Creative Staff Film Bios
Producer, Director & Editor
Kevin Friend has been creating cultural and social documentaries for the past 30 years. His focus has been on documentary-length features that shine a light on emerging social and public issues. Surrounded by strong-minded women (e.g. his mother, two sisters, two daughters, and his wife of 25 years), Kevin couldn’t help but be drawn to the story of Blanche Ames. His passion for women’s equality and the relevance of Blanche Ames’s story today were the progenitors driving this project.
Kevin has been the lead producer/director/editor of more than 110 episodes of two current television travel series: Golfing the World and The Mountain Report. His previous documentaries include Kings of Cape Cod (the history of Cape Cod’s Happy Hour), the award-winning Sacred Ground (behind the scenes at Newport Polo), the shorts Battle for Durham Point (recalling the grassroots effort to thwart development of an oil refinery), and Learn to Cope (families dealing with opioid addiction).
Kevin has been the lead producer/director/editor of more than 110 episodes of two current television travel series: Golfing the World and The Mountain Report. His previous documentaries include Kings of Cape Cod (the history of Cape Cod’s Happy Hour), the award-winning Sacred Ground (behind the scenes at Newport Polo), the shorts Battle for Durham Point (recalling the grassroots effort to thwart development of an oil refinery), and Learn to Cope (families dealing with opioid addiction).
Executive Producer
William Ames, a distant cousin of Oakes Ames, has produced many historical documentaries. A resident of North Easton, Bill Ames brings to this project his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the Ames family, and his expertise in the investment business.
Writer & Narrator
Kate Klise is a former People magazine correspondent
turned award-winning author of more than 30 books
for young readers. Kate first learned about Blanche Ames
while serving as writer-in-residence for the
Ames Free Library. She was thrilled to write and narrate
this film and honor the life of one of America's unsung heroes.
turned award-winning author of more than 30 books
for young readers. Kate first learned about Blanche Ames
while serving as writer-in-residence for the
Ames Free Library. She was thrilled to write and narrate
this film and honor the life of one of America's unsung heroes.
Film Scholar Bios
Barbara Berenson is the author of Massachusetts and the Woman Suffrage Movement: Revolutionary Reformers and Boston in the Civil War: Hub of the Second Revolution. She received a J.D. from Harvard Law, an M.P.A. from the Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. from Harvard College. Berenson is a frequent guest lecturer and has led over 50 book talks on the suffrage movement.
Linzy Brekke-Aloise is an Associate Professor of History and Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in History from Harvard University. She has written extensively on the era of the American founding women, gender and politics. She is the recipient of several grants and fellowships including the American Association of University Women, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the American Antiquarian Society.
Edmund Hands is a local teacher of history with extensive experience in social studies curriculum mapping. He serves as a consultant for the Massachusetts Elementary School Principal’s Association for curriculum development. Author of Easton's Neighborhoods, Hands holds a B.A. in History from Bridgewater State and an M.A. in Latin American History from U. Mass Amherst. Hands is available for scholar led discussions at the high school level.
