Keith Famie

Director/producer Keith Famie was, for many years, known as a celebrity chef of and metro Detroit restaurateur. He was selected as one of America's "Best New Chefs" in 1989 by Food and Wine magazine; twice his restaurants were chosen as "Best New Restaurant" in America by Esquire Magazine.Famie was also a finalist on the 2001 reality television series, "Survivor, the Australian Outback." Keith hosted his own Food Network series, "Keith Famie's Adventures," traveling the world documenting cooking styles from the plains of Africa to monk monasteries of Taiwan, to the lifestyle of Key West.In 2004, the Adventure Chef embarked on a new journey - documentary filmmaking. "I didn't want to be the 'Adventure Chef' guy anymore. I wanted to help people tell their stories."Since that life-changing decision, Famie has been awarded eleven Michigan Emmys and been nominated several other times for his rich, human-interest storytelling, from ethnic documentaries to military tribute films. He and his team at Visionalist Entertainment Productions create informative, entertaining films that touch a wide audience.In 2013, Keith produced a seven-part series called "The Embrace of Aging, the male perspective of growing old," which aired on PBS Detroit in 2013. And in 2015, Famie received his 11th Emmy for "The Embrace of Aging, the female perspective of growing old," the second 13-part film series in this trilogy.In 2016, he completed "Maire's Journey," a touching story about a 24-year-old cancer patient and the amazing journey she made in her afterlife. Accompanying the film is the book "Maire's Journey to the Sea," which documents the behind-the-scenes of making the film. In November of that year, a two-hour film titled "Death Is Not the Answer," which looks at the complicated and emotional subject of depression and suicide, aired on DPTV and is slated for a state-wide release in 2017.2017/2018 will see several new projects, such as "Enlisted" which explores the reasons why young people join the military; and "On the Front Lines of Alzheimer's," which introduces us to Alzheimer's and those who are on the front lines of combating the disease. Having lost his father to Alzheimer's a number of years ago, Famie hopes this film will bring hope to those touched by this disease. Says Famie, "There is nothing more gratifying than being able to touch people through the documentary film work that we do. I know we can affect people's lives."Outside of documentary production, Keith is involved in many charitable projects. In 2015, he was awarded the 2015 Diamond Award by the Association for Women in Communications Detroit Chapter. Most recently, in 2017 Keith was presented the Media Award by the Gilda's Club of Metro Detroit.Over the years, Keith has been actively involved as a director or board member of several well- respected, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) organizations that support everything from children with cancer and hunger relief to veterans' issues. In 2003 Keith completed the Kona Ironman in support of Leukemia Team In Training. Show less «