Team leaders have said they are committed to him for the long haul, but the two sides (as of press time) have yet to reach agreement. Tagovailoa has said he expects to be paid his market value, which likely means something comparable to the four-year, $212-million contract recently signed by the Detroit Lions’ QB Jared Goff.

Even if a new deal is not reached, Tagovailoa still tops Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2024 list of Hawai‘i’s highest-paid professional athletes – and he will earn the highest annual salary ever for a Hawai‘i athlete.

As a reminder that the window of opportunity for even top athletes is brief, consider Kolten Wong. The former UH baseball standout and two-time Gold Glove winner, who turns 34 on Oct. 10, ranked third on our 2023 survey of Hawai‘i athletes with a salary of $10 million. Today, Wong is out of the major leagues.

Here is our list of athletes with Hawai‘i ties and their 2024 salaries. We list their hometowns and schools if they are in Hawai‘i. Our primary source is Spotrac.com, a website that tracks the contracts of athletes in the major professional sports leagues.

1. Tua Tagovailoa

Quarterback, Miami Dolphins
‘Ewa Beach, Saint Louis School
2024 Salary: $23,171,000
Details: Team exercised fifth-year option on his rookie contract signed in 2020.

2. Deforest Buckner

Defensive Tackle, Indianapolis Colts
Wai‘anae, Punahou School
2024 Salary: $20.25 million*
Details: Part of a four-year, $84-million contract signed in 2021. In April 2024, he signed a two-year extension totaling $46 million
*Includes an $18-million signing bonus

3. Isaac Suemalo

Guard, Pittsburgh Steelers
Born in Honolulu
2024 Salary: $7,875,000
Details: Three-year contract (2023-2025): $24 million

4. Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays
Honolulu, Mid-Pacific Institute
2024 Salary: $7.5 MILLION
Details: Two-year contract (2024-2025): $15 million

5. Ka‘imi Fairbairn

Placekicker, Houston Texans
Kailua, Punahou School
2024 Salary: $6.33 million*
Details: Three-year contract (2024-2026): $15.9 million
*Includes $4.3-million signing bonus

6. Marcus Mariota

Quarterback, Washington Commanders
Honolulu, Saint Louis School
2024 Salary: $6 million*
Details: One-year contract
*Includes a $3-million signing bonus

7. Alohi Gilman

Safety, Los Angeles Chargers
Lā‘ie, Kahuku H.S.
2024 Salary: $5,625,000*
Details: Two-year contract (2024-2025): $10,125,000
*Includes a $4.5-million signing bonus

8. Kirby Yates

Relief Pitcher, Texas Rangers
Līhu‘e, Kaua‘i H.S.
2024 Salary: $4.5 million
Details: One-year contract

9. Nate Herbig

Guard, Pittsburgh Steelers
Līhu‘e, Saint Louis School
2024 Salary: $4 million
Details: Two-year contract (2023-2024): $8 million

10. Josh Rojas

Third Baseman, Seattle Mariners
UH
2024 Salary: $3.1 million
Details: One-year contract

11. Jahlani Tavai

Linebacker, New England Patriots
UH
2024 Salary: $2,875,000*
Details: Three-year contract (2022-2024): $4.4 million
*Includes a $510,000 roster bonus, $100,000 workout bonus and $1-million incentives bonus

12. Jamin Davis

Linebacker, Washington Commanders
Born in Honolulu
2024 Salary: $2,541,024
Details: Four-year contract (2021-2024): $13,794,176

13. Rigoberto Sanchez

Punter, Indianapolis Colts
UH
2024 Salary: $2.5 million*
Details: Three-year contract (2024-2026): $7.5 million
*Includes $1.25-million roster bonus

14. Roman Wilson

Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kīhei, Saint Louis School
2024 Salary: $1,793,304*
Details: Four-year contract (2024-2027): $5,745,168
*Includes a $998,304 signing bonus

15. Marist Liufau

Linebacker, Dallas Cowboys
Honolulu, Punahou School
2024 Salary: $1,754,284*
Details: Four-year contract (2024-2027): $5,691,514
*Includes a $959,284 signing bonus

16. Kamu Grugier-Hill

Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings
Honolulu, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama
2024 Salary: $1,377,500*
Details: One-year contract
*Includes $142,500 signing bonus

17. Netane Muti

Guard, Detroit Lions
Leilehua H.S.
2024 Salary: $1,055,000
Details: One-year contract

18. Breiden Fehoko

Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers
Honolulu, Farrington H.S.
2024 Salary: $1,055,000
Details: One-year contract

19. Darius Muasau

Linebacker, New York Giants
Mililani H.S., UH
2024 Salary: $995,912*
Details: Four-year contract (2024-2027): $4,220,912
*Includes a $200,912 signing bonus

20. Bradlee Anae

Defensive End, Atlanta Falcons
Lā‘ie, Kahuku H.S.
2024 Salary: $985,000
Details: One-year contract

21. Nick Herbig

Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kalaheo (Kaua‘i), Saint Louis School
2024 Salary: $915,000
Details: Four-year contract (2023-2026): $4,512,920

22. Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu

Tackle, Baltimore Ravens
Kea‘au H.S.
2024 Salary: $915,000
Details: Four-year contract (2023-2026) $4,013,192

23. Andrei Iosivas

Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
Honolulu, Punahou School
2024 Salary: $915,000
Details: Four-year contract (2023-2026): $3,999,384

24. Kana‘i Mauga

Linebacker, Las Vegas Raiders
Wai‘anae, Wai‘anae H.S.
2024 Salary: $915,000
Details: One-year contract

25. Jonah Laulu

Defensive Tackle, Indianapolis Colts
UH
2024 Salary: $899,520*
Details: Four-year contract (2024-2027): $4,124,520
*Includes a $104,520 signing bonus

26. Jordan Murray

Tight End, Indianapolis Colts
UH
2024 Salary: $795,000
Details: One-year contract

27. Cade Smith

Pitcher, Cleveland Guardians
UH
2024 Salary: $740,000
Details: One-year contract

United Football League

In late 2023, the United States Football League and XFL merged to form the United Football League. Co-owned by one-time Hawai‘i resident Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (McKinley H.S.), the eight-team league debuted in March 2024, with each team playing 10 regular-season games and the top four teams advancing to the playoffs.

While the UFL does not release individual player salaries, the stated goal is to pay players equally, regardless of position. Minimum salaries are $5,500 per week ($2,500 for inactive players), plus additional money for housing $400 per week), training camp ($850 per week). There are also performance bonuses. (For example, former UH offensive lineman Kohl Levao received $2,500 for earning All-UFL Team honors.)

Here are UFL players with Hawai‘i ties:

1. Dae Dae Hunter

Running Back, Arlington Renegades
UH

2. Kohl Levao

Guard, San Antonio Brahmas
UH

3. Jordan Ta‘amu

Quarterback, DC Defenders
Pearl City, Pearl City H.S.

4. Mika Tafua

Defensive End, Michigan Panthers
Lā‘ie, Kamehameha Schools Kapālama

5. Calvin Turner

Wide Receiver, San Antonio Brahmas
UH

LPGA

1. Allisen Corpuz

Pro Golfer, LPGA Tour
Honolulu, Punahou School
Earnings so far in 2024: $167,383

Grazel Caceres, the lead wildlife biologist for Pūlama Lāna‘i, says she and her team work in forests, on mountains and other terrain on Lāna‘i to establish and protect local wildlife so the animal and plant species can survive and flourish.

For example, they keep predators out of an area on Lāna‘i that is one of the most important remaining habitats for ‘ua‘u, an endemic and now endangered seabird also known as the Hawaiian petrel.

Caceres finds ‘ua‘u fascinating and loves their resilience and instinctive nature, and their biological and cultural history.

“They are long-lived birds – 35 years or more – and become lifetime nesting partners. They were useful for voyagers in navigation and were a food source for Hawaiian royalty. Their guano, or excrement, provides nitrogen in their colony areas, which is important for the health of our native forests,” says Caceres.

“They’re easy to study and protect for future generations to experience. It is part of our history that still exists.”

The ‘ua‘u tend to nest in burrows on steep slopes. Despite the challenges, Caceres and her team carefully examine their breeding habits and successful nest hatchings, and observe behavior and seasonal variations that can dictate breeding locations and migration patterns.

They also work with ‘ua‘u kani, better known as wedgetailed shearwater, kāhuli (the Hawaiian tree snail) and ‘īlio holo i ka uaua, the traditional name for Hawaiian monk seals, which translates to “dog that runs in rough water.” Caceres’ team conducts surveys and rehabilitation for those species and traps pests such as stray cats and rats.

Without the work of her and her team, Caceres says, many species might not survive on Lāna‘i.

Though Caceres and her team primarily work with native animals, they also support native plants. “They bring a lot of life to our island and play a big role in keeping our watershed healthy,” says Caceres. “They also provide good ground vegetation for ‘ua‘u.”

She has seen much damage to native habitats from invasive plants such as strawberry guava.

“This tree plant is fast-growing, difficult to control if not done properly, and collects so much of our water to feed itself. Out in the field, they will out-compete the native plants on the landscape,” she says.

Caceres wants everyone to know the impact that plants and animals have on local ecosystems and traditions. Preserving native species not only protects the land but provides connections to Hawaiian culture, roots and history.

“Every native plant or wildlife individual that you see out in the field tells a story because it had importance to the people that inhabited these islands. These resources were key components to survival and their way of life.”

Caceres wants local communities to learn about and participate in conservation and says youth can learn much from hands on exercises.

“Sharing our knowledge about our resources can take many forms, from hosting a formal presentation to just talking story about our work. Allowing youth to be present in the work we do gives them a chance to understand its importance.”

Caceres found her passion for conservation during a high school internship, when she helped remove invasive plants from native species’ habitats. During summers as a teenager, she worked for the conservation nonprofit Kupu and gained experience in habitat control and restoration, predator control, native wildlife monitoring, education and outreach.

“I learned why vegetation clearing and invasive species control was so important; not only to protect our watershed or keep it for the future generation to see, but to also protect and take care of all species that play a role in providing a healthy ecosystem,” she says. “Everything made sense to me.”

Today, she says, she loves seeing the seabirds grow in numbers, native plants flourish and reclaim habitats, and Hawaiian monk seal pups feed and then wean off their mothers. She loves the work, even when it means challenges like an exhausting hike on a humid day.

“I understand that our species are not abundant and without the proper care to protect them, they will likely become extinct. If we lose these species, we will also start to lose our connection to the land, the history that connects to the species that exist and the life that the island depends on.”

This audit was especially useful, says City Auditor Arushi Kumar, because it was published in June 2023, during the City Council’s budget hearings.

“It was a great conversation starter for the budget hearings, as vacancies dominated the conversation,” recalls Kumar. “Every department director was asked about their vacancies and what their plans were to fill them before June 30. So, while it was nice to get recognition at a national level, the ultimate goal is to have an impact at the local level.”

City Council adopted five pieces of legislation related to the audit’s findings and recommendations that affected both city and state agencies.

The city’s auditor is one of many people working behind the scenes in Hawai‘i and across the nation to ensure companies, nonprofits and government agencies follow standards and best practices in finances, operations, IT, HR and other important areas. Auditors aim to provide independent, objective evaluations of operational business activities, and report to senior management.

The judges for the Association of Local Government Auditors awards cited the Honolulu audit’s focus on an issue that was both timely and full of significant risk – risk in terms of dollars at stake and breadth of services affected.

The audit was even more impressive considering the absence of reliable data. The city’s Department of Human Resources couldn’t even provide a timely record of actual vacancies that passed the auditor’s reliability test. While most audit shops would understandably conserve resources and terminate the audit due to unreliable data, the city’s office forged ahead, justifying the decision by pointing out that stakeholders were making critical staffing and budgetary decisions based on faulty data. This helped convince city officials to take action to improve data reliability.

The report also dove into process bottlenecks. For example, it found the city’s HR Department was using four separate unlinked databases for hiring, onboarding and terminating personnel. The department also had no formal process for abolishing old positions that would likely never be filled. This meant that, for an unknown number of vacancies, their related funding could not be released for other priorities.

Beyond Scathing

While “scathing” audits may grab headlines, Kumar says, the perceived friction is necessary to define a problem, unearth its root cause and help fix it: “We are part of government checks and balances. The City Council uses us to hold executive departments accountable for how they’re spending taxpayer money.” But tracking agency spending, according to City Audit Manager Christine Ross, is “just step one.

In order to add value, auditors have to be able to answer, ‘So what?’ ” Ross says this requires persistence, curiosity, critical thinking and creativity.

Government performance auditing has been embedded in Hawai‘i’s Constitution since 1950, even before Hawai‘i became a state. But the first state auditor, Clinton Tanimura, was not appointed until 1965. This activation coincided with a nationwide trend reflecting public concerns about increased government spending on welfare and regulatory programs in the 1960s and 1970s. The public demanded information on how governments planned to ferret out waste, fraud and abuse, and whether public programs were meeting their stated objectives.

In Honolulu, the Office of the City Auditor was created within the city’s charter in 2002, after similar voter calls for accountability following scandals involving government officials and lack of transparency over public funds. That mission continues, says Kumar:

“ ‘Government performance auditing’ has less to do with spreadsheets and checking every dollar than trying to assess the outcome of programs and processes. The term ‘performance’ is right there in the title.”

While that may sound like a check-the-box exercise, Kumar says, audits help the public understand the role that government agencies play in their communities: “We’re trying to increase trust in government.”

A similar crisis of confidence spurred the evolution of private sector audits. Former auditor Gina Woo Anonuevo, now Chief Human Resources Officer at First Hawaiian Bank, recalls the transition came in 2006, when large accounting firms began to fail. That was the era of corporate financial scandals featuring Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia and other prominent companies. Stakeholders demanded more accountability from leaders of publicly traded companies. “That’s when audit became a true career profession where you needed specific skills, knowledge and experience to do the job, not just follow a checklist,” says Anonuevo.

Cops or Partners?

Because the audit industry has grown during periods of public scandal, the common perception is that auditors are like IRS agents or police officers who uphold hard-coded laws, shining the spotlight on violators. To be fair, there are similarities: auditors rely on structured frameworks and standards to scope their work, and note any discrepancies based on collected evidence. One difference: auditors recommend improvements but don’t enforce policies – that’s management’s job. And they try to have collaborative relationships with the people they audit.

Former auditor Addie Lui, now Director of Information Security at Aloha Pacific Credit Union, says leaders are not required to follow an auditor’s recommendations to the letter. “It’s up to management to accept or manage the risk, whether or not to implement the recommended control,” he says.

The auditor’s job is to clarify risks and make recommendations based on a thorough understanding of business processes and objectives: “When you write the recommendation, you let them know that if this isn’t being done, their business objectives may not be met,” he says.

As Anonuevo puts it, the auditor’s job is “to proactively identify potential issues so that we can self-correct.”

According to First Hawaiian Bank Chief Audit Executive Kristi Lefforge, “Historically, the audit practice has been more compliance focused. But it has really morphed into more of a consulting arm. It’s not necessarily that we’re punitive. In all cases, we are there to make sure that we’re safe and following rules and practices.” This is known as the assurance side of audit – examining systems and processes and reporting whether they are on track.

“But there’s another side to us: we’re trying to make sure we’re adding value,” notes Lefforge. Because auditors have a high-level view of all the risks and potential obstacles faced by an organization, they also see the other side of the coin: opportunities for improvement. This is where the consulting side comes in.

Adding Value

One example of a consulting engagement is a management review, when managers ask the audit department to lend their analytical skills and tools for an emerging need, or a specific project outside of the prescribed audit calendar. “Management could ask us to come in and do an assessment, without it being an audit,” says Anonuevo.

She and Lui worked together as First Hawaiian auditors in 2008, when Aloha Airlines filed for bankruptcy. Banks were faced with an onslaught of millions of dollars in related credit card chargebacks. Because employees had to manually type in long transaction codes to process refunds, being off by one digit could mistakenly flag a transaction as invalid. In that case, the manager of the business unit asked internal audit if they could help automate data entry and process these massive claims.

Fortunately, Anonuevo had just purchased audit software that could ingest all the transactions at once and deploy an automated filter to weed out duplicate or invalid claims. “Remember, this was 16 years ago when systems were not as advanced as they are today. It really did make the work easier; it reduced the mistakes from manual inputting and processing. Luckily our IT audit team knew how to program it, so they went in and helped them with that.”

Another example of assistance provided outside of the traditional audit is to examine incidents for potential fraud exposure, says Anonuevo. “I remember one incident where a manager called me and said, ‘I just opened up my employee’s desk and there’s tons of general ledger tickets in there that haven’t been processed.’ ” Damage control measures were clearly called for, but how much? “We sent an auditor down to look at what the scope and potential exposure were and advised management on the next steps based on the assessment. A lot of managers appreciated that.”

Overcoming Resistance

Of course, not every agency or department head welcomes an audit. In these instances, support from the top executives helps. The auditing term “tone at the top” means a body of evidence that demonstrates leaders’ commitment to ethics and internal controls throughout their organization. For auditors, this translates to responsive and collaborative auditees.

Kumar shares that, within weeks of starting her term at the city, the mayor and his management team visited her Kapolei office. “I really appreciated their show of faith and willingness to work together. They’ve set such a good tone in their dealings with my office, and a lot of that has trickled down.”

Similarly, Lefforge says she appreciates how First Hawaiian Bank’s senior leadership has a strong governance and control mindset. “I have worked historically with clients who didn’t have that tone at the top, and it’s challenging to get your work done when it’s not there.”

While leaders may support the idea, individual auditees may view auditors as non-experts intruding on processes that are working just fine – breaking what doesn’t need fixing to justify their existence. Kumar acknowledges that having virtual workplaces has hampered their efforts to build relationships: “When we are able to visit in person, we seem more human.” But not everyone wants to have auditors in the next cubicle, if they can avoid it.

Lefforge suggests the key is finding opportunities to educate potential auditees on what internal auditors do and connecting with them outside of the audit process. This shows that auditors are invested in supporting their success. “Sometimes it’s checking in with them periodically throughout the year to see what they’re doing, being aware of any new processes or systems they’ve launched, and building relationships.”

Like her private sector counterparts, Kumar tries to find common ground with resistant auditees. “We each have a lot of pride in our work because we know we’re serving the public. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for some people to realize that I mean it, but we’re all working toward the same end.” However, she acknowledges, “Some of these relationships can take a long time to change. It’s kind of a long game, right?”

Sometimes, she says, it means being hyper-vigilant for any opportunity to connect on a personal level with someone who was unhappy with their audit reports. “There was one director I didn’t have the best relationship with, but we were able to have an informal conversation – I think it was about K-dramas or something.” While it might have seemed frivolous, Kumar felt a slight thaw in the relationship. “We just kind of had a moment of understanding: we’re both just people doing our jobs.”

It’s always been an up and down business, but Hawai‘i’s film and TV industry has done well in 21st century.

Many TV shows had sustained success. Production on “Lost” lasted from 2004-2010, “Hawaii Five-0” ran for 10 seasons, “Magnum P.I.” for five and “NCIS: Hawai‘i” for three. And all manner of movies filmed here, including “50 First Dates,” “The Descendants,” “Jurassic World” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”

But after thriving for years – including a quick bounce back from the pandemic – the film industry is enduring a dry spell.

“There were three or four different productions going on at the same time. Casting companies were fighting over having people to work for them,” says George Krumb, a local actor and member of the Screen Actors Guild. “All of a sudden, one by one, the shows started getting canceled. And now, we’re down to one show.”

In summer 2024, the only major TV show being filmed locally is Fox’s “Rescue: HI-Surf,” an action drama following the lives of lifeguards on O‘ahu’s North Shore.

“The truth be told is that our film industry here is not at its best” now, says Brian Keaulana, a producer, stunt designer and water scenes director on the show. The loss of “NCIS,” he says, was “huge” and left the industry’s Diamond Head studios dormant.

Keaulana, who’s worked on dozens of films and TV shows as a water stunts coordinator, estimates the cast and crew of “Rescue: HI-Surf” is 90% local hires.

“It’s not Hollywood, it’s not mainland or people from the outside. Majority of the film industry (here) is people from Hawai‘i,” he says, but now it’s “sad times.”

(A Netflix reality show called “Temptation Island” is also filming on Hawai‘i Island this year.)

The Perfect Storm

“All kinds of things brought the whole industry to a halt,” says Krumb. “It started with the writers going on strike last May. If there are no writers, there are no scripts. And if there are no scripts, there’s no show. So we lost programs from that.”

Productions continued filming with scripts they already had, but those ran out and caused a delay that was prolonged by the subsequent actors strike, which lasted from July to November 2023.

Krumb blamed the actors strike on producers who “didn’t want to give us the rights to our own image. So you’ve got the writers on strike, you’ve got the actors on strike, and then in August is when the fires in Maui happened. And then the focus all went to taking care of that, which is totally understandable. I mean, it was a devastating event. But for all those things to happen at once, it created the perfect storm.”

The Creative Industries Division within Hawai‘i’s Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism is the state agency dedicated to strengthening and advocating for Hawai‘i’s creative sector.

Georja Skinner, chief officer of the Creative Industries Division, says film production tax credits are one way to support the industry.

“Any expenditure that is subject to Hawai‘i tax, you can get a 22% credit or rebate back from your expenditures if you’re on O‘ahu, or 27% if you’re on a Neighbor Island. And the reason that there’s a bump up for the Neighbor Islands is because we want to be more equitable,” with more projects statewide, she says.

Productions must spend a minimum of $100,000 in-state to qualify for the tax credit. Another stipulation: “There is a workforce development component that requires the productions give 0.1% of their spend to a local public school or university, and 0.2% of their tax credit rebate must go to the Hawaii Film and Creative Industries Development Fund,” says Skinner.

Shocked That NCIS Was Canceled

After most productions worldwide ground to a halt in 2020 due to the pandemic, Hawai‘i enjoyed a quick comeback with “The White Lotus,” which filmed its first season on Maui at the end of 2020.

“It was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort, which at the time, was basically closed for business. So it was a good situation, because we were in a bubble there. We couldn’t leave the hotel. Not that that’s a bad thing, because it’s a five-star resort,” says Krumb.

The show, which premiered on HBO Max in summer 2021, achieved critical acclaim and won five Emmys for its first season. The show changes locations each year, so that season was the only one filmed in Hawai‘i.

“That was honestly my all-time favorite thing I’ve ever done,” Krumb says. “At least 100 people that worked on that came from here (O‘ahu). And then there were people hired locally on Maui. It was a boom for us at the time because there was nothing else.”

Reboots “Hawaii Five-0” ran from 2010 to 2020 and “Magnum P.I.” from 2018 to 2024. “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” which debuted in 2021, was abruptly canceled after just three seasons despite a loyal following.

Skinner says she was shocked by the move. “None of us really believed that that was going to happen up until the last week. It’s unfortunate, but there’s a confluence of things happening there that indicate it’s not just the viewership or the success of the show, and what the show brought in terms of its integration of diversity both in front of and behind the camera. Think about the fact that the parent company of CBS, Paramount, is for sale. So it really is a dollars and cents decision – not about the talent, the vibrancy of the writing or the show.”

Krumb says the decline in TV shows is especially troubling because the work it provides is “a regular, reoccurring thing” and a more stable source of income for local actors and production crew than a feature film or other work. “

It’s become feast or famine. It was like a feast, and now we’re kind of in a famine. The pendulum has swung the other way. But I have faith with the industry coming back to Hawai‘i and realizing that there’s no other place like us,” he says.

“The fact is, no matter what movie or show they’re filming, Hawai‘i is the star. They’re coming to Hawai‘i because it’s Hawai‘i, one of the most iconic places on Earth.”

Where Do We Go From Here?

Skinner says the good news for the local film industry is it still has a lot going in its favor. “We have a legacy of doing this work, and we have so many strong crews who know what it means to work on a series. The kindness of people in Hawai‘i – the aloha spirit, if you will – is an important dynamic for people that come from elsewhere to work with our crews here,” she says.

“Plus, we have the best water men and women on the planet, who are sought after worldwide. The talent, environment, support systems like food and beverage, hotels and hospitality, and our rich culture make Hawai‘i a great place to live and work.”

She also highlights the state’s support for the industry through initiatives like Creative Lab Hawai‘i, a program founded by DBEDT in 2012 and dedicated to nurturing local talent and developing a creative workforce.

“Creative Lab Hawai‘i is a premium entrepreneurs accelerator program that has really netted some great results for local screenwriters that still live here,” says Skinner. “And that’s our goal at Creative Industries, to find a way to ensure that our talent stays here. We encourage our actors to participate in writing programs and things like that. It’s almost as if you have to treat it like CrossFit for creatives. You need programs that do the whole entrepreneurial gamut.”

Keaulana says the local industry must become less dependent on outside productions coming here and invest in homegrown talent instead. He says that’s why he and his team started a nonprofit called ICAN – the International Cultural Arts Network.

The only TV series currently in local production is rescue: Hi-surf, a show about O’ahu North Shore lifeguards that premieres this fall | Photo Courtesy: Fox

“It’s grabbing and gravitating our actors here, into a level that could only be attained (before), I think, by going to the mainland and going to art schools and academies. But what we’ve done is bring a master class over,” with the involvement of high-level actors, says Keaulana.

“We have great actors that have come from here: Jason Momoa and The Rock, Bette Midler and Kelly Hu, Tia Carrera, the list goes on. And that’s what we’re doing with ICAN: asking those people to reinvest in ourselves.”

Unlike Hollywood, which has a cutthroat reputation, Keaulana says the industry in Hawai‘i is leaving a distinct legacy. “It’s different, I think, in the mainland, where people compete and try to step on each other. In Hawai‘i, for us it’s how do we elevate people around us? How do we push them further? For me, my dream is I wish someone would go further than I have.”

icanintl.org and creativelab.hawaii.gov

HIS WORK: Joeziah Routt-Rivera visits clients’ homes to ensure their well-being. Some of his responsibilities include bathing clients, monitoring their nutrition and ensuring they take their medicines, and general housekeeping. Routt-Rivera does other nurse-related tasks as well, such as checking vital signs.

“Typically, our assistance is focused on indoor tasks, such as household chores, meal preparation, medication reminders and personal care. However, we also provide transport services for medical appointments and errands,” he says.

“We don’t engage in yard work and outdoor tasks, but we do offer companionship services, which may include sitting in the yard or on a porch with the client and providing company and support in outdoor areas, if that is their preference.”

He says spending meaningful time with his clients is an essential part of the job. That might include accompanying them on their daily activities, listening to their life stories and reading the newspaper to them.

The company he works for, Vivia Cares, says it prioritizes quality time and care with patients and that assistants such as Rivera work to achieve their clients’ goals, regardless of the time it takes.

EXTENSION OF HIS CHILDHOOD: Rivera attributes his caring spirit to his upbringing. As a child growing up in Wai‘anae, he was taught to always give back, even when he wasn’t expected to.

“My childhood is what led me down this path. Growing up, I was raised by my family to always help others and to always give back. Even if it’s in the slightest way, at least you’re giving and doing something.”

Being a caregiver is an extension of that childhood, he says. “I enjoy helping others and that’s why I love this job, and why I enjoy being in this part of the medical field.”

GROWING FIELD: As Baby Boomers continue to age, the demand for senior care – at home and in nursing homes – will likely grow, as will the need for caregivers like Rivera.

Rivera encourages others to find fulfillment in caregiving careers. “It makes me feel so good that I’m giving back and helping them because they’re not able to. I know a lot of people say the field isn’t meant for everyone, but as long as you really want to help, the clients sense that appreciation and passion you have for doing this type of job.”

When asked what it charges, Vivia says its “services are personalized to the needs of the senior and family. As such, they only pay for what they need and want based on their requested tasks. Each situation is unique and Vivia is responsive to the particular needs of each senior and the pricing is tailored to their specific budget.”

Name: George Wilson
Job: Production Manager, Kamanu Composites

George Wilson sprays the inside of a canoe. Most of Kamanu Composites’ canoes are for one or two people. | Photo: Aaron Yoshino

His Work: George Wilson and his team at Kamanu Composites manufacture lightweight outrigger canoes using modern materials, with the Noio one-person canoe weighing only 16 to 17 pounds. Most of their canoes are for one or two people, but they do sell a six-person outrigger canoe. They sell locally and around the world.

Beginnings: Wilson was born and raised in Waimānalo and has been a paddler his whole life. After attending Kaiser High School, he started working for his family’s construction company. “On a whim, I quit working construction. My dad wasn’t super stoked on that. But I love paddling and decided I would like to go figure out how to make canoes. I didn’t have any experience and then I randomly emailed my future boss at Kamanu Composites. Here I am seven years later,” he says.

Full Circle: Kamanu Composites, based in Kailua’s Kapa‘a Industrial Park, prides itself on local manufacturing, sustainability and supporting the local community. “The coolest thing I think is the whole full circle moment for me. I’ve always been a paddler, I really love it, and I kind of gave up my life for paddling. Being able to make canoes every day and work with like-minded people is very fulfilling,” Wilson says. The “full circle” has a second meaning for him because his job covers everything from helping guide the design of the canoes to making them and getting them to customers. “I think that the design process and coming out with new canoes is such a unique experience,” Wilson says. “My boss does all the science and designing, and I get to go out and test them to give direct feedback. We don’t make new designs super often, so having a say in the process is a cool thing to be a part of.”

Inspiration: “I think you’ll probably hear it from everybody who works here but we are all about local manufacturing. Everyone is passionate about paddling and this community,” Wilson says. “Other than keeping everything local, I think having our Kailua storefront for the community is extremely important. When people walk through the door, they can see canoes being made and get direct service from someone. They don’t need to order parts from another country,” he says. “I think that face-to-face connection and relationship is why a lot of people continue to order our canoes and choose us over other companies.”

International: From time to time, Wilson will travel with shipments and containers heading overseas. As well as selling locally, Kamanu Composites’ customers are in Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, California and Japan, and Wilson gets to meet some of them on his trips.

Kamanu Composites, based in Kailua’s Kapa‘a Industrial Park, prides itself on local manufacturing, sustainability and supporting the local community. | Photo: Aaron Yoshino

Challenges: “Local manufacturing is hard – everything from sourcing material to finding workers,” Wilson says. “We do such a niche thing that even people with a composite background don’t immediately get it from the start.” Another big challenge is Chinese competitors. “It is hard exporting canoes out of Hawai’i, because companies in China have a huge advantage and broad reach,” he says.

Typical Days: “I think my only job description is getting canoes out the door as efficiently as possible, so I kind of make it up as I go sometimes.” Over the past seven years, he has had nearly every job in the shop. Now, his duties are focused on inspections and quality control, meetings with customers and finishing the canoes.

Opportunities: Wilson says Kamanu Composites is always looking for people to be part of its team. “Most people will start actually making the boat, getting used to the material and mixing resin. Then we move them to finishing, which is more tedious and requires high attention to detail. Next, people move along to spraying canoes, which is probably the hardest job. We try to get people to gain experience and become well-rounded,” says Wilson. If interested in employment, email a cover letter and resume to keizo@ kamanucomposites.com.

Munro has been program manager for HealthCast, a collaboration between the Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing and Department of Theatre + Dance, since its inception at UH Mānoa in 2013.

Unique Opportunity: In the program, actors pose as patients to give nursing students the chance to deal with situations they might face in their careers, Munro says.

“A lot of health care institutions use simulation to bridge classroom learning and caring for actual patients. Here at the simulation center, students get to practice their skills, see what they’re doing well and learn from mistakes.”

Most of the time, nursing students practice with mannequins. However, certain social and emotional scenarios require humans to simulate person-to-person interactions, Munro says.

Fulfilling Work: “It’s really awesome when you’re in the room as the simulated patient, as the actor, and you can see in real time when those learning moments go off with the nursing students,” he says.

After every simulation performance there is a debrief, where nursing students reflect on what they did well or not so well, and actors can give feedback, which Munro says the students crave.

“We’ve had a lot of actors come through and have tapped into a more truthful emotional pool in their acting. So many say they can’t cry on the spot or have trouble conveying grief or pain, and then 15 seconds into the performance they are sobbing and sniffling. There is something about simulation performance that really helps actors become more confident in their abilities.”

Challenges: Munro says a constant challenge is scheduling. HealthCast does simulations every week and the current pool of actors is made up primarily of students, so it takes a lot of coordination to accommodate classes, shows, homework, jobs and other demands on their time.

Day in the Life: Some days Munro runs rehearsals, brings new actors onboard, gives tours of the center, provides performance feedback and supports actors. Other days he is learning how to use cameras and edit videos now that UH has received a grant to support simulation learning in the Pacific Islands.

Importance: Sometimes simulation requires actors to play roles in deeply emotional scenarios, like ending life support for a spouse, so the program likes to get ice cream to cheer them up afterward.

Munro says that in one ice cream debriefing with the actors, a professor popped in and said: “I really want to thank you for sharing your time, talent and willingness to go there for our students because you are helping people you will never meet. Because you went there today, our doctors, nurses, spiritual care providers and social workers are better prepared to help families who are going through this.”

Munro adds: “These are some of the best performances we’ll never see. Simulation is confidential and just for a handful of students, but because of that experience, health care students are going to do better work when they are with their clients and in the community.”

Adding Elements: “We’re starting to go beyond just our actors and our theater and dance students. We now partner with our makeup students who help do things like old-age makeup and wounds to make simulation more realistic. We also partner with our scenic design students who create new props for some scenarios and deepen the relationship between theater, dance and nursing.”

HealthCast next plans to support simulations at UH West O‘ahu and Leeward Community College.

Get Involved: While most actors in simulations are students, HealthCast does recruit from the community to provide the program with more diversity and authentic representation. Those interested can email Munro at abmunro@hawaii.edu to learn more.

Beginnings: Dexter Freitas was born and raised in Kalihi, where he has been running Keen Kutter Saw and Knife Sharpening Service since 1988.

“My wife’s uncle originally started this business back in the early ’50s,” he says. “Eventually I took it over after learning the trade. I retired from my previous job and have been doing this since.”

Satisfying Customers: “I enjoy doing the work. I don’t make a lot of money, but it keeps me busy and I like the customers. It is important to take care of your customers because they are the ones that come back and spread the word.”

He serves both businesses and consumers, with many of the latter being people who cook or sew and want sharp knives and scissors.

“I do most of the print shops across the state. So, I get the circular saws mailed to me because if not they would have to ship to the West Coast,” says Freitas.

He also sharpens saws for companies that recut wood to make furniture or musical instruments. He even sharpens the ice scraping blades of Ice Palace Hawaii’s Zamboni.

“My industrial customers are what keeps most of my bills paid. The knife sharpening and scissor sharpening is all the extra stuff I make on the side.”

New Technology: “The biggest challenge is keeping up with the new different types of technology and tools that companies are designing. My equipment here is limited to the standard.”

He must be strategic when investing in new equipment. “It’s an upfront expense and I have to think about if I can generate enough business to sustain that equipment,” he says.

Day in the Life: The shop is at 738 Gulick Ave., in a mixed commercial and residential part of Kalihi. He and his wife live upstairs from the shop.

Freitas begins his day by cleaning his shop, watering his plants and feeding his shop cats before opening the doors.

“I’m only open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. I don’t open on the weekends because I’m partially retired,” he says.

“A lot of people ask me why I’m only open for six hours. I say, look at me – I should be fully retired! But I keep it going for you guys.”

After closing, he does paperwork or works on projects.

Successor: Freitas is looking for a person to take over the business.

“It’s going to require someone to be trained because most of this equipment here is specialized.”

“Whoever takes it over, I’m going to help them because I don’t want the business to fail and there’s not too many of these. In fact, some of the work I do, I’m the only one that does it in the state of Hawai‘i, and so I have to keep my customers. If I stay in business, they stay in business.”

Beginnings: Born and raised on O‘ahu, Natalie Perez lived on the North Shore before moving to ‘Ewa Beach when she was in second grade.

“Growing up I had never heard of qualitative research,” says Perez, who spent much of her childhood racing at the Kahuku Motocross Track in hopes of a career on the national circuit. But injuries over the years led her to give up that dream; she opted for college instead.

Lifelong Learning: Perez was entirely homeschooled before attending Windward and Leeward community colleges. She went on to UH West O‘ahu, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities with concentrations in English and literature.

Then, while working toward a master’s degree in composition and rhetoric, she switched gears and earned a master’s and then a doctorate in learning design and technology.

“I just love learning. I’ll probably go back to school. I’m still really interested in law, botany, interior decorating,” Perez says. “I’ve decided I’m not going to have just one career but multiple careers over my lifetime and I’m excited about that.”

Path at Amazon: Perez held various roles at UH and was director of online teaching and learning at Honolulu Community College when a recruiter from Amazon reached out.

She started at Amazon as a senior instructional designer and researcher and now works as a qualitative research scientist.

“I work on a science team that is housed within human resources. The team is really focused on looking at our employee population and things related to human resources such as people’s working environments and employee experience.”

Specific Role: “My job is to design research studies aimed at being able to understand employees’ experiences about their work.”

She and her team collect information using interviews, focus groups, surveys, journals and diary studies – all with informed consent – “then take that data, analyze it and generate it into reports,” she says.

Those reports are shared with company leaders and used to improve employee experiences on the job and increase employee retention.

She finds the work meaningful and fulfilling. “People want their voices to be heard and I think that’s really important for organizations to be able to listen to their people.”

Global Connections: “One of the biggest challenges is time zones. It can be difficult trying to connect with people in the exact opposite time zone of mine. So it makes for some very early meetings and some late evening meetings.”

Motivation: Perez says the most exciting part of her job is constant exposure to new people, new places and new ways of thinking, working and living – all while mostly working from home on O‘ahu.

“I get to work with some incredibly brilliant and diverse people who live around the world … people in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific and just about every single country in between,” says Perez. And she says she gets to talk with them about Hawai‘i and its people and culture, and has the opportunity to travel too.

Keeping it Local: Perez says she sometimes misses the special atmosphere of our local work community, “but I’m so thankful to get to continue to be in the community and support local. I try to do things like different presentations with high schools and podcasts.”

Perez, a first-generation college student, says: “I really encourage students to go to school. As a little kid from ‘Ewa, I didn’t think I’d ever be in this role doing this work, but it’s totally feasible and possible.”

Ronald Coleman is on track to make $120,000 this year delivering restaurant food to people’s homes, five days a week from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

He was living in Mililani when he decided to change the focus of his deliveries using the DoorDash app to the area from Downtown Honolulu to Waikīkī. It wasn’t easy at first. For instance, he says he got confused by the layout of Ala Moana Center and where each restaurant is. On his first day covering the new area, he only made $30, but kept going.

Eventually, “it became easier and easier for me to do it,” he says. “It has just been working out ever since and I’m having fun doing it.”

The popularity of food delivery apps such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Bite Squad surged during the Covid-19 pandemic and continues to grow, though at a slower pace, according to an October 2023 report from Bloomberg Second Measure. For instance, monthly sales in April 2020 for the overall meal delivery industry were 162% greater than in April 2019, the report said. September 2023 sales were 7% higher than in September 2022.

The Bloomberg Second Measure report said DoorDash had 65% of the national market share, Uber Eats had 23% and Grubhub 9%. Revenue of the U.S. industry was estimated at $26.1 billion in 2022.

How The System Works

Food delivery apps allow users to order food from restaurants and fastfood chains and have it delivered to their homes or other locations. Not all food establishments participate with the apps, but many do.

To make money, Uber Eats charges restaurants a percentage of the price of each order – a percentage that varies based on the restaurant’s chosen plan, its number of locations and the location of the restaurant.

When a user orders from a restaurant, the establishment chooses to accept or decline the order. If the establishment accepts, the order will get sent to a driver; if the driver declines the order, it is sent to another and another until one accepts.

According to Coleman, the DoorDash driver, he gets paid when he completes an order and gets to keep all the tips from customers.

Coleman delivers an order from Zippy’s to a customer in Downtown Honolulu. | Photo: Aaron Yoshino

In one example, a Zip Pac purchased directly from Zippy’s restaurants cost $14.75. But if the Zip Pac is delivered by DoorDash, the price rises to $18.90, which includes the driver’s tip, delivery and service fees.

According to DoorDash, delivery fees can vary based on how close you are to a restaurant’s location and other factors. DoorDash also offers a “DashPass” that lets a customer skip some of these additional fees if they pay $9.99 a month.

I live in Waipahu, and if I wanted to order a Big Mac meal from McDonald’s, it would cost $9.99 if I went to the nearest location, about a mile from my house. But on the DoorDash app, the price comes to $19.04, including delivery and services fees, and tip. The delivery fee itself for the location nearest to my house came out to $3.99.

Tex 808 BBQ & Brews in the Moanalua Shopping Center is 5.4 miles from my house. If I ordered food there on the DoorDash app, the delivery fee would be $8.49.

For Users, Convenience Is Key

It takes about 30 minutes to an hour to receive a food delivery order, says Kāne‘ohe resident Myles Yamamoto, who spends around $40 to $60 a week ordering delivery from fastfood chains via Uber Eats. When he orders from “casual restaurants” – the category considered one step above fast food restaurants – his weekly total can hit $100.

Yamamoto, who doesn’t drive, says the convenience of having food delivered to his door trumps the higher costs.

His first order came from McDonald’s. “It was a good experience and the food was packaged as if I went through the drive-thru,” he says.

“It is much nicer than always getting pizza, which up to that point was the only other option.”

Frankie Koethe, a West O‘ahu resident and another regular Uber Eats customer, writes in a Hawaii Business callout that she always tips delivery drivers “because it would have cost me time and fuel to pick it up myself.”

Honolulu resident Julie Meier, who’s used Uber Eats, DoorDash, Bite Squad and Grubhub, agrees that it’s all about convenience. She has three grandsons, ages 7, 5 and 1, and says it is easier to order food rather than take her grandsons to a restaurant to dine in or to pick up.

Still, incorrect orders happen. “When an order is wrong, it’s upsetting to the person whose food is missing, especially a grandchild,” she writes.

Delivery services do offer credits and refunds, or return later with any missing items, but the follow-up delivery could take another hour to arrive.

Meier says she tries not to use restaurants that raise prices on food items that will be delivered, and notes that some apps have subscription offers that eliminate extra costs such as delivery fees.

Full-time Job

Coleman – the driver on track to make $120,000 this year – has been delivering for DoorDash for three years. In his first year, he made $74,000 and in 2022, he made $114,000.

He says he once delivered groceries for Instacart but made only $500 after a week. He made $500 on his first day with DoorDash and has stuck with the app ever since, calling the decision “a no-brainer.”

Like many others, the pandemic led him to try food delivery. While living in his home state of Michigan, Coleman used to go to people’s homes to fix their cars but when Covid struck in 2020, he didn’t want to do that anymore. He started delivering food to supplement his income.

But when the pandemic slowed in 2021, the number of food deliveries dwindled. So he moved to Hawai‘i with his brother to continue doing DoorDash here. Coleman says has been traveling to O‘ahu for multiple years, which also contributed to the reason why he moved to the island.

Photo: Aaron Yoshino

Today, he lives in Waikīkī, usually wakes up around 4 a.m. and soon opens the DoorDash app. He generally gets his first delivery job a few minutes later, from a place like Denny’s, McDonald’s or Starbucks. He usually only takes orders between Downtown Honolulu and Waikīkī, but sometimes goes as far as Hawai‘i Kai depending on the “miles-to-money ratio.” When I talked to Coleman in September, he was on his way to deliver a bento catering order, a job that had him driving “2.3 miles for $8.”

His goal is “to make $200 before 2 p.m.,” because, he says, “every four hours that I’m out here, I should make $100.” He says he usually makes about 40 deliveries in a day.

In the week before I talked to him, Coleman said he made $868.75 and racked up an additional $1,336.26 in customer tips through the DoorDash app, which doesn’t include cash tips.

In September, he had already completed about 25,000 deliveries since he started using DoorDash three years ago. He calls it “dashing in paradise” because his deliveries are “always different, it’s never the same.”

“We are talking with different people and meeting different people,” he says. “Throughout your day, even fellow drivers, when you meet them, it makes it worthwhile.”

Food Establishments Boost Sales

Honolulu Bistro specializes in gourmet sandwiches, smoothies and coffee at its new location that opened last year in Ala Moana Center.

The family business started using food delivery apps during the pandemic to help boost sales, the management team wrote in an email, and now partners with Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub and Bite Squad.

“We have noticed we have reached new customers on these platforms, as it is an easy way to deliver to all of the hotels and offices quickly in Waikīkī,” Honolulu Bistro wrote.

Managers there also noted that food delivery apps help make it easier for customers to place large party orders for delivery or pick up. Honolulu Bistro has a designated parking area in front of its shop for customers and delivery drivers to pick up orders.

Sheryl Matsuoka, executive director for the Hawai‘i Restaurant Association, which represents the state’s restaurant and food service industry, says food delivery app commission fees “can be a significant challenge, especially for smaller establishments.”

The fees “were as high as 30%,” but are now about 15% to 20%, she says.

Despite the high fees, some restaurants and big chain franchises like McDonald’s say they have had success using delivery apps. In 2021, McDonald’s reported that 20% of its sales – or about $13 billion – in its six biggest markets came through digital channels such as its app, kiosks in restaurants or delivery. Those top markets are in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Canada and Australia.

Meanwhile, local restaurants like Nana Ai Katsu in Kaimukī have found benefits to using certain food delivery apps. The restaurant specializes in freshout-of-the-fryer tonkatsu dishes and uses Uber Eats, according to co-owner Lei-Anne Jones.

She says they tried Grubhub for about a year but did not like the drivers or app because “they didn’t tell the drivers that we pushed out order pick up times.”

Jones says they are sticking with Uber Eats because they “negotiated an exclusivity contract to get a lower rate.”

Using Uber Eats has helped increase Nana Ai’s monthly sales by 3% and when they run advertisements that Uber Eats gives them, it helps increase sales by 5%, according to Jones.

“This additional income stream has been a lifeline for many establishments during challenging times,” says Matsuoka.