Chase Jarvis, award-winning photographer, director, artist and entrepreneur defines what it means to follow your inner voice. While attending San Diego State University on a football scholarship, Jarvis originally set out to pursue medical school. It wasn’t until he inherited his grandfather’s photography equipment that he realized what his true calling was. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and enrolling in the MA/PhD program in Philosophy at the University of Washington, Jarvis founded his first photography venture, Chase Jarvis Inc. His brand has attracted the likes of major corporations such as Nike, Apple, Microsoft, Google, REI, Red Bull, among many others.

Jarvis is the founder and CEO of CreativeLive, an online education platform that helps creatives and entrepreneurs refine their skills and employs some of the world’s most renowned and distinguished artists and entrepreneurs as the platform’s educators. Jarvis also founded the photo-sharing application, Best Camera, which went on to win the 2009 Application of the Year. Jarvis has published several books, including The Best Camera Is The One That's With You, a collection of photographs strictly taken on just an iPhone. The groundbreaking and distinctive book received the Adorama Photography Award at the APPOS Awards.

Recognized by Huffington Post as one of the most influential photographers, Jarvis has achieved many honors from organizations such as the Prix de la Photographie de Paris, The Addy’s, The International Photography Awards and The Advertising Photographers of America. Additionally, his documentary, Portrait of a City, was also nominated for an Emmy.

Jody MacDonald has been named “One of the 25 Most Adventurous Women in the Past 25 Years” by Men’s Journal and “One of Nine Female Adventure Photographers Who Push the Limits” by National Geographic. She also won The World Open of Photography in 2012. She has traveled to over 90 countries, and has sailed around the world two times.

Owner of Jody MacDonald Photography, train-hopping through the Sahara or paragliding in the Himalayas is a typical day at work for MacDonald. Some of her clients include BBC, National Geographic, Patagonia, Disney, Forbes Magazine, Outside Magazine and British Airways. MacDonald is also the co-founder, creative director and full-time photographer for Offshore Odysseys, an adventure company that travels across the vast expanse of the world through remote sailing, paragliding, surfing and kiteboarding charters.

MacDonald’s TEDx presentation, “What Is Your Why?” beautifully illustrates the life that she chooses to pursue. She conveys the powerful message that adversity is where the magic happens, and comfort zones are what you want to avoid. Her breathtaking images of wildlife, outdoor athletes and nomadic subjects have been featured across National Geographic, Red Bull, Islands and Men’s Journal just to name a few.

MacDonald’s expeditions around the world are all rooted in her desire to document, preserve and protect the shrinking remains of the world’s endangered species and remote places.

Chris Rainier has dedicated his career to sparking positive social change through his creative work. As a documentary photographer and filmmaker, Rainier is devoted to improving the lives of people in developing countries by connecting them with modern technology. In turn, indigenous communities are empowered to share their stories and way of life with other cultures across the globe.

As a National Geographic Society Fellow, Rainier currently directs The All Roads Photography Program, an effort that funds indigenous photographers and provides the resources they need to succeed in their careers. He also played an important role in starting the Enduring Voices Project, a program whose goal is to put technology in the hands of indigenous cultures so that they are motivated to preserve their languages and traditions. His work on both programs has influenced 30 countries and counting. Rainier’s remarkable experience has paved the way for additional work as a photography teacher while on adventurous expeditions for National Geographic.

Rainier currently directs The Cultural Sanctuaries Foundation, an organization whose goal is to protect traditional communities around the world and maintain the fleeting biodiversity on our Earth. He has been honored with the Lowell Thomas Award from The Explorers Club for cultural preservation and has been featured in Life, The New York Times, Smithsonian, Time, National Geographic Society, among many other publications. His work has always been committed to Humanitarian and Conflict issues, leading him to developing countries across the globe. He has even worked on tragedy sites such as the Tsunami in Banda Acha in 2004 and 9/11 in New York City. As a steward of compassion, social change and environmental preservation, we are delighted to have Chris Rainier on the panel for the photography category.

Canadian-born photographer, designer, and creative director, Rhonda Rubinstein is driven to make the world a better place. She combines her passions for nature, science, storytelling and design to produce groundbreaking, compelling work across many different applications.

Starting out with a Bachelor of Design in Communication Design from NSCAD University, Rubinstein went to New York City where she worked as an art director for Esquire and a creative director for Mother Jones. She later went on to become an award-winning magazine art director.

As the Creative Director of the California Academy of Sciences, Rubinstein currently manages a design team to ensure every creative touchpoint of the museum is engaging and informative. She is the Cofounder of BigPicture Natural World Photography, an international photography competition for emerging and established nature, wildlife and conservation photographers. The competition aims to educate and inspire others to protect the planet through captivating imagery.

Rubinstein is also the co-founder of San Francisco-based design consultancy, ExBrook, whose focus is on helping progressive social impact organizations use design effectively, strategically and meaningfully. She also has taught at New York University School of Journalism and Parsons School of Design.

Rubinstein was most recently published in WONDERS: Spectacular Moments in Nature Photography, a stunning collection of photographs showcasing the immense diversity and beauty of nature.

Hailing from the remote mountain town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is the world-famous professional snowboarder, Travis Rice. Immersed in the breathtaking expanse of a panoramic mountain range, Rice has a relationship with nature most people dream of. Landing a backside rodeo off a 110-foot gap jump at the Superpark competition for Snowboarder Magazine put Rice in the spotlight when he was eighteen years old. He was immediately picked up from film producer, Justin Hostynek, and starred in his first snowboard film, Transcendence.

Rice has now been featured in over twenty snowboarding films, including That’s It, That’s All and The Art of Flight. Rice is sponsored by Quiksilver, LIB Tech, DC, Red Bull, Union Bindings, Bluebird Wax, Contour, Jack’s Garage & Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The big mountain, freestyle legend sits at #13 on Snowboarder Magazine’s list of the 20 most influential snowboarders of the last 20 years and owns several Burton US Open, X-Games and Icer Air gold medals. He also secured the title of the best contemporary snowboarder in the world by Red Bull in 2013.

Travis Rice’s love for the art of snowboarding has led to a successful career in production and cinema. Working alongside his friend, Jimmy Chin, the two produced 2016 action documentary, The Fourth Phase. He co-founded Brain Farm Digital Cinema with Curt Morgan and co-produced Supernatural with Red Bull, a backcountry freestyle competition. His next highly anticipated film in association with Teton Gravity Research, Roadless, will be released in the fall of 2019. Rice’s intrinsic understanding of action sports has shaped his unique approach to filmmaking.

Mimi Chakarova is an artist that has used her work to ignite change in global issues surrounding conflict, corruption and sex trade. Originally from Bulgaria, Chakarova traveled to the United States at just thirteen years old, later obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and a Masters of Arts in visual studies from UC Berkeley. Her defining moment that would shape the trajectory of her career was realized while traveling back home to Bulgaria to visit old friends. Upon arrival, she was met with similar accounts of women who seemingly disappeared. With an aching desire to investigate the mysteries, Chakarova uncovered the startling truth around the prevalence of sex trafficking in our society.

Her feature-length documentary about the sex trade, The Price of Sex, went on to win the esteemed Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking at the 2011 Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York. She also received the 2011 Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting and the People's Voice Webby, quoted by The New York Times as “The internet’s highest honor.” Other works include Men: A Love Story and Still I Rise.

Beyond her work in filmmaking, Chakarova is also an accomplished photographer, awarded with the 2003 Dorothea Lange Fellowship for outstanding work in documentary photography and the 2005 Magnum Photos Inge Morath Award for her work with sex trafficking. She taught visual storytelling for 14 years at Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and also taught at Stanford University. Her courage and dedication to addressing some of the world’s biggest problems have caught the attention of major media outlets. She has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, CBS News' 60 Minutes, among many others.

Ron is an award-winning filmmaker, industry blogger, author, coach, and podcaster. Most recently he was the creator and host of RADIO FILM SCHOOL, described as "This American Life" for filmmakers, which was at one point the #1 visual arts podcast on iTunes. Today he is the Senior Content Marketing Manager for Frame.io, the leading video review and collaboration platform, and serves as Managing Editor for their industry blog, the FRAME.IO INSIDER.

He founded Dare Dreamer Media, a Seattle-based production company, where he's produced work for such brands as Apple, Nielsen, Adobe, WPPI, and Photo Plus Expo. He has consistently used his passion as a filmmaker to tell cause-driven and inspirational stories. This summer he completed post-production on INVISIBLE ILLNESS, a documentary feature he co-produced, co-directed, and edited, which highlights the stories of people living with "invisible" chronic illnesses. It was accepted by FMTV/Gaia, the "Netflix" of healthy living and inspirational films.

As an industry author and blogger, he's written for Professional Photographer, Zacuto, EventDV, and PhotoFocus, and was co-author of REFOCUS: CUTTING EDGE STRATEGIES TO EVOLVE YOUR VIDEO BUSINESS (Peachpit Press). He's taught at international film, video, and photography conventions like WPPI, and has appeared on such podcasts and shows as Zacuto Film Fellas, FCPX Grill, Studio Sherpas, and the Go Creative Show. For two consecutive years he was one EventDV Magazine's list of the 25 video producers.

His latest writing endeavor is his satirical memoir, DUNGEONS 'N' DURAGS, a unique, personal, and poignant look at race relations in America through the eyes of a blerd ("black nerd") on a quest of self-discovery.

He loves traveling, and as such, he and his family are digital nomads, traveling throughout Canada and Europe 8-10 months out of the year.

Dale Djerassi, a notable film producer and director with 40 years of experience in the film industry, will serve as a judge for the video category. Having graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Djerassi also studied documentary film production, the catalyst for his successful career to follow.

As owner and president of Djerassi Films, Inc., Djerassi is best known for his concentration in documentaries and short films. His most acclaimed piece of work, Oil on Ice, explores the immense impact of oil development within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, adversely affecting not only the land and wildlife but also the cultures of the Gwich’in Athabascan Indians and Inupiat Eskimos. Oil on Ice has an impressive 4 wins and 1 nomination across five of the most distinguished film festivals in the country. Djerassi has produced and directed many other influential works, such as Bhutan: A Strange Survival and Koko: A Talking Gorilla.

Beyond his filmmaking career, Djerassi serves on the board of directors for SFFILM, a nonprofit organization that presents the San Francisco International Film Festival. As the longest-running film festival in the Americas, SFFILM offers grants, residencies and other creative development services to hundreds of aspiring and emerging filmmakers from around the world. With a clear passion and dedication to helping other artists succeed, Djerassi is also a founding trustee of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program in Woodside, CA. His goal in starting his nonprofit organization emerged from the need for artists to have secluded time away from the world, to focus on what it is that they do best; create. Artists are awarded a one-month residency in the breathtaking mountains of northern California’s Santa Cruz Mountains, with the freedom to collaborate and spark ideas amongst other creatives from varying backgrounds.

Originally from England, author, journalist, conservationist and outdoor enthusiast, Maria Coffey, resides in British Columbia, Canada. Her popular book, Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow, was featured in Outside Magazine and won the Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature, propelling her career in outdoor writing. Another acclaimed work, Fragile Edge, recounts the tragic and poignant story about the loss of Coffey’s partner, Joe Tasker, while climbing Mount Everest. The book was awarded the International Literary Mountain prize, recognized as one of the highest honors in writing. Coffey’s work has been featured in publications like The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and The Guardian. Her innate ability to report the harrowing and strenuous experiences that extreme athletes endure has touched many novice and seasoned outdoor athletes alike.

Coffey met her husband and business partner, Dag Goering, on Vancouver Island. They connected through their passion for exploring new places. As their love story evolved, so did their adventures. They have traveled across the world together, documenting and sharing their journey along the way through books, photographs and presentations. Their collaborative work has been featured across National Geographic Adventure, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and Action Asia. Eventually, their travel and tour company, Hidden Places was born. As professional sea-kayaking and trekking guides, their excursions lead trip-goers across some of the world’s most scenic and off-the-beaten-path destinations such as Sri Lanka, India, Kenya and Antarctica. Hidden Places also supports local communities and conservation efforts, benefiting wildlife through expeditions to places such as East Africa in an effort to protect elephants and other endangered species. The organization was awarded the National Geographic "Tours of a Lifetime" award.

From his humble beginnings as an ice cream truck driver, Geoffrey Gray rose to fame as an author, documentary producer and journalist. As a New York native, Gray attended the University of Rochester and quickly realized his dream to pursue journalism in New York City. His first essay, published in none other than The New York Times, catapulted his writing career. His work spans many of his passions, from investigative journalism and crime to exotic food and sports.

Gray covered boxing for The New York Times, writing about legends in the industry and underdogs alike. With a keen knack for storytelling, Gray also worked for publications like the Village Voice and the New York Sun covering topics centered around crime. He later went on to become a contributing editor at New York Magazine for 14 years. His most recent publications include “How Muhammad Ali Became a Boxer,” “A Bullfighter’s Sacrifice,” and “It’s Not Easy Being Floyd Mayweather’s Personal Chef.” Gray has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today and CNN. He has also been published in Medium, Huffpost, Vie and ESPN: The Magazine just to name a few.

With the underlying theme of crime and investigative writing throughout his career, Gray published his first book, Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B Cooper. The thrilling true story explores the 1971 Northwest Orient airplane hijacking, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century. In one short week, the publication made The New York Times best seller list. Gray most recently founded an interactive magazine, True.Ink, a resurrection of an old magazine rooted in adventure and innovative storytelling. The original publication that ended in 1975, True: The Man’s Magazine, showcased featured notorious writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Aldous Huxley and Winston Churchill.

Annette McGivney’s mission as a journalist, author and teacher lies at the intersection of compassion and deep appreciation for nature. Her work inspires people to get outside and preserve the sacred land that we call home. She has worked as the Southwest Editor for Backpacker Magazine since 1996 and has been featured across publications such as Outside, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Wilderness, Runners World, Sunset and Arizona Highways. McGivney’s admiration for remote, wild places teaches readers about the healing properties that exist in nature.

In 2006, McGivney was assigned a story at Backpacker that would shape the rest of her career. “Freefall” explores the story of Japanese tourist, Tomomi Hanamure, whose life was tragically taken by a 18-year old Havasupai youth while hiking at Havasupai Falls. After investigating the story closely and seeking to uncover the truth, McGivney was sent on a journey of loss, connection, healing, and self-reflection. “Freefall” received the Maggie Award from the Western Publications Association for “Best News Story,” but McGivney's work didn’t end there. Her journey eventually evolved into her award-winning book, Pure Land, after she traveled to Japan to visit Hanamure’s family. The book went on to receive the esteemed National Outdoor Book Award in 2018. Other works include Building Wood Fires, Resurrection: Glen Canyon and a New Vision for the American West and Leave No Trace. McGivney has also won two IRMA Awards for Best Travel Features.

With a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Liberal Studies degree from Northern Arizona University, McGivney is no stranger to a college campus. She currently works as a senior lecturer in Journalism and teaches a wide variety of classes, from creative nonfiction writing to environmental journalism and magazine editing at Northern Arizona University.

Serving on the panel for the writing category, the multifaceted Kerry Tremain has built a successful career as a writer, editor, photographer, designer and art director. With a deep devotion to the arts, Tremain has built an extensive portfolio of work that has paved the way for his notable recognition and respect in the industry. Equally moved by environmental issues, Tremain currently works as an advisor on climate change for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis. His most recent production, Yosemite: A Storied Landscape, received the 2015 Digital Book Award. The multimedia ebook explores the events and stories that helped shape and preserve the national treasure.

Tremain held an impressive three titles at Mother Jones as an executive editor, creative director and art director. The investigative news organization helps fund and support documentary photographers and emerging investigative storytellers. Tremain later went on to serve as the editor-in-chief at California Magazine, renewing the 100-year-old publication and gaining widespread recognition, including a Folio Gold Eddy for Best Association Magazine. In recent years, he has edited major works ranging in topics like Buddhism and the WWII Japanese internment, brain science and the future of artificial intelligence. One of Tremain’s most rewarding experiences resulted in the dismissal of a corrupt executive director. The investigative report was a National Magazine Award finalist.

With inspiration flourishing in every corner of the landscape, Tremain currently resides on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula where he serves as the president at Port Townsend School of the Arts. He also recently published One Year: Pacific Northwest Photographs, as well as the second edition of his photography book, Year of the Birds. Tremain’s extensive experience in many disciplines of art has made his name one of prominence and prestige.