About Redbird

After 15 years working in journalism, documentary and nonprofit fundraising, Suzi started Redbird Media Group in 2014.  Since then, she’s gratefully collaborated with local artists in the film and video industries.

In late 2019, Suzi and Christian crossed paths on a Redbird project for Maine Community Foundation. When Suzi thanked Christian for lending a hand on set, their conversation quickly settled into talking gear, storytelling and travels.

Those initial sparks of friendship ignited a creative partnership. In early 2020, Suzi invited Christian to traverse the icy Maine rivers to capture Atlantic salmon preservation. There’s nothing like passing expensive gear over open water while wearing waders to build trust! Christian joined Redbird full-time in 2021.

Founder / Principal

Suzi Pond

Suzi founded Redbird Media group in 2014 as a way to weave together her experiences in journalism, documentary and nonprofit fundraising. She’s a graduate of Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and her audio stroytelling has been heard on NPR. She is still the kid who rents documentaries for fun.

Suzi is an awarding-winning digital journalist, producer and storyteller.

Her journalism background includes staff positions at Boston magazines, MaineToday.com and the Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram. Her work has appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered.

In 2011, after 10 years in journalism, Suzi became Chief Storyteller at United Way of Greater Portland where she created video and audio content that helped engage the community and fundraise for the organization.

She teaches audio documentary and storytelling workshops at the Quartz Mountain Institute and Maine Media Workshops. She studied audio storytelling in 2008 at the SALT Institute for Documentary Studies. Her collaborative film, “Let’s Make a Deal” won First Place at the 2008 Portland Phoenix Film Festival.

She calls Maine home.

Director of Photography

Christian Kayiteshonga

Christian approaches storytelling with beauty and resonance in mind. He started early thanks to a camera from his Dad. Today, his hands feel empty without one.

Christian has had the opportunity to travel across a few countries as a filmmaker, to learn and experience cultures and integrate them into the entertainment and media arts. He began his interest in photography and filmmaking in 2010 and has since improved his way into telling stories through the lens of his camera. Christian’s experiences also include working with several celebrities and politicians of high profiles. In December 2012, to pursue his true passion for creating beautiful, moving visuals, Christian moved to Florida to learn the craft of Film Making at Full Sail University where he graduated in 2015 and since then has continued to grow his craft of visual storytelling.

Sound Engineer

Alice Anderson

Alice studies waveforms and frequencies and is our audio magician behind the scenes. She’s also a integral part of Redbird’s podcasts. She brings the West Coast vibes.

Alice is a proud Oregonian who fell in love with Maine and has been here since 2008. Besides her work at Redbird, Alice spends time at Acadia Recording Company as an audio engineer and at WMPG’s Blunt Youth Radio. When she’s not staring at spectrograms she enjoys sewing, tending to her community garden plot, and beating people at cribbage.

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.

Mary Oliver, “Sometimes,” Red Bird