival of Cinema and Technology.

His studio has received critical acclaim for its groundbreaking theatrical projection design shown in major U.S. theaters. Foster's feature essays and articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Harvard Business Review, Details, Smithsonian's Air & Space, The Advocate and Esquire, among numerous other national publications. He also has broadcast his feature essays on National Public Radio's All Things Considered program, as well as Marketplace Radio.

Leica Cruz was graduated from St. Theresa's College, in Cebu , Philippines with a degree in Mass Communications. Before entering the television and film industry, she worked extensively in the theater, directing and producing several plays. Cruz carved out a niche in broadcast and has produced travel programming, a commercial, a music video, and various audio visual presentations. Cruz is currently head of production at Bigfoot Entertainment.  

As a noted underwater photographer and music video director, Gleissner began his professional career in the technology industry. After service as Vice President at Amazon.com (which acquired one of his companies in 1998), Gleissner started a New York-based hedge fund, generating exceptional returns by short-selling overpriced, internet companies. After the dot-com bubble, he made headlines as he took major stakes in devalued but viable dot-com assets when the market bottomed and exited these investments with exceptional returns.

In 2000, Gleissner turned his attention to email pioneer Bigfoot.com, acquiring and utilizing the brand for what turned into a Hong Kong and Singapore-based conglomerate, with businesses in communications, business process outsourcing, education and real estate. An entertainment division, Bigfoot Entertainment, was then added with investments exceeding $20 million. The Bigfoot Group of Companies also includes ventures such as a state-of-the-art production facility in Cebu, Philippines; a film school, the International Academy of Film and Television; and Bigfoot Partners, a film fund that has financed and produced diverse films such as 3 Needles (Lucy Liu, Chloe Sevigny and Stockard Channing), East Broadway (Margaret Cho), Shanghai Kiss (Kelly Hu) and The Curiosity of Chance (Tad Hilgenbrinck). Among the projects in development for Bigfoot Entertainment are the adventure travel television series, "Nautical Angels" and feature films See Dick Run and Cockfight, shooting later this year. Michael Gleissner will make his directorial debut with Irreversi, a thriller set in Hong Kong . Gleissner also serves as co-writer on the project. Bigfoot also acquired the master franchise of Fashion TV in Singapore and the Philippines .

Kacy Andrews has been actively involved in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. Her diverse resume includes feature films, television series, theater, and animation. She has worked throughout the world, and was recently profiled in PEOPLE ASIA Magazine's 2006 People of the Year issue.

Kacy spent nine years in production and project development at Los Angeles-based Hyperion Studio. This includes work as one of the Producers on Miramax's Playing By Heart (Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands and Angelina Jolie). Kacy's portfolio at Hyperion also includes the feature film Tom's Midnight Garden (Joan Plowright); BoneChillers, a children's television series for ABC (Linda Cardellini); and numerous animated projects such as FOX's Life With Louie (Louie Anderson); HBO's Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (Denzel Washington and Whoopi Goldberg); and Paramount Pictures' The Oz Kids (Jonathan Taylor Thomas).

Moving from Hyperion, Kacy had a short stint as Vice President of Development at Blue Focus Management where she worked on projects for MGM, Disney and Sony. She then dabbled in the dotcom and software arena at Creative Planet and Entertainment Partners.

In 2003, her consulting work at Bigfoot Productions led to the creation of Bigfoot Entertainment and the International Academy of Film and Television. As the CEO and founder, she has overseen the set up and development of the company, production facilities and campus located in Cebu, Philippines. The company has since grown to more than 250 employees both foreign and local.

Over the past few years, Bigfoot Entertainment has invested in several feature films, including Shanghai Kiss (Hayden Panettiere), East Broadway (Margaret Cho) and 3 Needles (Lucy Liu, Olympia Dukakis and Sandra Oh).

During her tenure at Bigfoot, she has served as a Producer of such feature films as; The Curiosity of Chance, Irreversi (Estella Warren), Hui Lui, Within, and Midnight Movie, as well as the documentary, USS Cooper and reality series Hollywood Boot Camp. These projects have been shot in such international locations as Belgium, Hong Kong, Thailand, Los Angeles and The Philippines. Many have played the film festival circuit and received numerous accolades before going into the marketplace.

Kacy is a recipient of the David Letterman Internship and a Cum Laude graduate of Ball State University with continuing studies at the American Film Institute. In 2000, she was awarded Ball State University's Graduate of the Last Decade and more recently was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award. Since her move to Los Angeles, where she's based, she has been actively involved with organizations such as Women in Film, Step-Up, and Big Sisters/Big Brothers of Los Angeles. She currently sits on the Board of Governors at the Bigfoot Foundation - a charitable organization.

Matt Lubetich's diverse professional experience ranges from corporate to creative. Lubetich was a partner at Big Twenty Inc., specializing in multimedia productions for Microsoft and Paul Allen as well as 'edutainment' for kids and music videos. Following that, he moved onto the role of Corporate Producer at Microsoft Studios before entering independent consultancy. Lubetich has created a wide ranging portfolio of marketing/training programs for Fortune 500 clients, including Conoco-Phillips, Georgia-Pacific, and Target Stores. He has also received numerous accolades, with Multiple Telly, MCA-i and Omni under his belt. Joining Bigfoot Entertainment in 2003, Lubetich has worked in both production and development and now holds the position of Chief Operating Officer.

Lubetich has produced two feature films -- Redemption (1997), which earned a honorable mention at the 1999 Methodfest Film Festival in Los Angeles -- and dot-CON, an award-winning High Definition Drama/Satire. He has also produced the TV pilot "Nautical Angels" and directed and produced a TV pilot for diving enthusiasts titled "Diving Asia."

Eugene Florendo started working for DSL Trading, an audio-visual firm in Manila when he was 20 years old. He began his career as a lighting assistant but soon redirected his interest to the camera. His ambition and passion for camera work led him to additional schooling to learn underwater cinematography. He was then hired to film a "behind the scenes" production of an underwater model shoot. Florendo has shot BTS, AVP's, and various travel programs, as well as a TV pilot called "Dive Asia." By the end of 2006, his credits will include four films.

A native to Cebu, Philippines, Kristoffer Villarino began his career by directing shorts, music videos, and commercials. Binaliw, a short directed by Villarino, won second prize - narrative category - at the 15th Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines for Alternative Film and Video. It also placed as finalist at the .MOV International Digital Film Festival. Villarino expanded his talents by learning the art of editing. In 2004, he directed and edited the "Shake" which was voted as MTV Philippines' "8th Sexiest Music Video." Villarino has also worked at various talent and advertising agencies as editor, art director, and graphic designer.

After moving to Sweden at the age of three, the Romanian born Mark Ambervill quickly learned piano at age 18. While studying at Stockholm Music Conservatory, Ambervill received an opportunity to score his first feature film, Sixth of June. To date, he has scored two feature length films, five shorts, and multiple commercials for Absolut, Ericsson, GE healthcare, and SKANSKA. Ambervill continues to expand his musical talent by composing for various genres, such as electronica, contemporary jazz, and orchestral.  

As an independent filmmaker as well as an underwater cameraman, Jacques Tarnero has captured various marine life behavior while creating short documentaries. Tarnero's production company, Artifishal Productions, has documented underwater life for the past eight years for such shows as Discover the Blue-Tropical Marine Life and Discover the Blue-Dangerous Marine Life. Other projects include a television pilot "Diving Asia" and an underwater calendar for Fashion TV.

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