ANDREW BURTON

(b. 1987 / USA / He, Him) is a Pulitzer Prize finalist documentary filmmaker and photojournalist focused on the intersection of environmentalism and exploration. He is a Sundance grantee who has worked on Peabody-winning and Emmy-nominated films. Burton and his wife have two daughters and a dog named Bosco.

andrew@andrewburton.com

FILMS
STILLS
INFORMATION

Thin Green Line

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: Chandra Brown, a veteran river guide, led a five day writers retreat for a group of authors along the U.S Mexico border. While canoeing the Rio Grande they navigate physical challenges, and see the effects of government policies first hand. On their final night, Mother Nature erupts and reinforces the lessons they have learned over the course of the trip.

The Elk

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: In 2018, backcountry skier Kjell Redal decided he wanted to try his hand at bowhunting for elk. The only trouble is, he had no prior experience or mentors and was living in Miami, FL. Over the course of four years Kjell goes from a newbie, thrashing his way off trail and never seeing an elk, to a once in a lifetime experience.

Last Skier Standing

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: “At the end of the 24 hours, I looked around and pretty much everyone was still there,” says Brody Leven. “And I’m like, ‘What is wrong with these people?’” In 2022, Brody and Ben Eck were two of nearly 100 skiers who entered The Last Skier Standing. The endurance event has a simple premise: skin up 1,100 feet and ski back down within an hour. And then it repeats every hour. How many laps can you go?

Endangered Spaces: The Ranger

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: For Sam Webster, public lands have been interwoven with life from the earliest age. He followed a path into public service with the Park and Forest Service, choosing stability and the ability to contribute to the great good. Until Feb 14th changed that course forever. What happens when the foundation you've built a life on begins to crumble?

Growing Home

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: Raised in the hollers of West Virginia, coal ran deep in Corey Lilly’s family, but it was the local ski hill with 600 feet of vertical that sparked his imagination and started an improbable run into professional skiing. After a head injury permanently impacted his vision and ended his career, Corey returned home to a struggling economy and the depths of the opioid epidemic. It takes a certain kind of person to see opportunity where others miss it and Corey went to work building a new future for himself and his community

Mountain Reinvention

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: After his personal life takes a surprise turn, Luis Alonzo dares to reinvent himself by trying something far outside his comfort zone– climbing Mt. Rainier. With a crew of other novice climbers, Luis spends six months prepping for summit day. Will the climb move him closer to being the person he wants to be?

Mayor Of Eldo

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: When Aubrey Runyon first climbed in Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon State Park, it was for fun. When she returned several years later, Aubrey was needing a place to call home. Over the years, her relationship with Eldo has weaved between recreation and survival, and eventually healing and love. When Aubrey faced a new big challenge, she leaned on Eldo for strength by way of a big goal– to reach 10,000 pitches in the park.

Alpine Classroom

Role: Director, Producer, Interviewer, Editor, Writer, Narration, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: A young man hungry to learn how to recreate in the mountains, and a veteran guide leading the NOLS course in the Waddington Range of British Columbia. Their recollections of the trip, the challenges they face and the moments they find memorable, do not always line up.

Elwha River Recovery

Role: Producer, Interviewer, Writer, Narration

Synopsis: After a decades-long battle on Washington State’s Elwha River, a coalition of environmentalists, scientists and locals succeed in having two dams demolished. Six years later, scientists are monitoring the river and larger ecosystem as they recover from a century of abuse. And one of the best ways to do the research? Snorkeling Class III whitewater.

Land and Water Conservation Fund

Role: Producer, Interviewer, Writer, Narration

Synopsis: After more than 50 years of bipartisan support, Congress failed to re-authorize the Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the fall of 2018. LWCF grants have protected over 2.3M acres of natural areas and cultural heritage sites and provided recreational opportunities to all Americans across the 50 states. With more than $22 billion on the table, the team at Outdoor Alliance, comprised of avid kayakers, climbers and all-around (reformed) dirtbags, are faced with the daunting task of convincing Congress to reauthorize the funding amidst a contentious political climate.

Tales of Terror Vol 13

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we’ve got creepy sounds in the woods, mysterious, disembodied hands in the night, and hooded figures bearing axes in the desert.

The Castner Range

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: is our guide to one of our newest National Monuments– The Castner Range in El Paso, Texas. She talks with some of the people who worked over decades to make the designation a reality, gives us a window into the biological and cultural significance of the area, and describes a coalition that can be a model for 21st century conservation.

Seeking Caribou

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: Fifteen years ago, went on a solo trip to the Arctic with the hope of seeing the annual caribou migration. Despite mobs of blackflies and an unpleasant encounter with poop, Tim soon found his stride and connected with the natural world in a new way.

Tales of Terror Vol 14

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis:In our annual Tales of Terror episode, we’ve got dark caves, unsettling landscapes, and unexplainable figures in the night. Mua ha ha.

The Dawn all Tipping Point, Pt 1

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: In 2015, climbing became a cultural avalanche. The Dawn Wall was its tipping point. In part one, we talk with the Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times reporter John Branch. We hear about Sandy Russell’s novel project to put The Nose on Google Street View and Tommy Caldwell helps us make sense of the year climbing finally hit the mainstream.

The Dawn all Tipping Point, Pt 2

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: What happens when you unexpectedly find yourself in the global spotlight? Tommy Caldwell offers a candid perspective into the personal impacts that the Dawn Wall media coverage had on his life. Almost overnight, the ascent arguably made Tommy the first household name in climbing and inspired an influx of new climbers to the sport.

Soviet Speed

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: This year's Olympic climbers weren’t the original USA climbing team. That honor actually goes to a rag-tag group of adventurous dirtbags including Beth Wald, Russ Clune and Todd Skinner, who managed to travel to the USSR at the tail end of the Cold War to compete in a one of a kind climbing competition.

Forerunner

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: Right now, the spotlight shines brightly on the newest generation of competition climbers, but the path they’re following was blazed by those before them. Today, we talk with Alex Johnson, or AJ, who has ridden the highs and lows of professional climbing over the last 20 years. She won her first bouldering national competition at age 12 before going on to win two golds at Bouldering World Cups. Her career charts a fascinating shift in climbing culture, the comp circuit and the hurdles to being a professional climber.

Try Harder

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: When it comes to the Olympics, we will probably never see a climbing competitor like Kyra Condie again. While other competitors in Tokyo have had the benefit of robust, government-funded national programs or boutique climbing teams, 23-year-old Kyra has spent the better part of a decade as her own coach and trainer while navigating the highest levels of international competition.

When Climbing Takes Flight

Role: Editor, Sound Design, Score

Synopsis: By the mid 2000’s climbing was growing, but the ephemeral first ascents were harder to find. Enter BASE jumping. The leaders of our sport stepped to the edge and jumped into the golden age of human flight. With it, a whole new element of risk arrived in climbing. We talk with Randy Leavitt, Chris McNamara and Steph Davis, who helped pioneer the movement.

1.541.521.9531 Based in Seattle, WA