Randy Olson

Randy Olson is the writer-director of the feature films, "Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus," (Tribeca '06, Showtime '07-'09, New Video Docurama) and "Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy" (Outfest '08). He is also the author of, "Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style" (Island Press, 2009) which tells the stories of his journey from science to cinema and presents a model for communicating science and environmental issues to the general public. As a scientist he was a tenured professor of biology at the University of New Hampshire (Ph.D. Harvard University) and studied coral reef ecology around the world, spending several years on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. In making the transition to film he obtained his M.F.A. at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, then teamed up with former science colleagues to create the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project (www.shiftingbaselines.org). Today he lives in Los Angeles where his production company, Prairie Starfish Productions (www.randyolsonproductions.com), is based at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. Since 2006 he has visited over 100 college campuses with his "Sizzling Dodos College Tour," in which he shows his two movies and presents the basic elements of his book in an effort to help scientists (and more importantly science students) not be SUCH scientists.