Directors/Producers: John De Graaf, Laurence Cotton, Karen Olcott

Description:

America the Beautiful” may be America’s most beloved song. But few know about the fascinating life of the writer behind it. This film explores the rich life of poet, professor and social reformer Katharine Lee Bates, author of “America the Beautiful”. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Bates’ story reminds us of the beauty and ideals of our nation as well as its shortcomings and honors the unbroken chain of Americans striving to live up to those ideals.

Biography:

John De Graaf has been directing and writing documentaries, often for public television, for more than fourty-five years, winning more than 100 regional, national and international awards for filmmaking–including the highest award for legal reporting from the American Bar Association. More than a dozen of his films have been broadcast nationally in primetime on PBS, including his 1997 hit, Affluenza. The John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award is presented annually at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. He spent thirty-two years with KCTS, the Seattle PBS affiliate, has taught documentary production at three colleges and authored four books.

Laurence Cotton served as a producer of public television programs, including the recent Stewart Udall documentary, and he originated and produced the nationally broadcast film Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America. A public historian, Laurence delivers popular talks about the Olmsted landscape legacy and serves as a guest lecturer for a small ship cruise line, plying the waterways of North America. Laurence was the Director of the Cambridge Forum, a lecture series and public radio program. He was a senior aide in the Massachusetts State Senate and served as executive director of the World Affairs Council of Oregon.

Karen Olcott has over twenty-five years of experience working with corporations and entrepreneurs with a mission to change the world for good. She led T-Mobile's strategic partnerships with several Fortune 100 companies. A two-time Emmy winner in sports television, she was executive producer for a 2012 documentary Rape for Profit. She has a long track record of non-profit activism and philanthropy. 

Contact Information:

e: mark@bullfrogfilms.com 
w: http://www.bullfrogfilms.com