Our Story

DocuThesis was merely a dream in 2003 when I first created my first feature length documentary, ‘Respect the Doc’ a documentary about documentarians and how they shift the culture.  It was after interviewing one of the great masters of direct cinema, Albert Maysles that I understood the power of the documentary not just as intriguing entertainment but also as a tool of enlightenment, education and priceless access to information in the world as it visually happens.  Seven years later, after working on documentary productions on nearly every continent from Armenia to New Zealand while saving up funds aboard working on yachts I realized 2010 was the perfect year to launch DocuThesis, a hybrid of documentary and graduate thesis to educate the world and create more awareness of the new knowledge and findings that are coming out of universities and disseminating its contents visually so everyone can digest it.  The possibilities of the combinations of cinema and research are endless, from donor cultivation, community spport as well as financial support from the public and private sector.

And the rest is history…

TEAM

AMBER ROSE KANDARIAN is an American filmmaker with Armenian roots and founder of Impact International Pictures and DocuThesis. She has over 8 years of experience as both director/producer and cinematographer. Kandarian directed, shot and edited her first film RESPECT THE DOC, a documentary about how documentarians can influence and illuminate society. This film had a limited theatrical and DVD release in the United States and Australia. Her second film, BRUISED GOLD, won the award for Best Cinematography at the New Zealand 48-hour Short Film Festival, and was later shown on New Zealand’s television channel C4. In addition to directing her own projects, Kandarian has been a documentary instructor at the Sydney Film School and the Apple Academy. She has also shot music videos for groups such as White Zombie and has edited documentary television series for Studio Two, Saturday Disney, and the International Documentary Association. Kandarian is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine and was selected to be a video/multimedia fellow at Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach.

HOO KANG (pronounced ‘who’) is the online tech “ninja.” Making sure all of the gremlins online and offline behave. Hoo’s passion for technology began when he took apart his dad’s brand new $3,000 486 IBM personal computer and put it back in working order at the age of 12. He’s been a web geek since AOL 2.0. Hoo graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Russian Studies and a minor in business administration. He learned the hard way that video games were more exciting to play rather than to program- and left the Computer Science department. You can find Hoo listening to Christian lessons, marketing and business podcasts, taking pictures, and scouring the web for the latest technological tools. Hoo currently lives with his wife and daughter in Irvine, CA.

SHIRA LANE was born in Israel and raised in Australia. She returned to Israel to serve in the army and graduated from Beit-Zvi Entertainment and Performing Arts School in Ramat Gan. Her career in Israeli television includes the acclaimed medical drama Tipol Nimratz (“Intensive Care”). When the series ended, she attempted to return to Australia by way of Los Angeles, but due to severe dog quarantine laws she opted to settle in Hollywood, not to part from her dog. However, her lifelong allergy to milk and dairy products increased in severity upon arrival in the U.S. because of the more prevalent use of milk and dairy by-products in foods. This prompted her to examine the scientific research on the subject and seek information from medical journals, nutritionists, doctors, and even documentaries. Disgruntled by the lack of scientific consensus, and the popular advertising campaigns promoting dairy, she opted to make her own film on the uniquely American mythology of milk. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, her partner Luke, and baby son Ori.

INTERNS

OLIVER BRANCOV is a graduate from the Paul Merage School of Business with a B.A. in Accounting from UC Irvine. He was one of the first eight students to graduate from the undergraduate business major and has been involved on campus with the Anteater Ambassador Network to promote private scholarships at UCI, as well as the Accounting Association and Circle K. He has a general interest in entrepreneurship and wants to apply his general business knowledge to a wide variety of challenges and tasks. Oliver is an avid blogger and Social Media Expert.

Ms. WINNIE TUNG is a student of Paul Merage School of Business Class of 2012 specializing in marketing and strategy. Prior to business school, Ms. Tung worked 3 years in merchandising and sales management in a sporting apparel/accessories manufacturing company. Worked as a sales engineer, Ms. Tung enjoyed the relationship building and creative work the position required. Winnie’s future occupational goal is to combine her interests, skills, and experience with the tools she’s gaining in the MBA studies to transition into a career of marketing management in the consumer products industry. Winnie is motivated by autonomy, intellectual challenge, lifestyle and variety. She enjoys applying creative solutions to difficult problems and wants to be considered as a strategic thinker who can achieve business targets, delegate effectively and build consensus. Winnie is going to be our Brand Ambassador & Strategic Social Media Research Analyst in Taiwan. (soon)

ADVISERS

TOM STEPHENSON, Chief Development Officer, Benetech. Stephenson has worked in both private and not-for-profit communities over the last two decades. During his early career he worked in sports television production with ABC Sports and in the public affairs group for a major land development company, The Irvine Company of Newport Beach, California. Stephenson led fundraising, strategic planning and marketing efforts for several non-profit organizations including the SETI Institute, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, Project Concern International and the Neuroscience Group of the University of California, Irvine’s School of Medicine. As a consultant, Stephenson has worked on several political campaigns, advising candidates and managing various regional and statewide initiative campaigns, as well as serving as counsel to a diverse portfolio of nonprofit organizations and private businesses.

JAMES FALLON Neuroscientist and Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, TED talks speaker, PHD, University of Illinois School of Medicine.

JASON CARLTON Head of Product Advancement and set the strategy for core technology platform that powered a video-gaming social network with several million members, as well as the business-to-business properties created for a number of partners including Playstation, Xbox, Electronic Arts, Activision and Blizzard Entertainment.

JOSEPH BERNARD graduated from Sydney University with a degree in electrical engineering in 1983 which prompted a career in design, development and implementation of information systems for a broad range of industries in Australia and abroad. These roles matured into mentoring, coaching and many applications of technology to serve business strategies for both operational and strategic advantage. Currently Bernard is the founder of Paradigm Designs Software www.parasoft.com.au, Australia and KnowWareMen. His role varies from marketing, sales, research, product architecture, development project management and consulting in the software arena.