NINE-STORY MOUNTAIN
FILM CREW
Augusta Thomson: Director/DP
Augusta Thomson is a student at St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University, where she studies Archaeology and Anthropology, with a primary interest in Landscape Anthropology, Visual Anthropology, Media Anthropology, and the material culture of the Indo-Tibetan region. Augusta led and directed the intimate research team on the trek around Mount Kailash in the summer of 2012 to research pilgrimage practices across the Tibetan Plateau and to document the role that material culture offerings play in ‘aggregating’ a unique pilgrim community. She filmed the journey and is Director of Nine-Story Mountain. This is her first documentary project.
Chelsi Bullard: Producer/Editor
Chelsi is an experienced video editor with over four years working in documentary film. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a double major in Film and English. She is Editor of Prayers of the Ancient Ones, a feature documentary film film set to broadcast on national television via The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA – PBS). As an artist, she is concerned with real stories from real people and feels that all too often, critical world issues affecting small, marginalized groups are told from the perspective of people outside of the affected community. She seeks to change this phenomenon. Technically, she is knowledgeable and well versed in creating motion graphics and 2D animation, as seen in Nine-Story Mountain. Chelsi is also Director and Producer of the short film, Feeling of Renewal, which placed as a 'Finalist' at Tricycle’s Buddhafest Shorts Showcase in Washington, DC and is currently screening at the Culture Unplugged Online Film Festival as well as the Jaipur Pink City Contest hosted by the Jaipur International Film Festival in Jaipur, India.
Lara Yeo: Associate Producer
Lara has a Master's in Human Rights andHumanitarian Action from the Paris Schoolof International Affairs, Sciences Po and a Bachelors of Arts in Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies from Wellesley College. Both her undergraduate and graduate level research focus on violence against indigenous women and girls in North America; multicultural politics in federal states; and women's and girls' rights advocacy. Lara was a participant in the 2012 expedition to Mount Kailash with August and Don. She managed expedition fundraising and finances; participated in the collection of qualitative and quantitative data on the material culture of pilgrimage in Tibet; and has since remained engaged in community outreach initiatives and website maintenance.
Pauline Yu: Illustrator
Pauline Yu is a UC Berkeley graduate with an Art History BA and minor in Philosophy. She has worked for five years as a graphic designer and created visual work for two documentary films prior to her involvement with Nine-Story Mountain. She loves working collaboratively and her great interests are Buddhism and art.
Monica Rivera: Graphic Designer
Monica holds a B.A. in Economics from Ave Maria University. She recently worked at Tibetan Aid Project in Berkeley, CA, as a Graphic Designer. She has 2 years of experience as a Graphic Designer, and is currently working on building a portfolio of her design work. Monica enjoys involving herself in creative projects, especially those with an emphasis on minority groups and global awareness.
Don Nelson: Photographer
Don Nelson lives in Montana and has been traveling to and leading treks and cultural tours throughout Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Burma since 1999. After selling his interest in the family business in 2005, he has devoted himself to his passion for travel and the Himalayan region. He has led over 21 expeditions to the Himalayan region and also works as a professional photographer. Don is Wilderness Medicine Certified and a certified Outdoor Guide.
Tim Geurkink: Audio Engineer
Tim graduated with an AA from a musictechnical college in Madison, WI. After having a little fun in the music industry he decided to search for some different answers to life's big questions and found himself at Ratna Ling Retreat Center, where he spent three years working on a sacred text preservation project. He is now pursuing a B.A. in California.
Lobsang Dondu: Assistant Editor/Tibetan Translator
Lobsang has a certificate in Filmmaking and Cinematography from New York University, as well as a Bachelor’s in Tibetan and English from Qinghai Normal University located in Qinghai, China. He has experience as a Tibetan transcriber, and works as a Media Consultant at Trace Foundation in New York, NY.
Anthony Caulkins: Composer
Anthony is a Composer and Musician currently based out of Madison, Wisconsin. He recently received his Bachelor’s of Music, in Composition, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he studied with composers Stephen Dembski and Laura Schwendinger. Anthony is active as a composer of solo and chamber music in both acoustic and electroacoustic forms, having had performances throughout the United States as well as internationally. Anthony is excited to be working in film, scoring as a creative outlet for his diverse styles of composition that draw on music from many cultures, both modern and historical.
Lorin Ponton: Post-Production Intern
Lorin Ponton is an aspiring photographer,camera operator, writer and producerlocated in Atlanta,GA. To date, she hasworked on 4 short films, of which one, IAm Designer, was nominated for bestdrama at the Georgia Tech Campus MovieFest competition in Atlanta, GA. In December, Lorin will graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor ofScience in Science, Technology and Culture,with concentrations in Mass Media and Engineering. Inspired by the people she’s met in her travels, her career aspiration is to produce documentary films that educateon the way people around the world liveand interact day to day.
