Fulfillament Stories

Rich Brauer is president of Brauer Productions, Inc., an independent film and video production company he founded in 1977. After many years of making films for a wide variety of clients, Brauer received the Michigan Filmmaker of the Year award at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival, presented by filmmaker Michael Moore. Brauer has directed […]

Rich Brauer is president of Brauer Productions, Inc., an independent film and video production company he founded in 1977. After many years of making films for a wide variety of clients, Brauer received the Michigan Filmmaker of the Year award at the 2009 Traverse City Film Festival, presented by filmmaker Michael Moore. Brauer has directed 10 feature films and hundreds of corporate, non-profit, educational and commercial projects.

He also co-founded the Maritime Heritage Alliance in 1982 and the Inland Seas Education Association in 1989.

“I got bit by the filmmaking bug in 7th grade after seeing “The Blue Max” and haven’t looked back.  I respect the craft and appreciate the process of working with artists and technicians towards the creation of one common goal. It’s quite remarkable.”

Here is Rich’s story from the May 2017 event…

Troy is an artist and designer based out of Traverse City, Michigan. After spending much of his twenties battling cancer, Troy found himself sharing stories of his personal trials through art and design via his blog Strong Odors. As a result Troy launched his freelance design and illustration business Ten Point Studio in 2009, has […]

Troy is an artist and designer based out of Traverse City, Michigan. After spending much of his twenties battling cancer, Troy found himself sharing stories of his personal trials through art and design via his blog Strong Odors. As a result Troy launched his freelance design and illustration business Ten Point Studio in 2009, has exhibited fine art in galleries around Michigan as well as Chicago and Minneapolis, and has also gained international recognition for his collaborative design projects FUTURALBUM and Old & New Project. Troy also serves on staff at Michigan Legacy Art Park, and has been a happy husband and proud parent for the past 17 years.

"Fate tossed me into the arts, and magic keeps me swimming here. Art must not necessarily always be my career, but it is forever in my ears and eyes and nose and lungs and blood and bones and guts and heart and soul."

Here is Tory's story from the January 2017 event…

Leah is a waitress, turned grant writer, turned proud government employee. She charted her career path based on her mission to improve the quality of life for all around her. –A goal that may sound a little vanilla, but that is absolutely her truth.  Leah has channeled her entrepreneurial spirit into whatever makes people and places […]

Leah is a waitress, turned grant writer, turned proud government employee. She charted her career path based on her mission to improve the quality of life for all around her. –A goal that may sound a little vanilla, but that is absolutely her truth.  Leah has channeled her entrepreneurial spirit into whatever makes people and places around her thrive. Whether building Chicago’s Prentice Women’s Hospital,  or saving the Detroit Zoo, or helping Goodwill provide housing, jobs and food for folks in our region, or her current role with one of Michigan’s terrific U.S. Senators, – Leah believes that she can make her backyard better. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Traverse City DDA, and on Munson’s Community Health Committee. She’s done some neat stuff, but her gig as a mom to two great kids is what makes her most proud (and tired).

“I don’t worry about things that I cannot change. However, I believe that anybody can do whatever they put their mind to. So, in between these two guiding principles, I don’t do a lot of sitting still. “

Here is her story from the January 2017 event...

Erin grew up surrounded by cherry farms near Elk Rapids, but left to pursue an adventure at Interlochen Arts Academy, where she majored in Creative Writing and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Her journey continued in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree focused in Middle Eastern History from Sarah Lawrence College and […]

Erin grew up surrounded by cherry farms near Elk Rapids, but left to pursue an adventure at Interlochen Arts Academy, where she majored in Creative Writing and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Her journey continued in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree focused in Middle Eastern History from Sarah Lawrence College and later stayed to work in the publishing industry. Eventually, she found her way back to northern Michigan, spending 6 years as Charitable Giving Specialist at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, protecting the natural beauty that called her home in the first place. She then returned to Interlochen Center for the Arts for a 5-year stint as a Charitable Gift Officer for the US West Coast before leaving to work full time as Executive Director of Parallel 45 Theatre, the company she co-founded in 2010. Her 14-year career in nonprofit fundraising and development allows her to direct philanthropy to Parallel 45 and manage its general operations, nurturing the dream of a professional theatre in northern Michigan into reality. The author of Look About You: A Magical Childhood in Michigan’s Wild Places, Erin is also the co-owner of Mr. Music DJ & Event Services and a proud board member of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology.

“All good art allows us to look at the world without division and, instead, concentrate on what connects us. We need that right now. The opportunity to see the world through another person’s lens is an enormous gift. By collaborating with artists from around the world—and just down the street—we can pass that gift to our community. I never imagined I’d make a living asking people for charitable donations, or running a theatre company, but here I am. Grateful. Art sometimes seems like a luxury and, in many ways, it IS, but that doesn’t mean it’s frivolous. It helps us live lives that are richer, more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more respectful of what it means to be human.”Â

Brad Kik is the co-founder and co-director of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology. Brad’s varied background—film study, environmental activism, graphic design, community organizing, traditional music, ecology and permaculture—plays a key role in directing the intention behind Crosshatch’s work in the community. Brad also serves on a number of boards reflecting Crosshatch’s diverse approach to […]

Brad Kik is the co-founder and co-director of Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology. Brad’s varied background—film study, environmental activism, graphic design, community organizing, traditional music, ecology and permaculture—plays a key role in directing the intention behind Crosshatch’s work in the community. Brad also serves on a number of boards reflecting Crosshatch’s diverse approach to community building: Earthwork Music, a collective of Michigan musicians; Grass River Natural Area, a 1000+ acre wetland preserve in Antrim County, Michigan, near where Brad calls home; and the Alliance of Artist Communities (AAC), who support and advocate for artist residency programs. Brad also acts as the co-chair of the ecological residencies cohort for the AAC, and helps convene and present their Emerging Programs Institute each year.

“I founded Crosshatch in part to create a laboratory for community building. The purpose isn’t just to build a suite of meaningful programs, but to remain curious about how to work the levers that move communities toward deep and long lasting change. In a way, Crosshatch is my lifelong art project.”

Here is Brad’s story from the January 2017 event…