Meet the Makers

Betsy Bertram - Writer / Producer

Betsy Bertram is a writer, speaker, certified yoga teacher, and Reiki practitioner. Inspired to finish a film project started by her late father, she co-produced Captain Scott B and the Great Adventure with filmmakers Matthew Chenet, Erin Essenmacher, and Natalie Schwan. Her writing creates the foundation of the narrative and is woven throughout the film. The arc of the story follows Betsy’s physical and spiritual journey through grief. As a first-time filmmaker, Betsy is grateful for the opportunity to learn a new art form as she believes we all have the power to transform grief into creative expression. She vulnerably shares her experience in hopes of helping others face loss and live meaningful lives. She created the Embracing Death & Dying Program, which supports people living more fully by preparing for life’s end. Learn more about Betsy here.

PODCAST FEATURES
Ingredients for a Magical Life on the Yoke & Abundance Wise Woman Podcast
You are a Miracle on the Yoke & Abundance Wise Woman Podcast
Into the Wild on The Monti Podcast
Strangers produced by The Monti

Matthew Chenet - Director / Producer

Matthew Chenet is a visual storyteller on a mission to encourage a deeper sense of gratitude and wonder for the gift of life. Matthew’s unique brand of character-driven storytelling focuses on finding the authentic heart and universal truths within each and every narrative. Launching his career with the Discovery Channel in Washington, DC, Chenet spent nearly two decades honing his craft in all aspects of narrative storytelling, from writing and development, to field-producing & directing, editing and post. Matthew’s own grief journey eventually led him to leave his work in reality television and focus on finding and sharing inspirational stories that “celebrate the art of life.” Currently working as an independent filmmaker and photographer, Matthew serves a diverse array of NGOs, corporate clients, schools, and independent artists. As an undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill, Chenet worked at Townsend Bertram & Co where he formed a personal connection with owners, Scott Bertram and Audrey Townsend. While on a personal healing journey to Costa Rica, Matthew began self-producing a web series focused on local characters whom he saw as leading full and artful lives.  Undertaking this feature documentary project with Betsy Bertram is the culmination of an effort to share stories that create light and love and foster more healing in the world.

“On the most personal level, I have experienced and am still walking a grief journey of my own, having lost my wife, Jill, in 2012. I know what it means to be incapacitated by loss and grief. I can relate to seeking solace and connection in the outdoors and the natural world, and I know the significance of finding peace, comfort and a sense of purpose again through the practice of noticing the moment.  While this film follows the trail of Betsy Bertram on a journey of healing and discovery, on the deepest level it is about all of us who know any form of loss or grief, as most of us do, and we all someday will. This film is an offering of healing, wisdom and insight into how we can find that ray of light in the dark to keep us moving, even thriving, with a renewed purpose, love and gratitude for the magical gift of life on planet Earth.”

Erin Essenmacher, Executive Producer

Erin Essenmacher is an award-winning writer, director, and producer with more than 20 years of experience in media production, strategy, storytelling, and content curation. She has written, directed, and produced films for PBS, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, the History Channel, and CNN, and worked with brands like Sony, Apple, Acura, and The Gap. Essenmacher produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed independent documentary, MINE which won the audience award at both SXSW and San Francisco's Doc Fest.  She has also served on the programming committee for the AFI Docs International Film Festival and as judge for the Producer’s Guild Awards in the documentary category.  For the past decade Erin served in leadership roles at the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), most recently as President and Chief Strategy Officer, where she transformed the organization’s approach to content creation, new product innovation and strategic partnerships.  In her new venture, Feisty Aphrodite, Erin focuses on original content creation and advising organizations and other makers on media and content strategy.  She is also the founder of More Perfect US, an initiative that explores the future of America and what the American dream means in the 21st century.

Erin is a past President and former board chair of Women in Film and Video (WIFV), former board chair of Gandhi Brigade and is a past board member of the iconic clothing brand EILEEN FISHER, Inc.  She currently serves on the board of Docs in Progress and the advisory board for the Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business Executive Center.

Personal Statement

“I am honored to be supporting this project and helping Matt and Betsy see it to fruition.  The themes it explores around grief, healing, embracing the wonder of life and living out loud resonate deeply with me. In many ways, though I never met him in person, Scott B reminds me of my mom.  

Everything mom did, she did with intention, passion. Parenting was no exception. She recounted how I was learning to crawl, she got down on all fours and roamed around every room in the house, covering every inch, so she could see what the world would look like from my perspective.  At night she played songs like “What Would You Do With the Drunken Sailor?” on her guitar as my sister and I danced wildly around the room, usually navigating pillow forts as we shimmied and twirled. We were poor by many objective measures, but even the hardships that came from living on the edge became part of the story.   Through my mom’s eyes, life was just a big adventure and we were warrior princesses, slaying dragons, helping peasants, saving ourselves. 

Later, after MS had ravaged her body, when most people would have let the disease make them smaller, mom continued to live out loud, taking solo trips to swim with dolphins or drink tea a top the tallest building in Dubai.  Her death was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. I felt as though I had lost my compass, my north star.  But even ten years on, she continually shows up in ways big and small to remind me that she’s still with us – in the form of ladybugs and trees, birds tapping on the window and the occasional rogue pink flamingo lawn ornament – one of our many inside jokes.

So I am honored to do my small part to help this film get to the finish line, in honor of Scott B and my mom, and all the free spirits who show us the way to live fully and without apology. A lesson that keeps on giving every single day.”

Natalie Schwan, Executive Producer

Natalie Schwan is an award-winning commercial and narrative director and producer who is known for work that celebrates the vastness of the human condition, the journey of the overcomer, and the spirit of adventure. She has received multiple Telly Awards for directing and producing and has produced Webby-nominated work. In 2015, she launched her Brooklyn-based production company, Velocity Creatives, which creates stunning visual stories that inspire, challenge and excite. Her heart is in travel and exploring, and you can often find her planning her next international adventure.

Personal Statement

“Now more than ever, we need content in the world that is uplifting, full of heart and capturing the full human experience. This film embraces all of that - in a way that doesn't make us shy away from grief or loss, but to lean in and through that pain for a greater sense of meaning. As a filmmaker and as a company, we want to elevate these powerful stories and remember what is worth fighting for, that life is worth celebrating and that hope is always within reach.”

Brett Mullen, Director of Photography

Brett is an award-winning independent filmmaker and content producer with a big heart, adventurous spirit, and a keen eye for capturing dynamic and compelling images that tell a story. Brett's two feature films to date have won numerous awards in the US and abroad and he is currently in pre-production on his third feature.  Brett's personal production company, Red Nebula, has created content for Honda, Verizon, Walmart, NFL, IBM, Shell, VOLVO, Nascar, BB&T, and Nike, among others.

Personal Statement

"I have been capturing motion pictures since I was a child thanks to my father, John. He would videotape everything from my skateboarding moves to a simple day walking our horses. At first, I was inspired because Scott had a love for capturing the moment but I also felt connected because my father is a cancer survivor. Throughout the journey of this documentary however, I've learned so much more about Scott B. His story is an absolutely beautiful one, filled with what it truly means to be connected to the world around us by appreciating the small things in life. I am always inspired to capture something magical. This story is just that."

Andrew Schwartz, Additional Camera

Andrew Schwartz is a Cinematographer, Director, Steadicam Operator and Instructor.  Working in production for over 17 years, he has shot regularly and extensively for Netflix, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, History Channel, Bravo, HGTV and Sportsman Channel and more. As a Steadicam Operator he has worked in the film, tv and music video industry and has shot for Grammy winner Brad Paisley, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, NBC’s This Is Us, Netflix’s Jessica Jones and others. He is an active member in the Steadicam Operators Association and the Steadicam Guild and teaches steadicam alongside its inventor Garrett Brown, twice a year to students from around the world. With his one-of-a-kind perspective, Andy truly knows how to translate stories, characters, places and emotions thru the lens and the story.  He strives to bring a distinctive look and an irreplaceable emotional feel and timeless quality to all of his work.  But it’s not all work, Andy’s heart is with his son Otto playing, painting, cooking, traveling, taking pictures and daydreaming.

Personal Statement

“I work in documentaries, films and commercials.  I try to seek out and work on things that I emotionally care for, and that usually starts with the people making the project and their passion and reason for setting out to create something.

This film feels and speaks vulnerability, honesty, truth, love, clarity, exploration, adventure, nostalgia, curiosity and progression.  Usually you get a few of those important experiences on a project, this one is all of those things at once.  In a single frame of any part of this film I feel like all of those things exist.  I wanted to experience that with Matt and Betsy but really try to test my skill in helping them capture those emotions in our footage in different ways.

John Muir said - "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”  I go outside to clear my head, to ponder, to have fun, to play, to exercise, to create, to explore, to discover, to recover.  I often get sick of being inside but I never get sick of being outside.  It is hard to breathe life in deeply from a desk, or on a sofa on your phone, but outside, in nature, life exists and is waiting for us to dive in and experience.”

Maia Dery, Creative Consultant

Maia Dery is a life and executive coach, creative consultant, former college instructor, artist, avid surfer, and dedicated student of the natural world. She works with her clients to discover, foster, and facilitate deepening, renewable sources of creativity, empathy, joy and purpose in leadership, in love, in play. Her approach, whether behind a camera, as a speaker, or with individual clients, is grounded in guiding others to see their world with enhanced pattern-recognition, increased inspiration, deeper engagement, and an appreciative sense of what is present and possible. After years as a professional photographer and even more years as a college art instructor, Maia's current work serves leaders, change-makers, and creators who want to leave the world better than they found it while building health, integrity, and wisdom.

Personal Statement

“As I stumbled through young adulthood, Scott Bertram was a crucial mentor and role model to me. His ingredients for a magical life were potent and effective. I am grateful to have been nearby as the last decades of his life unfolded like a beautiful, layered, intricate work of art. When I heard that Matt Chenet and Betsy Bertram, each gifted storytellers, were willing to do the work required to share Scott and Betsy's powerful story with a wider audience, I knew I wanted to support the project in any way I could. There's never been a better time than now for this sort of example to make its way into our lives and shared culture.”

Dr. Betsy Bennett, Advisor - Sponsorship and Funding

Under the leadership of Dr. Betsy Bennett, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences grew into the largest natural history museum in the Southeast. The Museum is now the most visited in the state — attracting an average of 900,000 visitors each year — and is always a top field trip location for teachers and students. Prior to coming to the Museum, Dr. Bennett served as a consultant at the Triangle Children’s Museum and taught high school and middle school science and math. Having helped open Discovery Place in Charlotte, Dr. Bennett first came to the Triangle in 1990 with a vision — helping raise $71 million to open the museum ten years later — a place where young and old alike continue to learn.

Two decades later, Dr. Bennett’s work continued to pay off most recently with the opening of the three story, 80,000 square foot Nature Research Center in 2012. Dr. Bennett currently works as Strategic Counsel for Capital Development Services and also serves as CoChair of the board of the Kidzu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill. In addition to her BA degree in Physics and Mathematics from Hollins University, she holds a doctorate degree from the University of Virginia and an honorary doctorate from NC State University. Among her many honors, she received the Tar Heel of the Year Award in 2011 and in 2014, the NC Award for Public Service.