Oceanic Preservation Society- Who We Are

Who We Are

Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) is a non-profit organization that creates film, photography and media, inspiring people to save the oceans. Founded in 2005 by renowned photographer and avid diver Louie Psihoyos, OPS is headquartered in Boulder, CO, conveniently between two oceans.
OPS's first film, The Cove, has won dozens of awards around the world, including the Oscar® for Best Documentary in 2009, and inspired over a million people to action.

Oceanic Preservation Society is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) private foundation.

Louie Psihoyos - Executive Director

The Executive Director of OPS, Louie Psihoyos, is widely regarded as one of the world's most prominent still photographers. He has circled the globe dozens of times for National Geographic and has shot hundreds of covers for other magazines including Fortune Magazine, Smithsonian, Discover, GEO, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Rock and Ice. His work has also been seen on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television and the History Channel. His imagination, wit, and iconic imagery have helped illustrate a wide array of complex subjects and is carried over to his filmmaking.

Psihoyos' first documentary film, The Cove, has won over 70 awards globally from festivals and critics, including the Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature in 2009. The Cove touches many with its unflinching examination of a dark subject and its ability to reveal the humanity and compassion in each of us. Its underlying themes transcend the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji to address the larger picture of the threat our entire world faces due to human impacts.

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Board Members

Richard Schaden

Louie Psihoyos

OPS Team

Olivia Ahnemann - Producer

Olivia Ahnemann has been producing and directing documentary films since 1998. At the Oceanic Preservation Society she is the producer of a feature length documentary that aims to educate its audience about the 6th mass extinction and inspire us all to change our energy use. She was also co-producer of The Cove.
Olivia has produced and directed documentaries on a variety of subjects. She has profiled Winston Blackmore’s polygamist clan in British Columbia for National Geographic and Europe’s royal families for A&E; followed BASE jumpers in Chamonix, France and big wave surfers in South Africa, Hawaii, Mexico and Tahiti for Warren Miller Entertainment; and filmed men and women building the new Bay Bridge in Oakland for Discovery.
Other television credits include programs for National Geographic, PBS, Discovery, The Outdoor Life Network, Fox Family and Travel Channel. Olivia has contributed to several independent films including “Enlighten Up!”, which had a nationwide theatrical release in 2008.

Candace Crespi - Operations and Logistics, Public Relations

Candace grew up in south Florida, spending most of her childhood diving, boating, and exploring our oceans. She graduated from Tulane University in 2007 with a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology, and has been actively working towards environmental justice with various organizations ever since. An activist at heart, Candace has helped out on many international campaigns aimed at halting rainforest destruction, slowing ocean acidification, and protecting endangered species. An avid scuba diver, she has seen first hand the destruction to coral reefs all over the world. Candace is deeply committed to marine conservation, and believes that by sharing the wonders of the ocean and marine life, people will be inspired to protect it. Her positive attitude, core values, and infectious personality make her a perfect fit for the OPS team.

Gina Papabeis - Projects Manager / Associate Producer

Gina is a graduate of Florida State University's Film School with a BFA in Film Production and a minor in Biology. She loves being part of the OPS team and the opportunity it brings to merge her appreciation of film, visual arts, nature, science and social change. Although it can be challenging, she feels a responsibility to save the planet and to inspire others to join in the good fight.

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