Peter von Puttkamer

Peter Von Puttkamer (born April 8, 1962) is a Canadian filmmaker known his unique approach to adventure documentary series for network television, and for his work with Indigenous communities in his country and around the world. He has won major international awards for his work as a writer, director and producer, and was recently nominated for the 2015 Environmental Media Awards for his Nat Geo series, Biggest & Baddest, which he directed and co-produced with his wife and business partner, Sheera Von Puttkamer. For over thirty years, the couple has run Gryphon Productions and has a catalog that includes hundreds of finished films and videos, many that have appeared on television and cable networks globally and continue to be used in classrooms and outreach centers as educational and advocacy videos.

Peter is an occasional media personality who has appeared on many high profile news programs and talk shows, including popular appearances on Coast To Coast AM with Art Bell and most recently in 2017 with George Noory; and he and his work have been featured in magazines around the world from American Cinematographer, Moviemaker and Discover Magazine.

Peter was born in Bonn, Germany. His parents, Baron Jesco Gunther Heinrich von Puttkamer and Delia von Puttkamer emigrated to Canada where they settled and raised Peter and his sister Carina. Von Puttkamer's father created a resort named Paradise Valley. Paradise Valley resort, which once hosted a music festival that included artists like Joni Mitchell, Chicago, Taj Mahal and The Grateful Dead, employed local native people, which gave Peter a chance to get to know their cultures in a unique and personal way and encouraged him to use his talent as a filmmaker to not only document their lives, but also help improve their conditions.

Peter's half-brother, Jesco Von Puttkamer, a consultant to Gene Roddenberry and a technical advisor for Paramount Pictures Star Trek: the Motion Picture, was an employee of NASA and a Russia expert for the International Space Station. Jesco also received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal, the highest civilian order for outstanding services by a U.S. government agency.

Peter attended the University of British Columbia where he studied English Honours and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television. It was there he met his wife Sheera.

In 1983, Von Puttkamer and his wife formed Gryphon Productions, which has created numerous independent documentaries and programs for television. Their first network documentary was called Spirit of the Mask and it aired in 1992 on Can West Global. The film explored the native mask cultures of the Pacific Northwest and was hosted and narrated by noted anthropologist Wade Davis. Before Spirit was released, Peter produced a series of educational videos, short form documentaries and advocacy films for and about native communities. Projects included “Journey to Strength””In the Heart of the Cedar" 1982; "A Caravan For Youth" 1983; "The Honor of All: The Story of Alkali Lake" 1985.

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