Director/Producer Keith Famie, for many years, was 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, and 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 twelve 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.
Along with documentary filmmaking, Famie has released several books throughout his career, Famie's Adventures in Cooking (2001), You Really Haven't Been There Until You've Eaten the Food (2003), Living Through the Lens (2019), and Papa's Rules for Life (2021).
Outside of documentary production, Famie has been involved in various charitable projects. In 2003, Famie finished the 25th anniversary Ironman Triathlon World Championship in Kona with Team In Training for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In 2015, he was awarded the 2015 Diamond Award by the Association for Women in Communications Detroit Chapter. In 2017, Famie was presented the Media Award by the Gilda's Club of Metro Detroit, and in 2023, Famie was awarded a Dove Award from The Arc of Oakland County for Media Distinction. Over the years, Famie has been actively involved in several well-respected, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) organizations that support children with cancer, hunger relief to veterans' issues, and others.
