Fight or Flight

Filmmaker: Lindsey Hagen (Director)
Envoys: Lindsey Hagen (Director), Denise Joi (Subject)

Synopsis: Fight or Flight chronicles the journey of the first female pilot employed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She shares her story of how she overcame childhood trauma by taking to the sky. Drawn to flying as a means to flee her early life, she pursues a career in professional aviation and discovers she must first assemble the tools required to face her past and heal.

About the Envoys:

Lindsey Hagen is an Oscar qualified Director, Executive Producer and Development Executive with a focus on cause related storytelling. Lindsey has a background in sales and marketing, journalism, brand strategy and documentary filmmaking. She leads a successful career ideating and pitching meaningful stories to brand and network partners, creating compelling human centered films and campaigns. Lindsey currently leads development efforts at gnarly bay studios based in RI and CO. Lindsey’s films have gone onto Oscar qualifying festivals like Tribeca, DocNYC, BigSky and Outfest and have won numerous Staff Picks and Telly Awards. Her film “After Skid Row” Oscar Qualified in 2023 and was acquired by The LA Times Short Docs program, her film “California Natural” was nominated for the James Beard Commercial Media Award and her short documentary “High Road” was voted Vimeo’s Best of Year in the branded film category.

Denise Joi is the first and only female pilot hired by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and has been a full time Wildlife/Natural Resource pilot for 9 years. Before this she flew summers in Alaska within Denali and St. Elias National Parks. An ATP MEI rated pilot, Denise volunteers and flies with wildlife conservation organizations overseas in Central America and Zambia, spending a season coordinating flights in Antarctica. Out of plane, she is an avid outdoors woman, and hikes to the high alpine lakes she stocks aerially with trout for Colorado. She’s been to over 100 lakes that nestle above 3500 meters.