Planetary Collective is a creative organization dedicated to worldview interruption. Through film, installation art, photography and technology we strive to tell the story of our interdependence. We believe passionately in the power of creative works to change perspectives, lives, and ultimately the planet. The collective was founded by Guy Reid, Steve Watts Kennedy and Christoph Ferstad in 2010.
Guy Reid
Executive Director
Guy is an award-winning director, speaker and photographer, specialising in eastern philosophy, ecology and sustainable development. He has a masters degree in leadership in sustainable development from London's Forum for the Future, and also studied at SOAS in London with a focus on Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and the relationship between worldview and ecology.
Steve Watts Kennedy
Creative Director
Steve is a multi-skilled creative with wide ranging credits including writer, editor, producer, designer and photographer. His work spans fiction and documentary, and his interests lie in Buddhism, science, nature, and the meeting point between them all. Steve was assistant director on the award winning film Nobody's Perfect.
Christoph Ferstad
Projects Director
Christoph is a cinematographer and producer who previously worked under producer Gary Kurtz (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Crystal) as associate producer on two sci-fi / fantasy projects. Christoph has a background in photography, specialising in storytelling and portraiture.
Paul Hawken
Senior Advisor
Paul is an author and activist, and one of the first true environmental entrepreneurs, having founded several corporations dedicated to a sustainable future. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in both the NGO and private sector from a lifetime of exploration, experimentation and implementation of groundbreaking alternative approaches to entrepreneurship and sustainability.
Stephen Apkon
Senior Advisor
Stephen is a filmmaker, producer, entrepreneur and founder of the Jacob Burns Film Center and the film production and distribution company Reconsider. Under Stephen's directorship, Jacob Burns became the most visited independent cinema on the east coast. Stephen's mission is to bring exciting, innovative and impactful stories to the big screen to foster social change.
Lawrence Ellis
Senior Advisor
Lawrence is a complex-systems theorist and consultant, a transformational teacher, and a proponent of full-spectrum sustainability.TM His work bridges ancient wisdom traditions and modern complexity science, and is informed by his own reclamation of his indigenous heritage. For years he was a director with one of the world’s oldest change-leadership consulting firms. The filmmakers credit him with helping to transform their worldviews, resulting in a new trajectory for the film, which they assert made it “truly planetary.”
Jeff Gitterman
Associate Producer
Jeff is an award winning financial advisor and the founder and CEO of Gitterman Wealth Management. He is also the co-founder of Beyond Success, a coaching and consulting company that brings more holistic ideas to the world of business and finance. Jeff has been featured in numerous TV, print, and radio programs, and was honored by Fortune Small Business Magazine as “One of Our Nation’s Best Bosses.”
Andrew Appel
Associate Producer
Andrew is the co-founder and Creative Director for Beyond Success Consulting. Previously he spent nearly a decade in the entertainment industry, both as an actor and in production and development for a variety of film and television companies in California and New York. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and has also spent time at Oxford University and USC Graduate Film School.
Keaton Cristobal
Associate Producer
Keaton is a cofounder of Reconsider, an organization dedicated to cultivating awareness, stirring responsibility, and inspiring collaboration in an effort to make our world more dynamic, connected, and inspiring.
Pati Sands
Associate Producer
Pati Sands is an Associate Producer on Planetary. She has worked extensively in the theatre and film world and is the founder of Gotham Reflections, a photography project documenting the canopy of New York City, where she resides.
David Loy
Senior Advisor
David is a professor, writer and Zen teacher whose prolific work makes him an important bastion in the Buddhist intellectual discourse. David’s work, bridging the philosophical gap between eastern and western thought, has been a large influence on PLANETARY. As an advisor to the team David shares his keen expertise on Buddhist philosophy and its unique perspective on modern life.
Blaire Embrey
Production Manager
Blaire is a production manager, research and location scout, producer, camera assistant, and manager of day-to-day filming logistics. Leveraging her experience and education she is building a growing on-the-ground presence for Planetary Collective. Blaire is particularly devoted to bringing PLANETARY’s vision to schools and prison reform programs.
Abby Allen
Branding
Abby is an advertising specialist with over ten years of experience with leading international brands. She left the corporate world to focus on brands that emphasise social good and the values needed to transform our civilisation into a sustainable one. Abby is the founder of Neon Butterfly, a branding and communications shop in NYC.
Will Barnes
Associate
Will works with transformative philosophy from ancient through to contemporary cross-cultural settings. He has taught/researched at five top universities across three continents. His publications and research draw on Asian, American, and European religion, philosophy, art, and literature. He currently teaches at the University of New Mexico.
Lindsea Wilbur
Associate
Lindsea is a futurist who empowers individuals, organizations, and governments to co-create their preferred futures. Professionally curious about governance, emerging technology, and the human experience, she's a research affiliate with the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies and the Institute for the Future.
