Daniel J Gerstle, after building a career in emergency response around the world, now also works as a filmmaker, photographer, and writer based in Berlin. His work primarily focuses on how people survive the Earth’s toughest challenges, but he also loves to create visual art and tell stories. His work has been covered by BBC World News, BBC News Hour, Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone (Middle East), The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Euronews, CNN, VICE, WNYC Soundcheck, The Guardian, Start (Bosnia), Novo Vrijeme (Bosnia), Universal (Somalia), SNTV (Somalia), and Horn Cable TV (Somalia). He has also written for Rolling Stone (Middle East and South Africa editions), The Guardian, The Atlantic, Vocativ, IRIN News, Change.org, and the Journal of International Affairs.
Daniel’s films include: Somali Sunrise (formerly known as Live from Mogadishu; Somalia & Kenya, documentary, 110 min, premiering in 2023), How We Survive (Bosnia, documentary 90 min, premiering in 2023), Mogadishu Music (Somalia, 17 min, 2013), Filming Violence (USA, 12 min, 2011), and more. He assisted other filmmakers with creative support in Syrian Metal is War (Syria, dir. Monzer Darwish, 2019), The Actor (USA, dir. Jon Osman, 2018), Watchers of the Sky (Global, dir. Edet Belzberg, 2014), and Faith (USA, dir. Lewis Morphew, 2008).
Since 2009, Daniel has run Humanitarianbazaar.org which produces creative projects focused on how people survive war and disaster. That included not only the films above, but also the ongoing War Survivors Advisory civilian protection research project, the historic Mogadishu Music Festival, and a variety of other humanitarian aid, consulting, training, and media projects. Alongside and before all this, Daniel’s career included serving as a humanitarian aid worker and refugee assistance provider serving agencies including UNICEF, UNDP, People in Need, and the International Rescue Committee. He finished his Master of International Affairs at Columbia University in New York and his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. He grew up in Fairfield, Ohio.
Contact him at IG: @daniel.j.gerstle FB: danieljgerstle djgerstle@yahoo.com.