Creative experience. Practical humanitarian impact.
Edward has spent over 22 years studying, serving, and practicing these lineages.
Edward Sczudlo is the founder and executive director of The Maitri Project. His background spans production, high-end fashion, photography, marketing, and documentary film. He brings this experience to supporting monastic communities across Asia.
Edward Sczudlo is the founder and executive director of The Maitri Project. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, his professional background spans production, high-end fashion, photography, marketing, and documentary film, including collaborations with Italian Vogue, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, and Lululemon. He has also photographed for and had his work published in The Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine.
Edward previously worked in marketing for Asian Legacy Library, an organization doing critical work for our time: preserving ancient wisdom and safeguarding ancient manuscripts for future generations.
Through Maitri, Edward brings this experience in visual storytelling and communication to practical support for monastics, nunneries, schools, and practitioners. The organization has already supported 2,500 monastics across Asia and built 11 apartments at Sera Mey, helping provide the conditions for study, practice, and community life.
Edward is also producer and co-director of Rise of the Geshe-Ma, a documentary about women pursuing Tibetan Buddhism’s highest scholarly training. The documentary has received over 500,000 views online. His work connects creative practice with the people and traditions at the heart of Maitri’s mission.
The Maitri Project has supported 2,500 monastics across Asia and built 11 apartments at Sera Mey. Its programs focus on essential needs including education, housing, healthcare, food security, emergency relief, and meditation retreat.
Explore Maitri’s impact →Edward worked in marketing for Asian Legacy Library, whose preservation of ancient wisdom and manuscripts helps keep this cultural heritage accessible to future generations.
View the published story →Three films from The Maitri Project sharing the people, communities, and traditions this work supports.
10 minutes
As producer and co-director, Edward follows women pursuing Tibetan Buddhism’s highest scholarly degree. With over 500,000 views online, the film brings attention to female Buddhist scholars and their path through advanced study.
Watch film ↗3 minutes 35 seconds
The monastic community and the need for dignified housing at Sera Mey.
Watch film ↗1 minute
Education, ethics, and opportunity at Anandakuthi School in Nepal.
Watch film ↗
Practical support for living Buddhist traditions.
Explore Maitri’s impact →
Edward previously worked in marketing for Asian Legacy Library, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving cultural and literary wisdom traditions. Its work safeguarding manuscripts and making texts accessible is critical for future generations.
We encourage you to visit Asian Legacy Library, explore its digital library, and support its preservation work.
In the summer of 2026, Edward brought a group of monks, including PhD candidates from the monastery, around Indonesia to create the Medicine Buddha mandala and share their practice with local communities.
The tour sought to plant seeds of peace, prosperity, enlightenment, and loving-kindness. Hundreds of people attended the events, which deeply moved communities and offered a transformative experience of shared practice and connection.
For Edward, this work brings the living teachings beyond the monastery and into the world, creating opportunities for people to encounter the tradition together.
Read about the Indonesia mandala tour →Asian Legacy Library’s account of its critical work preserving Buddhist manuscripts and ancient wisdom in Nepal.
Read the story →A public faculty biography introducing Edward’s approach to Hatha Yoga and Vajrayana Buddhist practice.
Read the faculty profile →Edward Sczudlo is the founder and executive director of The Maitri Project, a photographer and filmmaker with a background in production, high-end fashion, photography, marketing, and documentary film. He previously worked in marketing for Asian Legacy Library. He is the producer and co-director of Rise of the Geshe-Ma.
Maitri supports monastics, female Geshe-mas, schools, and practitioners through programs in education, housing, healthcare, food security, emergency relief, and meditation retreat. Visit Maitri’s programs to explore the work.
For Maitri partnerships, film inquiries, or questions about the organization, email edward@themaitriproject.com.
Professional profiles: Edward Sczudlo on IMDb · Edward Sczudlo’s photography portfolio · Integral Life author biography
For Maitri partnerships, documentary and photography inquiries, or a conversation about supporting the work.
Edward has spent over 22 years studying, serving, and practicing these lineages. Personal encounters and time with monastic communities sit alongside his work in film, photography, and humanitarian support.
