Hello, I'm Michelle
Producer/Director at the base of the Sawatch Range. This is my chapter of motherhood, mountains, and magic making.
Recent Work
It's been an immense joy returning to independent production work, directing the film "A Humble Passage" and running BellyFire Productions and Buena Film alongside Jake Winsett.I recently completed five years at the Creative Director on TED's production team, directing and producing original series and the classic TED Talks at the flagship shows. Prior to that role, I produced and filmed numerous documentary shorts for CNN and NBC, directed award winning nonprofit campaign videos, and guided mission driven organizations' storytelling initiatives.My early life was shaped by growing up on a farm and putting in the time. My early professional lens was shaped by years of international travel and degrees in journalism and religious studies, followed by a graduate degree in policy and management at NYU Wagner.My greatest joy is being a mom. You can find our crew in the mountains, snow and/or shine.
A Humble Passage
We are currently in production for A Humble Passage. To learn more about the film, shoot me an email! We'd love to keep you involved in our progress.THE FILM:
In this true comeback story, one whitewater raft guide sets out to be the first American woman to row alone from California to Hawaii.SYNOPSIS:
Between California and Hawaii lies one of the most remote and empty expanses of ocean on Earth—an endless blue desert nearly as wide as the Sahara.Raft guide Kelsey Pfendler has spent her career expertly steering adventure-seekers through whitewater rapids. As Kelsey sets out to break the women’s solo and unsupported record for rowing across this ocean desert, she leaves behind the persistent weight of guiding others and a river incident that questioned the very expertise that has defined her adult life.This is a story of raw reclamation.In the vast silence of the open ocean, rowing stroke after stroke in relentless solitude, Kelsey reclaims the unassailable certainty that she is exactly who she has always lived to be while pursuing the solo journey of a lifetime.
Buena Film
After a decade based in NYC and abroad as the award-winning BellyFire Productions, working with organizations ranging from VOSS Water and TED to CNN and NBC—we have landed in Buena Vista, CO, launching Buena Film — an homage to this community we spent years dreaming might one day be home.We are now partnering with regional Colorado businesses, municipalities, nonprofits, foundations, and the outdoor community throughout Colorado and beyond to craft compelling video and photography content while directing and producing an upcoming documentary.
BellyFire Productions
Jake and I operated as BellyFire Productions (a video production and event photography company) since 2015, founded and based primarily in NYC until we moved to Buena Vista in January 2024. Focused in the mission drive + social impact space, we manage all aspects of video and photography content, from pre-production/ideation to on-location production and post production.