How We’re Taking a Stand for Wildlife Conservation
MISSION
Reel Earth Films promotes wildlife conservation by creating films that nurture the human connection to nature, spread awareness about life-threatening challenges facing species worldwide, and advance environmental activism and research.
VISION
We aim to be a world leader in wildlife filmmaking that provides a more sustainable future for planet Earth.
VALUES
We tell authentic stories about nature and the real impact humans make on the environment.
We generate tangible support for wildlife conservation.
We strive for excellence in our ethics and in the quality of our films.
We support the well-being of all life on earth.
We empower individuals, organizations, and communities to take a stand for nature.
MEET THE TEAM
We are a fun and creative group of filmmakers, conservationists, and biologists passionate about the natural world and using our skills and talents towards making this world a better place for wildlife and nature through our compelling films.
Alan Lacy
Founder & Chief Filmmaker
Growing up, Alan’s family gave him the nickname, “Nature Boy”. He struggled with feeling like an underdog in his community and felt more at home in nature than he did with most people. At age 10, Alan’s endless curiosity for the wild turned into his lifelong purpose, when he locked eyes with a coyote and felt like he was connecting with the soul of a wolf and with the heart of Mother Nature. Twenty years later, this encounter led him to blaze a trail in wildlife filmmaking with absolutely no experience. His passion is shedding light and love on species that are underdogs in their own right, to inspire an appreciation and understanding for animals beyond mainstream favorites like lions, tigers, and bears (oh, my!). Don’t worry, he doesn’t play favorites and strives for ALL wildlife to thrive.
His first film, “Gray Area: Wolves of the Southwest” is an award-winning documentary that has screened internationally. Alan’s work has aired on National Geographic, Disney+, and PBS Nature, with more upcoming work soon to air on the BBC. When Alan isn’t being a champion for the wild, you can find him creating original music, enjoying a contemplative morning on the front porch, or dreaming about piloting his next solo plane trip. A question he lives by comes from Reel Earth Films Board Member, David Johnson: “what can I do today that will make a difference 100 years from now?”
MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bert Castro
Board President
Bert has leveraged his lifelong love for animals into a decades-long career in wildlife conservation, including the role of President/CEO at one of the largest non-profit zoos in the United States, the Phoenix Zoo. He is a proud member of the Association for Zoos and Aquariums where he supports AZA’s signature field conservation program, Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE). Prior to the Phoenix Zoo, Bert served as Executive Director and CEO of the Oklahoma City Zoological park and Botanical Garden. He has also been a leader at multiple zoos across the country. Bert is inspired to get massive audiences behind Reel Earth Films so we can protect the wild from extinction.
Outside of his leadership in wildlife conservation, Bert enjoys spending time with family and friends, as well as hiking, motorcycle riding and birdwatching. He does his best to follow the golden rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Jake Willers
Vice President
Having grown up in a wildlife park which he managed for many years, Jake’s true calling has always been in wildlife conservation. Jake is a TV presenter, Award Winning Filmmaker and Host of the Master Wildlife Filmmaking Podcast. He has traveled to 38 countries and filmed in some of the most inhospitable places on earth. At the age of 22, he had a life-changing experience while swimming with a whale shark on the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, which made it crystal-clear that wildlife was a part of his destiny that he needed to pursue.
His role on the board of Reel Earth Films is to offer his expertise and help guide us towards our mission. When he’s not saving the wild, Jake enjoys “film, film and film…and spending time with my family!” His motto is, “luck is when preparation meets opportunity” – Seneca
Jo Ellen Doornbos
Treasurer
For more than 30 years, JoEllen has been a tireless advocate for wildlife. Her life changed when she learned about the Arizona species conservation projects the Phoenix Zoo was doing, which started a loyal relationship with the organization from 1986 to today. Within the Phoenix Zoo, JoEllen has served as a member of the Auxiliary, the Zoo’s oldest volunteer fundraising organization, as well as on the Board of Directors and within signature fundraising events, including Rendez-Zoo and Zoofari. She created the JoEllen Doornbos SAFE granting endowment as part of the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) SAFE program. She was also instrumental in making Reel Earth Films a certified non-profit.
In her downtime, JoEllen enjoys reading and traveling, and lives by the motto, “if you can be anything, be kind.”
Stella Miller
Secretary
For Stella Miller, a beginner’s birdwatching class turned her from a self-proclaimed “armchair activist” to someone committed to “boots on the ground conservation efforts”. Her interest in birds led her to volunteer for the Huntington Audubon (now called the Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon. Stella joined the organization’s governing board in 2006, and just a year later, she stepped into the role of president. During her tenure at Audubon, she won multiple awards, including the Norman Stotz Award for Outstanding Chapter Leadership and Top Advocates for Historic Preservation and Education.
Since leaving Audubon, she continues to advocate for wildlife through her public programs, as a coordinator for the speaker series at Wild Birds Unlimited at Syosset, and as someone deeply committed to spreading the message that nature is worth saving, through her role at Reel Earth Films. Stella enjoys birding, hiking, and learning about wildlife in her downtime, and one of her many favorite quotes is from Thomas Lovejoy: “It is up to science to spread the understanding that the choice is not between wild places or people, it is between a rich or an impoverished existence for Man.”HONORARY BOARD - SENIOR ECOLOGISTS
Chris Morgan
Chris has hosted and narrated countless television shows for PBS, National Geographic Television, BBC, Discovery Channel and has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. Having narrated numerous films since 2011, Chris has become a household name on the television series, PBS Nature. The series focuses on topics ranging from lions to pelicans and the Australian outback. He is on a mission to inspire humans everywhere to invest their time and energy into wildlife, so that we can all be a part of a fresh new future for people and the planet. Chris is currently focused on “THE WILD with Chris Morgan”, a podcast that connects people with nature through exquisite storytelling.
In Chris’ words, “so many people are doing good things. You may not have heard of them, but find them, support them if you can, and help spread the word…. It really does catch on, because humans love a good story, and most people I meet want to be a part of the happy ending that is within reach.”
David H. Johnson
DJ’s passion for wildlife conservation centers on his lifelong devotion to owls. In his words, “ I have studied owls now for 46 years. It was clear from the start: I didn’t pick owls; they picked me. I will work for owl conservation until my last breath.” At Reel Earth Films, DJ focuses on the scientific and research perspectives of wildlife, along with some innovations in equipment and filming methods. He is particularly mindful of the disturbance filming has on wildlife, and thinks of the animals first. He truly wants the wildlife to thrive, and to show animals doing what they do best.
Outside of wildlife conservation, DJ builds cedar-strip canoes and sea kayaks, and does other fine woodworking. He also loves to invent things. Words he lives by are “anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”