“While working on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea as a conservationist I learned about an animal so mysterious that its elusive nature was legendary. The more I learned the more I realized something needed to be done to protect them from the illegal bushmeat trade and habitat loss.”

— Justin Jay

The Drill - What started it all

Hunted throughout their range drills have become one of the world’s least known and most endangered species of primates as well as one of the largest of monkeys. Begining in 2010, it has been the mission of Drill Films to bring these amazing and charismatic animals to the international stage in order to raise much needed awareness of their existance. Through this, we hope that others will step up to help protect, not only the drills but the areas they inhabit and other species like them. In this we strive to be on the fighting side in the preservation of earth’s biodiversity.

Since our initial conservation film “El Proyecto del mono Dril” we have since partnered with Gulo Films Productions and assembled a team of dedicated individuals for the undertaking of a lifetime. The drill’s reputation for being nearly impossible to film was put to the test after spending months in the field trying to tell their story for the first time ever. Through countless hours tracking these ghosts of the forest and many more spent in a hide we began to piece together their secret lives.

Now with the completion of the film “Lost Kings of Bioko” airing internationally begining fall 2019 we are one step closer to achieving these goals.

Moving forward we continue to build on our knowledge gained while working in extreme environments in dangerously remote places. As a front line production company Drill Films is dedicated to finding and telling stories of the natural world. We hope that through employing our craft, skill and experience we can help alleviate the world’s suffering while delivering content of the highest broadcast standards.

Justin Jay

Begining as a wildlife biologist Justin has worked for government agencies such as the USGS, Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Natural Resources in his home state of South Carolina. Since 2010 he has been a conservationist and filmmaker spending much of his time in west/central Africa raising awareness for endangered species. Justin is an accomplished wildlife camera operator and writer who loves living in primitive conditions while employing his specialty of field craft in remote locations.

Tania Escobar Orihuela

Tania Escobar is a director of photography and filmmaker from Mexico, currently based in Brazil. She specializes in filming wildlife behavior and documentary. Since 2014 she has been working in Equatorial Guinea - Africa, filming Drill Monkeys for NDR|Naturfilm documentary “The Lost Kings of Bioko” and BBC “Primates”

Kyle Lawing

As an environmental geologist Kyle has spent much of his career in remote locations conducting research for government agencies, power plants and environmental groups. He’s at home in the field and there’s no better person to coordinate logistics for our complicated international shoots in hard to get places.

Shelley Smith

Shelley is a freelance camera operator and videographer currently located in Brooklyn, NY. Nature and wildlife have always been a prominent component in Shelley’s life but her urge to create led her to pursue fine arts while at the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC. Desperate to find a way to continue being creative while focusing on the subjects and issues most important to her, Shelley eventually came to find her future in environmental and wildlife conservation film. The Drill Project has been a monumental part of Shelley’s transition into wildlife film and her passion for the project is eternal.