As part of the 2019 Creative Lab Hawaii (CLH) Series of Programs, we will be offering a FREE Public CLH Indigenous Storytellers Panel and Discussion at Hawaii Pacific University. 

Please join our Hawaiian and Native American mentors who represent media makers from several genres who will share their stories, explore the new avenues of opportunity for indigenous creative content across multiple platforms; from streaming media and videogames to VR. Today, the avenues to reach a global audience are more within reach for local creatives. Hear from our panel how the possibilities for your own projects can find a pathway to share your own stories which need to be heard – now, more than ever. 

Panelists include:

Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Neets’aii Gwich’in) is an actor, writer, director, producer.

She is committed to social and environmental justice and sits on the board of Native Movement and NDN Collective and is the former ED of the Gwich’in Steering Committee. Princess received a B.A. in International Relations from The George Washington University and a Masters in Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage with a focus on Environmental and Science Education. She has served on the SAG-AFTRA Native American Committee since 2007 and in 2015 she was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Institute of American Indian Arts. She is the Creative Producer and a screenwriter for the new PBS Kids series “Molly of Denali”. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with her husband, James, and her three boys and two dogs.

Jason Suapaia (Native Hawaiian) is an executive, producer, consultant.

Born and raised on Oahu, and recently marking his 25th year in the Hawaii Media Industry, Jason is currently a business consultant for creative individuals, companies, departments, and organizations. His experience as a seasoned executive spans over 16 years which includes managing staff, creative professionals, and various media projects. 

He has personally produced projects for a wide range of clientele, both locally and nationally. A few off the list, Hawaii Visitors and Conventions Bureau, Hilton Hotels in Hawaii, Disney Yellow Shoes and Broadcast Services, National Geographic, ABC Entertainment, HBO Productions and Revolutions Studios.  

He currently serves as Board President for the Film and Video Association of Hawai’i, Co-Founded `Ohina The Short Film Showcase in 1999.

Micah Ian War Dog Wright (Muscogee (Creek) Nation) is a writer, director, producer, videogame designer, virtual reality pioneer, educator, and television executive who served as the CEO & Chief Creative Officer for FNX: First Nations Experience, the country’s only Native American & World Indigenous broadcast network, where he produced 205 episodes of 12 series that he created.

Before working at FNX, Micah wrote and directed the comedic thriller “They’re Watching,” which was released in theaters and is available on iTunes worldwide. 

Micah started his career at Nickelodeon television animation, where he was the creator & showrunner of Nicktoons’ first action-adventure series “Constant Payne.” After leaving animation, Micah moved into videogames where he wrote, produced, or designed on over 50 videogames including hit entries in the “Call of Duty,” “Transformers,”  “Ratchet & Clank,” “Destroy All Humans”  and “Looney Tunes” franchises.

Micah’s dual skillset in games & writing led to him being hired by Samsung & HTC to help guide the creation of the Virtual Reality experience “TheBlu.” He won two VR awards for “TheBlu,” and in Spring 2016, Micah created the world’s first live-action Virtual Reality filmmaking course at Emerson College, which he taught for 2 years. 

Micah has written six graphic novels and four published books of ironic political propaganda. 

Micah is a member of the Writers Guild of America, where he serves as the chair of the Videogame Writers Caucus and, as a tribally enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, founded the Native American & World Indigenous Writers Committee.

Parking available on-premises.

Questions? Write to creativelab808@gmail.com

Sponsored by Hawai’i Pacific University.