Waianae Moku, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
Pākē Salmon
Founder · Mākaha Angels Productions
Cultural Navigator · Filmmaker · Agentic Strategist · Mana Wahine
Core Mission
Pacifika Storytelling
Through Agentic Efficiency
I am a Native Hawaiian filmmaker, cultural navigator, and AI-first strategist based on the west side of Oʻahu. For over 20 years I have been telling stories that most of the world has never seen — from the ocean floors of Mākaha to the ancient stones of Easter Island. Through Mākaha Angels Productions — my Agentic Creative Agency — I combine that cinematic authority with AI-native systems to help organizations, brands, trades companies, and communities tell their stories with the same depth, precision, and cultural integrity I bring to my own work.
My ultimate objective is to build Indigenous economic sovereignty and cultural perpetuation across Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Every project I take on — whether for a local business, a trades company, a nonprofit, a foundation, or a streaming platform — runs through my proprietary operating system: the A.N.S. — Ahupuaʻa Navigation System.
Cinematic Excellence
20+ years of professional Hollywood film and television production in Hawaiʻi.
Cultural Authority
Native Hawaiian authorship, Indigenous sovereignty, and ethical storytelling at every level. Kanaka Maoli systems building at its finest!
Agentic Efficiency
AI does the heavy lifting. I keep it pono with Kanaka at the roots.
Proprietary Methodology
The Ahupuaʻa Navigation System
The traditional Hawaiian Ahupuaʻa — a land division running from mountain to the ocean — is my operating system. Each zone governs a distinct layer of how I work, from strategic intelligence to global reach.
KA ʻĀINA
Strategic Foundation
My proprietary intelligence layer. The AI-workflow and prompt architecture I have built ensures production quality, branding, and strategic logic remain peerless. This is the cultural sovereignty layer — where every decision is grounded in Hawaiian values and ancestral knowledge.
- AI-workflow and prompt architecture
- Cultural sovereignty and brand integrity
- Strategic direction and project intelligence
- The 'Chief of War' — the mind behind every campaign
KA NALU
Mauka to Makai — The Production Engine
The Menehune Film Academy — my 501(c)3 nonprofit — is the production engine. This is where my Menehune build the work. The training ground for the next generation, producing real assets using the protocols I define at the ʻĀina layer. Youth filmmakers, storytellers, and creators working in rhythm.
- Menehune Film Academy (501c3) production arm
- Youth filmmaker training and mentorship
- Film, B-roll, and media asset production
- Heʻe Story Methodology — 8-step storytelling cycle
KE KAI
Client-Facing Methodology
My client-facing methodology. How I navigate the world — steering projects, managing expectations, and applying the Navigator's intuition to ensure every engagement is aligned with my standards. Pono practice. Ethical compass. Strategic direction.
Cultural Navigator
Strategic Direction
Pono Practice
Ethical Compass
KA MOANA
Global Reach — The Living Network
The mission. My ultimate objective is to build Indigenous economic sovereignty and cultural perpetuation across the Pacific. Stories shared with community, funders, partners, and platforms. The living network that connects Polynesian diaspora across the Moana — honoring Kanaloa.
- Pacifika Voyager documentary series
- Community, funders, and distribution partners
- Indigenous economic sovereignty
- Cultural perpetuation honoring our kūpuna, moʻolelo, and wahi pana — our sacred spaces.
Surfing into the cosmos · Mākaha, Oʻahu
The Navigator
PĀKĒ SALMON
Founder · Director · Cultural Navigator
Native Hawaiian filmmaker, director, and cultural navigator with over 20 years of professional experience — from Hollywood productions to the open Pacific. One of the few women in ocean culture to be recognized as a waterman — a title that speaks to a lifetime of mastery in the sea.
Her work spans Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, E Magazine, Art New Zealand, ABC Australia, PBS Hawaiʻi, the Bishop Museum, and the British Museum. The iconic surf film Blue Crush drew from the world Pākē lived — actress Michelle Rodriguez spent time in the ocean with Pākē at Mākaha, absorbing her energy and mastery to embody the character inspired by her life.
She has worked alongside actress Daryl Hannah, rock n roll legend Neil Young, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Pacifika artist Rosanna Raymond. Hired by the Pacific Sisters collective, Pākē produced the Pacific Sisters Retrospect — presented at Te Papa Tongarewa in Aotearoa.
Selected cultural works: FestPac documentary shorts — Kalehua Krueg, Tapa master Dalani Tanahy, a waʻa story honoring navigator Papa Mau Piailug; and a key role in the Bishop Museum surfing exhibition honoring Uncle Buffalo Keaulana.
Founder of Mākaha Angels Productions and the Menehune Film Academy — a 501(c)3 nonprofit training Indigenous youth in real-world filmmaking and media.
See Pākē's Full Story →Mana wahine. Waterwoman. Storyteller.
Current Work
Flagship Projects
Long-Form Documentary Series
Pacifika Voyager
Exploring Polynesian and Indigenous connections across the Pacific and Europe through travel, history, art, and cultural survival. Guided by ancestral navigation, cultural memory, and the responsibility to document stories that are often erased.
View Series →501(c)3 Nonprofit
Menehune Film Academy
Training at-risk and Indigenous youth in real-world filmmaking, media, and storytelling skills. The production engine of MAP — where the next generation of Pacifika storytellers are forged.
Visit Site →AI-First Strategy
Agentic AI Systems & Consulting
I am not using AI the way most people are. I build multi-model agentic workflows, autonomous production pipelines, and AI-native content systems that operate at the top 1% of what this technology can do. Sharpened through direct work with AI researcher Steven Cunningham — who sought me out for his CEO Mastermind Lab — my approach integrates AI into every layer of media, recruitment, and brand strategy. Not a shortcut. A full operating system.
Education & Consulting
Cultural Navigation Workshops
Workshops and consulting for Native Hawaiian organizations, creatives, and small businesses on storytelling, media strategy, AI tools, and content workflows. Building sustainable creative ecosystems.
Flagship Documentary Series
PACIFIKA VOYAGER
A long-form documentary series tracing Polynesian and Indigenous connections across the Pacific and Europe — through travel, history, art, and the fight for cultural survival. Guided by ancestral navigation, cultural memory, and the responsibility to document stories that are often erased or misunderstood.
Pākē has already shot 2–3 episodes across Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa, and Europe — including Italy and Vienna — tracing the living threads of Polynesian diaspora, ancestral art forms, and Indigenous resistance that mainstream media has never told.
Each episode follows Pākē as director, host, and cultural navigator — moving through landscapes, communities, and histories that connect the Pacific to the world. The series is built on the principle that Indigenous stories are not relics. They are living intelligence.
Pacifika Voyager is currently in active development and seeking distribution partners, co-production investment, and cultural collaborators who understand the weight and the opportunity of this work.
SIZZLE REEL
Coming Soon to YouTube — Contact Pākē for screener access →
2–3 Episodes Shot · Hawaiʻi · Aotearoa · Italy · Vienna
Distribution & Investment Inquiries: Contact Pākē →
Menehune Film Academy
Training the Next Generation of Pacifika Storytellers
The Menehune Film Academy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to training at-risk and Indigenous youth in real-world filmmaking, media, and storytelling skills. We use the Heʻe Story Methodology — an 8-step storytelling cycle — as our core curriculum.
Our students are not just learning craft — they are becoming cultural navigators, preserving stories that would otherwise be lost, and building sustainable creative careers rooted in their own communities.
Visit Menehune Film Academy →Full 8-step Heʼe Story Methodology — Menehune Film Academy
Student Film — Official Festival Selection
HIFF ʻŌpio Fest 2026
The Wayfinders of Waiʻanae
Native Hawaiian youth from the Menehune Film Academy honor the living legacy of kūpuna — featuring the Leeward Kai Canoe Club and the legacy of Buffalo Keaulana. Intergenerational storytelling rooted in ocean knowledge, canoe culture, and cultural preservation.
Photo: Warren Bolster/SHACC
Expert Consulting
Consult With
Pākē
I operate at the intersection of cinematic storytelling, Indigenous cultural authority, and agentic AI strategy. This is not a starter service. I work with organizations, nonprofits, trades companies, platforms, and brands who are serious about authentic storytelling, AI-first systems, and sustainable creative infrastructure.
Pākē brings 20+ years of real industry experience — Hollywood productions, international press, award-winning documentary, and deep kānaka cultural knowledge — to every engagement. You are not hiring a consultant. You are bringing in a cultural navigator.
Agentic Creative Strategy
Strategy · AI · SystemsAI-powered content systems and workflows designed for Indigenous organizations, nonprofits, and creative enterprises. Built to sustain — not to burn out.
Documentary & Film Production
Film · Documentary · CulturalFull-service cinematic production rooted in Pacific storytelling. From concept and cultural consultation through shoot, edit, and distribution strategy.
Brand & Media Consulting
Brand · Story · MediaFor organizations ready to communicate at a higher level. Story architecture, visual identity, and content strategy grounded in real cultural authority.
Workshops & Keynotes
Education · Community · TrainingFilmmaking, media strategy, and AI tools for communities, schools, and aligned institutions. Curriculum rooted in the Heʻe Story Methodology.
I select engagements carefully. Inquiries from funders, production companies, Indigenous organizations, trades companies, and aligned brands are welcome.
Begin the Voyage
Ready to Navigate
Your Story?
From the roots of the ʻāina to the vast moana, I turn your story into a force that moves people. Let’s ride the nalu together.