Levi C. Maaia = “Leave-eye Sea My-uh”
CEO • Executive Producer
Maaia Mark Productions
Levi is a filmmaker, explorer, ethnographer and educator focused on sustainable solutions to complex challenges.
Levi began his media career in FM radio and cable television where he became fascinated by the potential for technology to educate and open a window on the world. He developed and taught a high school STEM program while earning a Ph.D. studying Maker culture and STEM education at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
He directed and produced the PBS documentary “Pathways to Invention” – funded by The Lemelson Foundation, MIT and the University of California, Berkeley – for which he was named Best Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards.
Levi is the recipient of a Cablefax Top Op award for his executive leadership and the co-founder of Maaia Mark Productions, an L.A.-based film and TV production company focused on amplifying the voices of innovative people doing extraordinary things.
He is a private, instrument-rated, land and seaplane pilot serving on the Santa Barbara Airport Commission, a licensed amateur radio operator and an avid photographer. He was a founding member of the ARISS-USA education committee, a NASA-sponsored outreach program aboard the International Space Station.
He enjoys tinkering with classic cars and vintage computers to keep them running.
ACHIEVEMENTS & AFFILIATIONS:
Santa Barbara Airport Commission • Commissioner
Appointed by the Santa Barbara City Council to serve from 2022-2025
ARISS-USA Education Committee • Founding Member
A NASA-sponsored STEM education outreach program connecting students with astronauts aboard the International Space Station
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards • Best Documentary Feature Director; Best Producer
Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) • Life Member
Angel Flight West • Command Pilot
An L.A.-based nonprofit providing air transport for children and adults with serious medical conditions
The Explorers Club • Member National ’13
Federal Aviation Administration •
Private Pilot – Airplane Single Engine Land & Sea; Instrument Airplane
Federal Communications Commission • Amateur Extra Class Radio License K6LCM
Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club / Santa Barbara Wireless Foundation • Board of Directors; K6TZ Trustee
Cablefax • Top Ops Award
EDUCATION:
University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D. – Education
Emerson College
M.A. – Journalism
Boston University
B.A. – Film & Television