Executive Team
Derek Hoffmann — Executive Director
Derek Hoffmann was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where the ocean at Sandy Beach sparked his passion for photography. After graduating from Kaiser High School in Hawaii Kai in 1984, he moved to the North Shore, where he learned to navigate its much larger waves. In 1987, he purchased an 8mm video camera and had a custom water housing built by Taro Pascual. This allowed him to shoot video from the water, and shortly thereafter, he began filming in 16mm for Scott Dittrich and Mike McFadden.
Derek captured 16mm footage from the water for the 1991 theatrical release of "Rolling Thunder." Watching his footage on the big screen defined the trajectory of his lifelong career. During this period, he met his mentor, Chris Bystrom, who flew him to Australia in 1990. Bystrom taught Derek how to create surf movies, and together, they traveled across Australia filming for his projects.
Over the following decades, Derek built a successful career as a camera operator and producer, contributing to hundreds of episodes of prime-time television. He currently works as a camera operator on Survivor. Before his television career, he traveled the world filming surf for Rip Curl's legendary Search program alongside his close friend and collaborator, filmmaker Sonny Miller in the early 90s.
When Miller passed away suddenly in 2014, Derek stepped in to assist his family. In the process, he discovered a calling that extended beyond any single film. Faced with decades of irreplaceable archival footage at risk of being lost forever, he began the painstaking work of hauling, organizing, and preserving Miller's archive. This effort eventually led to the creation of Nalu TV and later the Nalu Film Foundation.
Today, Derek serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation, where he is dedicated to digitizing, protecting, and sharing the historic moving images of surfing and action sports. The Foundation also aims to support the next generation of filmmakers by providing funding and mentorship through grants, internships, and educational programs. Derek lives in his hometown of Hawaii Kai with his wife.
Kamna Mishra Upadhyaya — Treasurer
Kamna is a strategic finance executive with 30+ years of global leadership across industries including real estate, infrastructure, telecommunications, FMCG, investment banking, and hospitality. She partners with CEOs, boards, and executive leadership to guide capital allocation, investment strategy, governance, and enterprise performance, enabling sustainable growth and long-term value creation. Based in Honolulu, Hawaii.
(Joe) Prabhas Upadhyaya — Secretary
A proven leader and decision maker, Joe's 25+ years of diverse work experience and an Executive MBA (with honors) has led to a well-rounded business background in Marketing, Management, and Finance. His strengths are excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, with a strong track record of successfully developing effective inter-personal relationships with clients, senior management, and fellow staff members. Currently serving as Vice President at Hawaiian Agents Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Board of Directors
Nathan Fletcher — Board Member
Nathan Fletcher was born into one of surfing's most storied dynasties — grandson of fabric pioneer and North Shore legend Walter Hoffmann, son of surf icon Herbie Fletcher, and younger brother of aerial innovator Christian Fletcher. With that lineage came extraordinary early ability and extraordinary pressure. By 12, he was surfing Pipeline and Waimea. By 16, he'd walked away entirely, trading surfboards for motocross helmets and the anonymity of a finish line.
His return was announced in unforgettable fashion. At the 1998 Gotcha Pro in Tahiti, on a then-unknown wave called Teahupoo during a monster swell, Fletcher posted back-to-back perfect 10s — a display of purely instinctive charging that signaled the reemergence of one of surfing's most complete watermen.
What followed was a career defined not by contest results, but by a relentless pursuit of the ocean's most consequential moments. He helped spark the modern paddle-in big wave movement on a foggy December morning at Mavericks in 2008, inspiring a generation of chargers to return to the sport's roots. Years later, he booked a last-minute flight to Tahiti on a hunch — and was towed into what many consider one of the heaviest waves ever ridden at Teahupoo, a 30-foot-face monster that nearly swallowed him whole. That willingness to show up unprepared and fully committed has always been his signature.
As a Board Member of Nalu Film Foundation, Nathan brings that same instinct to the work of preserving surf history — including the archives of his father Herbie, whose films and footage are now part of the Nalu Vault.
Herbie Fletcher — Board Member
Herbie Fletcher is a surf legend, shaper, and innovator — patriarch of the iconic Fletcher dynasty. Herbie secured a Clark Foam franchise in the Hawaiian Islands and honed his shaping skills before opening the Herbie Fletcher Surf Shop in Dana Point. His slogan, 'The Thrill is Back,' captured the spirit of a surf industry explosion. He pioneered Astrodeck, became the outer reef jet ski king, and helped develop tow-in surfing. His Wave Warriors and Astrodeck team videos became one of the most iconic video series ever. The Fletcher family — including sons Christian and Nathan, and grandson Greyson — continues to be an integral part of the surfing, skating, and snowboarding community.
Rick Haynes — Board Member
Rick Haynes is a 50-year California resident and Real Estate Specialist, owner of Haynes Properties LLC and Haynes Real Estate Investments, with offices in Fresno and Arroyo Grande, California. Rick owns the HomeVestors Franchise for the Central Valley Fresno area — one of the fastest growing HomeVestors Franchises in the Western United States. Haynes Properties LLC focuses on purchasing and rehabilitating single-family and multi-family residences for resale to both the homeowner and investor markets, while also maintaining a rental portfolio and offering real estate investment returns on First Trust Deeds.
Rick graduated cum laude from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and is a member of the Pismo Coast Association of Realtors, Fresno Association of Realtors, the California Bureau of Real Estate, and the National Association of Realtors. When not working, Rick enjoys time with his wife and two children. He is an avid pilot whose hobbies include golf, sailing, and finding new properties to rehabilitate.
Rick joins the Nalu Film Foundation Board of Directors in honor of his brother, the late Larry Haynes — a celebrated filmmaker whose archives are preserved and managed by the Foundation.
Our Staff
Richard Cheski — Archivist
Richard Cheski grew up on the island of O'ahu. It was there that he developed a love for surfing and all things related to the ocean. He first picked up a camera at age thirteen and hasn't stopped taking pictures since. Richard went on to study Photography and Film at the University of Utah where he also found a new passion for snowboarding and filmmaking. It was through combining his love of action sports and photography that allowed him to work around the world as an Adventure Sports Photographer and Cinematographer for commercial clients. He and his wife now live in Orange County, California. Richard has comprehensive Digital Media knowledge and experience in photography and cinema production and is the lead archivist who is scanning and digitizing the Nalu Vault Archives.
Craig Hoffmann
Craig Hoffmann is an award-winning filmmaker and director born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is best known for producing and directing surf-centric documentaries alongside his brother, Derek Hoffmann. Their notable projects include the 2010 award-winning film 'Fiberglass and Megapixels,' which explores the extreme and specialized world of surf cinematographers and photographers. He also directed the 2006 film 'The Freddy P Project: Interrogation' and the 2007 gospel-surf film 'The Seven Mile Miracle,' which explores the spiritual heart of the North Shore's legendary waves. Their films are available to stream on Nalu TV.
