Justine Shapiro 

Since 1994 Justine has been one of the hosts and co-writers of the award-winning travel series, Globe Trekker (formerly known as Lonely Planet). In 2002 Globe Trekker came to PBS in partnership with WETA. Globe Trekker is broadcast in over 30 countries worldwide with a global audience over 30 million (PBS, Discovery International, Discovery Europe, IBA Israel, France 3 and Voyage France, etc). Through her work with Globe Trekker, Justine has had the great pleasure of travelling into and off the beaten track of nearly 40 countries all over the globe.

Justine graduated from Tufts University (Magna Cum Laude with honors in History and Theater) and went on to study theater in Paris for two years. She moved to Los Angeles where she appeared in a few films and TV shows. Whilst in LA she worked part-time as an ESL teacher. Her students were Iraqi Jews, Russian immigrants, and legal and illegal immigrants from Central America and Mexico. Justine encouraged her students to share their stories. The richness of their experience and cultural traditions shattered her interest in acting, and sparked a passion for documentary filmmaking.

In 1993 Justine returned to the San Francisco Bay and began working on documentary film projects. In 1994, during a Globe Trekker shoot in Israel and the West Bank, Justine found herself drawn towards the children's discussions. The strong words and violent emotions that she encountered in her own young Israeli cousins and in the Palestinian children she met, moved her deeply. She and her friend B.Z. discovered they had a common interest in the drama and the power of the Middle East conflict as expressed by children and thus The Promises Film Project was born.