Maui Neutral Zone – Brian Kohne – …and Action !!!

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Jason Schwartz hosts filmmaker and educator Brian Kohne on The Neutral Zone for an in-depth conversation about Maui’s creative media future.

The Interview:  BRIAN KOHNE : County Film Director- College Professor & Program Developer- Writer and Director- of the Arts on Maui – Maui Neutral Zone

Kohne—writer/director of Get a Job and Kuleana (Maui) and Creative Media Program Coordinator at University of Hawaiʻi Maui College—reflects on his journey from youth theater to feature filmmaking, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, collaboration, and adaptability.

He discusses transitioning from comedy to drama, the director–editor relationship, and evolving industry realities. The interview highlights UHMC’s growing Creative Media program, designed to equip students of all ages with versatile skills in filmmaking, design, and marketing, helping cultivate a sustainable local film and media industry grounded in kuleana—shared responsibility to community and culture.

MauiNeutralZone is not about politics. It’s not about blame, and it’s not about telling people what you think.

It’s about holding a vision of the world – and the Maui – we want to live in… and having the courage to act from that vision, even when it’s difficult. Because when communities speak honestly, listen deeply, and work together – real solutions become possible.

Across these subjects and more, MNZ typically contributes to positive community outcomes by

1- Highlighting community voices and lived experience, particularly from local activists and residents.

2- Stimulating public dialogues about pressing issues that may otherwise be under-discussed in mainstream media.

3-Encouraging community resilience and self-advocacy: encouraging mutual aid and resilience hubs and good will.

4- Critiquing systems in ways that inform and reform, even if not providing formal policy prescriptions!

It’s important to note that many episodes focus more on discussion and awareness than on detailed implementation plans. Some solutions are intent-oriented, encouraging stronger community engagement rather than fully developed policy blueprints.

What makes Maui Neutral Zone distinct is that unlike issue-driven programs or partisan media, MNZ functions as a neutral civic forum with 3 defining strengths: Truth Telling, Bridge-Building, and offering Solution Pathways – surfacing community – led ideas, models, and shared values that point towards practical action. MNZ doesn’t prescribe policy- it creates the Conditions for solutions to emerge by building public understanding, amplifying local knowledge and leadership, encourage civil engagement, resilience, and cooperation. It serves as a local and trusted archive of Maui’s collective voice during important moments.

We are evolving into a Solutions Incubator, intentionally linking dialogues between Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and individuals, community led housing initiatives and a future Solution style that is remarkably Co-operative, proposing a Future – Together! A Team Aloha.