Ross Kauffman, an Academy Award-winning director, has worked in the film industry for over three decades. He began his career as a documentary film editor for renowned broadcasters like HBO, WNET/THIRTEEN, National Geographic, and The Discovery Channel. 

His directorial debut, "Born Into Brothels," won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary and garnered awards in over sixty film festivals worldwide. The film's success was underscored by numerous accolades including the 2005 Emmy Award for Best Documentary, the National Board of Review's Best Documentary in 2004, LA Film Critics Award 2004, and the Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.

Kauffman served as Executive Producer on the Academy Award short-listed documentary "In a Dream" (directed by Jeremiah Zagar, 2011) and as Consulting Producer on the Academy Award-nominated short "Poster Girl" (directed by Sarah Nesson, 2011.)

In 2014, Ross co-directed ETEAM (with Katy Chevigny), a documentary following human rights investigators in the war zones of Syria and Libya, which earned him the Best Cinematography Award for a Documentary Feature at the Sundance Film Festival and was notably Netflix's second documentary acquisition.

His directorial journey expanded with "Tigerland" (2019), released by Discovery Channel across 180 countries. In 2021, Kauffman directed "What Would Sophia Loren Do?" for Netflix, which was shortlisted for the Academy Awards, and premiered "Of Medicine and Miracles" at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. His latest feature, "Wild Wild Space," debuted on HBO in 2024.

Beyond feature-length documentaries, Ross directed the impactful short film "Fire with Fire," about an oncology unit as they attempt to develop a cure for leukemia using a disabled form of the HIV virus.  This three-minute film garnered over 25 million views and helped raised billions of dollars for cancer research. He also contributed as a director to "The Me You Can't See," a series for Apple TV with Executive Producers Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry.

In addition to his directorial achievements, Kauffman specializes in short-form documentaries and socially conscious branded content, collaborating with notable clients such as Apple, GE, Microsoft and Toyota. Ross also guest lectures at high schools and universities worldwide.