Originally from New Orleans, Kimberly earned her BFA in Theatrical Performance with an emphasis in Directing from the University of Southern Mississippi before returning home to get her MFA in Film Production from the University of New Orleans. Her short film “The Portrait” was critically acclaimed at the Louisiana Shorts Festival, earning the Gold Award in 2003, and went on to be shown in numerous festivals in New York and California. Following Hurricane Katrina, Kimberly was selected by the New Orleans Video Access Center to create a short film on the aftermath of the horrible storm. This resulted in the short documentary “L’esprit du coeur” (Spirit of the Heart), which is now part of the digital archive at the Smithsonian Institute.

    “It has been my dream to produce a compelling, feature-length documentary on the FIRST Robotics Competition ever since I worked my first regional event as an assistant event manager four years ago. The competition was amazing. It had all the excitement of a football game that literally had me on the edge of my seat, but the students, the mentors, and the volunteers were all kind to each other! These teams would help each other with their robots even if they were competing against each other in the next round. It was refreshing to experience this type of “gracious professionalism” which is integral to the spirit of the competition.  Throughout my four years with FIRST, I have heard so many inspiring and life changing stories that I want to share them with the rest of the world.”               - Kimberly Gibbs

    Born in San Francisco, California, G. Lewis took to film at a young age studying both film history and theory in middle school. His passion grew and he eventually earned a BA in Film Production from USC’s prestigious film school. He went on to direct numerous short films and music videos, and in 2006 produced his first feature film, “Our Feature Presentation”, directed by Gardner Loulan. Today G. Lewis produces material for Al Gore’s Emmy Award winning cable network Current TV.

    “When Kim approached me about this project I thought it would be a great way to spread the word of this incredible sport. These kids are some of the most enthusiastic, inspiring, and unique young people I have ever met. Their heart, mind, will, drive and determination, all give me great hope in a brighter future. And yet, more then that, the confidence, the teamwork, and the acceptance I see in these kids is what draws me in. They all love and care about each other and the world around them. Unlike a lot of teenagers I see, these kids aren’t spoiled or selfish, they are completely selfless in their charity, they truly want to help the world become a better place. Which inspires an old idealist like me to help them reach their goal.” -G. Lewis Heslet