KRISTA RIIHIMAKI, M.Ed.
Documentary filmmaker, Educator, Artist

Krista Riihimaki, the founder of White Poppy Media, is a Montessori educator who over the years taught children of all ages, ranging from 22 months and 14 years of age. She decided to make Child, Disrupted because she wanted to learn more about how the widespread use of technology at young ages was affecting children's development.

Krista has a B.A. in biological sciences from Smith College, with concentrations in developmental biology, animal behavior, marine science, and psychology research. She obtained her Masters in Education from the University of San Diego in association with the Montessori Institute of San Diego. She holds teaching certificates from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) at the Assistants to Infancy (ages 0 to 3), Primary (3-6), and Erdkinder (12-18) levels.

While developing Child, Disrupted, Krista was able to integrate her skills as a scientist, researcher, observer, and educator in order to gather the information needed to help adults understand the relationship between technology overuse and child development.

Krista holds a Certificate in Documentary Filmmaking from the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking where she began the journey of making Child, Disrupted. She went on to become a Bay Area Video Coalition TechSF fellow.

In addition to filmmaking, Krista is a visual artist, outdoor and action-sports lover, and aerial hoop enthusiast. She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.