Director/Producer Keith Famie was, for many years, known as a celebrity chef and a metro Detroit restaurateur. He was selected as one of America's "Best New Chefs" in 1989 by Food and Wine magazine; Esquire Magazine chose his restaurants as “Best New Restaurant” in America on two separate occasions.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, Visionalist Entertainment launched the eight-part series “The Embrace of Dying” how we deal with the end of life on DPTV/ PBS. "Maire's Journey,” was completed after almost three years, a touching story about a 24-year-old cancer patient and the amazing journey she made in her afterlife. The film toured several film festivals. 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/PBS in December 2016 and was nominated for two Michigan Emmys.
In 2017, Famie and his team at Visionalist Entertainment debuted a short 18-minute film “A day in the life of Elijah.“ The audience steps into the life of the 6'3" 17-year-old Elijah Craft from Detroit who shares his quest to learn to read as a senior in High school after being tested to find out he was at a third-grade reading level. Elijah' s love for his mother and dedication to better himself is heartwarming and inspirational. This was awarded the Merit Award at the Global Shorts International film festival in Los Angeles. Famie and team also debuted on DPTV/PBS “Enlisted” which explores the reasons why young people join the military.
In 2018, “Those on the Front Lines of Alzheimer’s & Dementia”, aired on PBS and was nominated for a Michigan Emmy the following year. In the fall of 2019, “Those on the Front Lines of Cancer”, released on PBS locally as well as nationally; it was also nominated for a Michigan Emmy. In the winter of 2019, Famie and his team released “Blessed Solanus Casey’s Journey to Sainthood” on PBS. Also published in 2019, was Keith’s new book, Living Through the Lens, http://www.keithfamie.com. While 2020 production plans changed course slightly due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Famie and his team have been hard at work on three documentaries, including “Shoah Ambassadors”, “End of Life Transitioning” and “Chromosomally Enhanced”. For more information, please visit https://www.v-prod.com.
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. In 2017, Keith was presented the Media Award by the Gilda’s Club of Metro Detroit. Over the years, Keith has been actively involved in several well-respected, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) organizations that support everything from children with cancer and hunger relief to veterans’ issues.