Mālama kō Aloha Initiative
Honolulu, Hawaii | Series
Romance, Drama
Set in Hawaiʻi’s ranch country, two families confront forbidden love, inheritance, and identity, in a rapidly changing world. But we’re not just filming a series. We’re training local youth to create it. When you back this project, you help our community tell its own story.
Mālama kō Aloha Initiative
Honolulu, Hawaii | Series
Romance, Drama
1 Campaigns | Hawaii, United States
26 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
$2,300
Goal: $54,000 for production
Set in Hawaiʻi’s ranch country, two families confront forbidden love, inheritance, and identity, in a rapidly changing world. But we’re not just filming a series. We’re training local youth to create it. When you back this project, you help our community tell its own story.
Participating In
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mālama Kō Aloha
Protect Your Love.
Some stories are written in books. Others rise from the land.
Across Hawaiʻi’s ranch lands and ocean shores, history echoes in music, memory, and the choices of the next generation.
Mālama Kō Aloha is a story born from Hawaiʻi itself—from paniolo country, ocean winds, slack key guitars, and the families who carry these memories forward.
Ride with us.
Who We Are
Mālama Kō Aloha is brought to life by a masterful team of Hawaiʻi’s own filmmakers, musicians, historians, cultural practitioners, community representatives, and industry professionals working in collaboration with the Nā‘ālehu Theatre.
Guided by Hawaiʻi’s traditions and values, the team combines deep cultural knowledge with world-class production experience to bring this story to the screen.
What the Story Is
Set in Hawaiʻi’s paniolo (cowboy) country, Mālama Kō Aloha follows young people inheriting a conflict they did not start.
Questions of land, belonging, and responsibility rise to the surface as two families divided by history struggle to protect what matters most while the world around them rapidly changes.
Love crosses old boundaries.
Traditions are tested.
And the next generation must decide what legacy they will carry forward.
Why This Story Matters
For generations, Hawaiʻi’s stories have often been told from the outside looking in.
Hawaiʻi carries a unique responsibility in the world—where ancestral wisdom, cultural diversity, and the practice of aloha continue to shape daily life. From this place, stories rooted in the islands offer a vision of connection the world is increasingly searching for.
Mālama Kō Aloha changes that.
This project places the tools of storytelling directly into the hands of the community—bringing together Native Hawaiian, Asian, and immigrant voices whose families helped shape the islands’ unique shared culture based in aloha 'aina (caring for the land) and aloha (each other).
This is not only a story about Hawaiʻi.
It is a story from Hawaiʻi.
Community Impact
While we produce the pilot episode, we are also training the next generation of storytellers.
Through hands-on mentorships, local youth and community members work alongside professional filmmakers, musicians, and cultural practitioners to learn:
• Acting
• Writing
• Filmmaking
• Music production
• Media arts
Participants don’t just watch the story unfold. They help create it.
Why We Need Your Support
Your support helps us:
• Produce the pilot episode
• Train emerging storytellers and artists
• Showcase authentic Hawaiʻi stories on global screens
Most importantly, it helps prove that place-based storytelling rooted in culture and community has a powerful audience waiting for it.
Invitation
For those who carry Hawaiʻi in their hearts—whether you live here or far away—this project is an invitation to ride with us.
It's a Kākou Thing - Together we help ensure that Hawaiʻi’s stories of land, love, music, and family continue to be told by the people who live them.
Ride with us. And help us bring this story to life!
Donations:
If you would like for your contribution to be made as a tax-deductible donation, contact [email protected].
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Rodeo Stunts & Water Safety Team
Costs $4,000
Specialized stunt performers and safety personnel to safely film horseback and ocean action sequences.
Local Crew Stipends
Costs $4,000
Supporting Hawaiʻi camera assistants, sound technicians, and emerging filmmakers working on set.
Locations & Ranch Access
Costs $5,000
Filming permits, insurance, and access to the ranch-lands and cultural locations where this story takes place.
Travel & Transportation
Costs $2,000
Moving cast, crew, and equipment between filming locations across Hawaiʻi Island.
Music Recording
Costs $5,000
Recording original Hawaiian music and slack key guitar for the series soundtrack.
Camera & Lighting Package
Costs $9,000
Professional cinema cameras, lenses, and lighting needed to capture Hawaiʻi’s landscapes and performances.
Cast & Acting Talent
Costs $10,000
Support Hawaiʻi-based actors bringing this intergenerational paniolo love story to life.
Post-Production (Edit, Sound, Color)
Costs $15,000
Transform our filmed footage into a cinematic pilot episode through professional editing, sound design, and color grading.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Executive Producer / Co-Writer
CHELLE PAHINUI is Executive Director of Nā‘ālehu Theatre, a Hawai‘i nonprofit dedicated to place-based storytelling, traditional music, and community creative development. With 30+ years of experience in cultural programming and multimedia production, she has secured over $3 million in funding for community arts and youth mentorship initiatives.
Under her leadership, Nā‘ālehu Theatre has produced major cultural events including the Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila, Seattle Slack Key Festival, Southern California Slack Key Festival, Hilo Hawaiian Music Festival, Kona Chocolate Festival, and the Aloha Shirt Festival, bringing together hundreds of artists and thousands of community members.
Since 1993, the organization has documented Hawai‘i’s musical heritage through film and media, including co-producing the PBS documentary “Let’s Play Music.” Nā‘ālehu Theatre also pioneered live-streamed cultural events beginning in 2011, expanding global access to Hawaiian music.
Pahinui holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business, an MBA, and completed doctoral coursework in Sustainable Tourism and Marketing. She has lectured at the University of Hawai‘i for more than 20 years and operates Nahenahe Farm, an organic coffee farm in Keʻei, Kona.
Executive Producer / Action Director 
BRIAN KEAULANA is a legendary Hawaiian waterman, stunt performer, filmmaker, and ocean safety pioneer. The son of renowned surfer Buffalo Keaulana, he comes from a celebrated lineage of Hawaiian watermen deeply connected to ocean culture.
Keaulana has helped shape Hollywood productions filmed in Hawaiʻi, serving as producer on FOX’s Rescue: HI-Surf and Apple TV+’s Chief of War and working as a member of the elite stunt team Stunts Unlimited.
His expertise in water safety and action direction has been essential on films including 50 First Dates, Jurassic World, and Battleship.
A longtime West Oʻahu lifeguard captain, Keaulana pioneered the use of jet skis in modern water rescue operations, now adopted worldwide. He also works with Hōkūleʻa and co-founded Hōnokea, integrating Hawaiian cultural traditions with ocean stewardship.
In 2023 he co-founded ICAN (International Cultural Arts Network) to expand opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmakers.
Executive Producer / Stunt Camera Operator 
VINCE KEALA LUCERO is an award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker and IATSE union camera operator specializing in Indigenous storytelling that blends historical authenticity with contemporary narratives. Since 2008 he has produced broadcast media for Kamehameha Schools, Hōkūleʻa, and the Merrie Monarch Festival.
His credits include: Executive Producer – Merrie Monarch Festival, Water Unit A Camera Operator – Rescue: HI-Surf, Second Unit Camera Operator – Chief of War, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Snatched, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Drone Operator – Snowden, Camera Operator – Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., Doogie Kameāloha
A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Loyola Marymount University, Lucero began his career producing an award-winning Pacific Arts Festival documentary and directed an early Black Eyed Peas music video. He also co-produced the Maui Ola Telethon, raising $1.4 million within 11 days of the Maui fires, and helped produce Jam4Maunakea, the world’s first virtual kanikapila.
Producer
TONY NAGY has spent more than two decades capturing Hawaiʻi’s landscapes for major Hollywood productions. Known for his technical precision and deep knowledge of island filming logistics, he is a trusted collaborator for major studios. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2025), Jurassic World, Battleship, and The Hunger Games, as well as work on Pirates of the Caribbean, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and television series including LOST, Magnum P.I., and NCIS: Hawai‘i. Nagy also mentors emerging local filmmakers and maintains a long-standing partnership with Panavision, ensuring access to world-class camera systems.
Paniolo Historian / Story Consultant 
WILLIAM "BILLY" BERGIN is one of Hawaiʻi’s foremost authorities on paniolo history and ranching culture. Born in Laupāhoehoe, he lived with the lead cowboy family at Kukaiau Ranch, gaining firsthand knowledge of paniolo life.
After earning his veterinary degree in 1967, he served 25 years as chief veterinarian at Parker Ranch, one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. Bergin is author of several books on Hawaiian ranching history, including the “Loyal to the Land” series, and is a founding member and official historian of the Paniolo Preservation Society. In 2024 he was inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame.
Writer / Director 
CONRAD LIHILIHI is an Award-winning filmmaker Conrad Lihilihi explores Indigenous culture and contemporary Hawaiian identity through genre storytelling. His credits include the Smithsonian documentary series Language of a Nation, and narrative films The Mainland (2021) and The Break (2023). He serves as Assistant Editor at Warner Bros. Discovery, directs the literacy initiative Mixed Plate Storytime, and is currently directing a Smithsonian documentary on Mauna Kea while developing a film summer camp with the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust.
Writer / Director 
TY SANGA is an award-winning Kanaka Maoli filmmaker whose work appears on Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, and the Criterion Collection. His film Stones became the first Native Hawaiian-directed film selected for Sundance, and he later returned as a Sundance Native Lab Fellow. As producer and director of PBS’s Family Ingredients, he received four Daytime Emmy nominations and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. His films include Visions in the Dark: The Life of Pinky Thompson, Hae Hawaiʻi, and Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator.
Writer / Director 
CHRIS KAHUNAHANA is a Sundance Native Lab Fellow and one of the most distinctive voices in Native Hawaiian cinema. His debut feature WAIKIKI premiered at Urbanworld Film Festival and won Grand Jury Awards at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Hawai‘i International Film Festival. He was nominated for Best New Director at the 2021 Asian Pacific Screen Awards and continues developing projects including the science-fiction feature AIMAN.
VFX Supervisor 
KAMA MOIHA is a veteran visual effects supervisor whose credits include Argo, Thor: The Dark World, Westworld, The Walking Dead, and Stranger Things. He has worked with major studios including Disney Feature Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Bros., Cinesite, and Method Studios. A Native Hawaiian creative fluent in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Moiha integrates ʻike Hawaiʻi with cutting-edge visual effects to bring cultural authenticity to modern cinematic storytelling.
Music Director
SHAWN KEKOA PIMENTAL is an 11-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning musician and producer, and an Emmy and Grammy-nominated artist. His band Kulāiwi won Album of the Year at the Nā Hōkū Awards in 2022. His band Seven Suns received seven Nā Hōkū nominations in 2025. Pimental has produced recordings for many of Hawaiʻi’s leading artists and toured internationally with performers including Janet Jackson, Colbie Caillat, Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, America, and Jack Johnson.
Film Composer
Jeff Peterson
Jeff Peterson is an internationally acclaimed guitarist known for blending Hawaiian slack key, classical, and jazz traditions. He has released ten solo recordings, earned multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, and received Grammy nominations for his work. In 2016 he premiered “Mālama ʻĀina,” the first concerto written for slack key guitar and orchestra, expanding the role of Hawaiian music in symphonic performance.
Finance & Accounting Management
Neil E. Crabtree, MBA, MT, JD
Neil E. Crabtree is a senior operations and financial management consultant with over 25 years of international experience supporting emerging companies and development projects.
He currently serves as COO of Grindstaff, Crabtree, Wood, advising organizations across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His clients have included Sony Corporation, Rolls-Royce Deutschland, Disneyland Hong Kong, Ocean Park Corporation, Elkay Manufacturing, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake.
Crabtree provides financial oversight and operational strategy for the Mālama Kō Aloha initiative.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
Mālama Kō Aloha
Protect Your Love.
Some stories are written in books. Others rise from the land.
Across Hawaiʻi’s ranch lands and ocean shores, history echoes in music, memory, and the choices of the next generation.
Mālama Kō Aloha is a story born from Hawaiʻi itself—from paniolo country, ocean winds, slack key guitars, and the families who carry these memories forward.
Ride with us.
Who We Are
Mālama Kō Aloha is brought to life by a masterful team of Hawaiʻi’s own filmmakers, musicians, historians, cultural practitioners, community representatives, and industry professionals working in collaboration with the Nā‘ālehu Theatre.
Guided by Hawaiʻi’s traditions and values, the team combines deep cultural knowledge with world-class production experience to bring this story to the screen.
What the Story Is
Set in Hawaiʻi’s paniolo (cowboy) country, Mālama Kō Aloha follows young people inheriting a conflict they did not start.
Questions of land, belonging, and responsibility rise to the surface as two families divided by history struggle to protect what matters most while the world around them rapidly changes.
Love crosses old boundaries.
Traditions are tested.
And the next generation must decide what legacy they will carry forward.
Why This Story Matters
For generations, Hawaiʻi’s stories have often been told from the outside looking in.
Hawaiʻi carries a unique responsibility in the world—where ancestral wisdom, cultural diversity, and the practice of aloha continue to shape daily life. From this place, stories rooted in the islands offer a vision of connection the world is increasingly searching for.
Mālama Kō Aloha changes that.
This project places the tools of storytelling directly into the hands of the community—bringing together Native Hawaiian, Asian, and immigrant voices whose families helped shape the islands’ unique shared culture based in aloha 'aina (caring for the land) and aloha (each other).
This is not only a story about Hawaiʻi.
It is a story from Hawaiʻi.
Community Impact
While we produce the pilot episode, we are also training the next generation of storytellers.
Through hands-on mentorships, local youth and community members work alongside professional filmmakers, musicians, and cultural practitioners to learn:
• Acting
• Writing
• Filmmaking
• Music production
• Media arts
Participants don’t just watch the story unfold. They help create it.
Why We Need Your Support
Your support helps us:
• Produce the pilot episode
• Train emerging storytellers and artists
• Showcase authentic Hawaiʻi stories on global screens
Most importantly, it helps prove that place-based storytelling rooted in culture and community has a powerful audience waiting for it.
Invitation
For those who carry Hawaiʻi in their hearts—whether you live here or far away—this project is an invitation to ride with us.
It's a Kākou Thing - Together we help ensure that Hawaiʻi’s stories of land, love, music, and family continue to be told by the people who live them.
Ride with us. And help us bring this story to life!
Donations:
If you would like for your contribution to be made as a tax-deductible donation, contact [email protected].
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Rodeo Stunts & Water Safety Team
Costs $4,000
Specialized stunt performers and safety personnel to safely film horseback and ocean action sequences.
Local Crew Stipends
Costs $4,000
Supporting Hawaiʻi camera assistants, sound technicians, and emerging filmmakers working on set.
Locations & Ranch Access
Costs $5,000
Filming permits, insurance, and access to the ranch-lands and cultural locations where this story takes place.
Travel & Transportation
Costs $2,000
Moving cast, crew, and equipment between filming locations across Hawaiʻi Island.
Music Recording
Costs $5,000
Recording original Hawaiian music and slack key guitar for the series soundtrack.
Camera & Lighting Package
Costs $9,000
Professional cinema cameras, lenses, and lighting needed to capture Hawaiʻi’s landscapes and performances.
Cast & Acting Talent
Costs $10,000
Support Hawaiʻi-based actors bringing this intergenerational paniolo love story to life.
Post-Production (Edit, Sound, Color)
Costs $15,000
Transform our filmed footage into a cinematic pilot episode through professional editing, sound design, and color grading.
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Executive Producer / Co-Writer
CHELLE PAHINUI is Executive Director of Nā‘ālehu Theatre, a Hawai‘i nonprofit dedicated to place-based storytelling, traditional music, and community creative development. With 30+ years of experience in cultural programming and multimedia production, she has secured over $3 million in funding for community arts and youth mentorship initiatives.
Under her leadership, Nā‘ālehu Theatre has produced major cultural events including the Gabby Pahinui Waimānalo Kanikapila, Seattle Slack Key Festival, Southern California Slack Key Festival, Hilo Hawaiian Music Festival, Kona Chocolate Festival, and the Aloha Shirt Festival, bringing together hundreds of artists and thousands of community members.
Since 1993, the organization has documented Hawai‘i’s musical heritage through film and media, including co-producing the PBS documentary “Let’s Play Music.” Nā‘ālehu Theatre also pioneered live-streamed cultural events beginning in 2011, expanding global access to Hawaiian music.
Pahinui holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business, an MBA, and completed doctoral coursework in Sustainable Tourism and Marketing. She has lectured at the University of Hawai‘i for more than 20 years and operates Nahenahe Farm, an organic coffee farm in Keʻei, Kona.
Executive Producer / Action Director
BRIAN KEAULANA is a legendary Hawaiian waterman, stunt performer, filmmaker, and ocean safety pioneer. The son of renowned surfer Buffalo Keaulana, he comes from a celebrated lineage of Hawaiian watermen deeply connected to ocean culture.
Keaulana has helped shape Hollywood productions filmed in Hawaiʻi, serving as producer on FOX’s Rescue: HI-Surf and Apple TV+’s Chief of War and working as a member of the elite stunt team Stunts Unlimited.
His expertise in water safety and action direction has been essential on films including 50 First Dates, Jurassic World, and Battleship.
A longtime West Oʻahu lifeguard captain, Keaulana pioneered the use of jet skis in modern water rescue operations, now adopted worldwide. He also works with Hōkūleʻa and co-founded Hōnokea, integrating Hawaiian cultural traditions with ocean stewardship.
In 2023 he co-founded ICAN (International Cultural Arts Network) to expand opportunities for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander filmmakers.
Executive Producer / Stunt Camera Operator
VINCE KEALA LUCERO is an award-winning Native Hawaiian filmmaker and IATSE union camera operator specializing in Indigenous storytelling that blends historical authenticity with contemporary narratives. Since 2008 he has produced broadcast media for Kamehameha Schools, Hōkūleʻa, and the Merrie Monarch Festival.
His credits include: Executive Producer – Merrie Monarch Festival, Water Unit A Camera Operator – Rescue: HI-Surf, Second Unit Camera Operator – Chief of War, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Snatched, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Drone Operator – Snowden, Camera Operator – Hawaii Five-0, Magnum P.I., Doogie Kameāloha
A graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Loyola Marymount University, Lucero began his career producing an award-winning Pacific Arts Festival documentary and directed an early Black Eyed Peas music video. He also co-produced the Maui Ola Telethon, raising $1.4 million within 11 days of the Maui fires, and helped produce Jam4Maunakea, the world’s first virtual kanikapila.
Producer
TONY NAGY has spent more than two decades capturing Hawaiʻi’s landscapes for major Hollywood productions. Known for his technical precision and deep knowledge of island filming logistics, he is a trusted collaborator for major studios. His credits include Lilo & Stitch (2025), Jurassic World, Battleship, and The Hunger Games, as well as work on Pirates of the Caribbean, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and television series including LOST, Magnum P.I., and NCIS: Hawai‘i. Nagy also mentors emerging local filmmakers and maintains a long-standing partnership with Panavision, ensuring access to world-class camera systems.
Paniolo Historian / Story Consultant
WILLIAM "BILLY" BERGIN is one of Hawaiʻi’s foremost authorities on paniolo history and ranching culture. Born in Laupāhoehoe, he lived with the lead cowboy family at Kukaiau Ranch, gaining firsthand knowledge of paniolo life.
After earning his veterinary degree in 1967, he served 25 years as chief veterinarian at Parker Ranch, one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. Bergin is author of several books on Hawaiian ranching history, including the “Loyal to the Land” series, and is a founding member and official historian of the Paniolo Preservation Society. In 2024 he was inducted into the Paniolo Hall of Fame.
Writer / Director
CONRAD LIHILIHI is an Award-winning filmmaker Conrad Lihilihi explores Indigenous culture and contemporary Hawaiian identity through genre storytelling. His credits include the Smithsonian documentary series Language of a Nation, and narrative films The Mainland (2021) and The Break (2023). He serves as Assistant Editor at Warner Bros. Discovery, directs the literacy initiative Mixed Plate Storytime, and is currently directing a Smithsonian documentary on Mauna Kea while developing a film summer camp with the Queen Liliʻuokalani Trust.
Writer / Director
TY SANGA is an award-winning Kanaka Maoli filmmaker whose work appears on Netflix, Amazon Prime, PBS, and the Criterion Collection. His film Stones became the first Native Hawaiian-directed film selected for Sundance, and he later returned as a Sundance Native Lab Fellow. As producer and director of PBS’s Family Ingredients, he received four Daytime Emmy nominations and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. His films include Visions in the Dark: The Life of Pinky Thompson, Hae Hawaiʻi, and Hōkūleʻa: Finding the Language of the Navigator.
Writer / Director
CHRIS KAHUNAHANA is a Sundance Native Lab Fellow and one of the most distinctive voices in Native Hawaiian cinema. His debut feature WAIKIKI premiered at Urbanworld Film Festival and won Grand Jury Awards at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Hawai‘i International Film Festival. He was nominated for Best New Director at the 2021 Asian Pacific Screen Awards and continues developing projects including the science-fiction feature AIMAN.
VFX Supervisor
KAMA MOIHA is a veteran visual effects supervisor whose credits include Argo, Thor: The Dark World, Westworld, The Walking Dead, and Stranger Things. He has worked with major studios including Disney Feature Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Bros., Cinesite, and Method Studios. A Native Hawaiian creative fluent in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Moiha integrates ʻike Hawaiʻi with cutting-edge visual effects to bring cultural authenticity to modern cinematic storytelling.
Music Director
SHAWN KEKOA PIMENTAL is an 11-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning musician and producer, and an Emmy and Grammy-nominated artist. His band Kulāiwi won Album of the Year at the Nā Hōkū Awards in 2022. His band Seven Suns received seven Nā Hōkū nominations in 2025. Pimental has produced recordings for many of Hawaiʻi’s leading artists and toured internationally with performers including Janet Jackson, Colbie Caillat, Maxi Priest, Steel Pulse, America, and Jack Johnson.
Film Composer
Jeff Peterson
Jeff Peterson is an internationally acclaimed guitarist known for blending Hawaiian slack key, classical, and jazz traditions. He has released ten solo recordings, earned multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards, and received Grammy nominations for his work. In 2016 he premiered “Mālama ʻĀina,” the first concerto written for slack key guitar and orchestra, expanding the role of Hawaiian music in symphonic performance.
Finance & Accounting Management
Neil E. Crabtree, MBA, MT, JD
Neil E. Crabtree is a senior operations and financial management consultant with over 25 years of international experience supporting emerging companies and development projects.
He currently serves as COO of Grindstaff, Crabtree, Wood, advising organizations across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His clients have included Sony Corporation, Rolls-Royce Deutschland, Disneyland Hong Kong, Ocean Park Corporation, Elkay Manufacturing, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake.
Crabtree provides financial oversight and operational strategy for the Mālama Kō Aloha initiative.