MEET OUR ESTEEMED
GUEST SPEAKERS
Dr. Mireya Mayor
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PRIMATOLOGIST, EXPLORER, TV HOST, AUTHOR
Hailed by The New York Times as “The Female Indiana Jones” and referred to as “Her Wildness”—Dr. Mayor is a world-renowned primatologist, author, explorer, and Emmy Award winning TV host.
As National Geographic’s first female wildlife correspondent, Dr. Mayor has hosted dozens of documentaries, including her own Nat Geo Wild! Series, Wild Nights with Mireya Mayor, and Mark Burnett’s Expedition Africa for History Channel and currently stars in Discovery Channel’s hit series, Expedition Bigfoot. But the former NFL cheerleader, daughter of Cuban immigrants, and mother of six, is not your typical scientist.
A Fulbright Scholar and Explorer’s Club Fellow, Dr. Mayor is known for exploring the most remote regions of the earth in search of elusive, rare and little-known animals. A field correspondent for the National Geographic Channel, Mayor has reported to audiences worldwide on pertinent wildlife and habitat issues. Her explorations have led to several scientific discoveries, most notably her discovery in Madagascar of the world’s smallest primate, a brand new species to science. Her work with this rare primate inspired the prime minister of Madagascar to establish a national park to help protect the new species, conserving the 10 percent that remains of the African island nation’s once vast forest. Mayor earned her Ph.D. at Stony Brook University on her field research on the effects of forest fragmentation and isolation on two types of lemurs found only in northern Madagascar.
Dr. Mayor is the author of the best-selling book, Pink Boots and a Machete, and the subject of the award-winning children’s book, Just Wild Enough. She is the founder of Her Wildness Foundation, a non-profit focused on conservation efforts, and highlighting the contributions and roles of women in the frontlines protecting some of the most endangered animals on Earth.
A Miami native, Dr. Mayor also plays a leading role on Florida International University’s strategic management team, where she champions environmental resilience and leads conservation initiatives, including the recent designation of the Florida Keys, Biscayne Bay and Ten Thousand Islands as a new Mission Blue Hope Spot.
In addition to serving as the Executive Director of Strategic Projects at FIU, she regularly speaks to audiences across the country and internationally about the importance of conservation for a vigorous and healthy planet.
Mireya Mayor, PhD
Jason Kenzie
Jason is an author, director, and animal photojournalist who has traveled the world, immortalizing all kinds of people and their exotic wildlife companions.
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He also has a documentary series titled Searching for Sasquatch which streams worldwide on platforms such as Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, and Plex. TV
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Jason has been investigating the lore of Bigfoot and other cryptids since 2019. With only a camera and a flashlight, Jason jumps headfirst into the darkness determined to solve the mystery of Bigfoot.
Kenny W. Irish
Kenney W. Irish aka, "The Cryptopunkologist," is an author, hardcore/punk musician, and sales/marketing professional. Originally from the northern parts of Vermont, he has recently relocated to the beautiful Adirondacks area of upstate New York. He has a lifelong love of folklore, legends, monsters, and U.F.O stories. He has regularly attended and spoke at writers' groups, conferences, festivals, and various other platforms across the country representing The New York Bigfoot Society. He has a passion for writing young readers chapter books. The two most recent released via HANGAR 1 PUBLISHING, owned by the creator, and producer of the hit TV show, MONSTER QUEST. In late 2020, he signed with BEYOND THE FRAY PUBLISHING, and in March of 2021 released, AMERICAN CRYPTIDS In Pursuit of the Elusive Creatures. This publication became a Six-time #1 bestseller on Amazon, and has outperformed all other material in its genre. In late summer of 2022, INTERNATIONAL CRYPTIDS & LEGENDS, the follow up to American Cryptids was released via Beyond the Fray Publishing, and remained in the number 1 bestseller spot for two weeks straight and is now a two-time bestseller. The next publication releasing from BTF will hit in late 2024 titled AMERICAN MONSTER HUNTERS. The Cryptopunk has appeared on numerous radio shows, and podcasts such as, COAST TO COAST AM, resulting in all 3 appearances becoming a "Best of" episode. MIDNIGHT FM, UNTOLD RADIO AM, THE JIM HAROLD SHOW, and THE LEAK PROJECT NETWORK, to name a few. He has filmed in several documentaries scheduled to broadcast in the near future. He recently filmed, and appears in the national TV show, HAUNTED HOSPITALS for The Travel Channel, and Discovery Plus.
Brit Barbieri
Known as “the long-haired explorer of the unexplained” and “the real-life Tomb Raider,” Brittany Barbieri is an internationally recognized cryptozoologist, ufologist, and paranormal investigator.
With well over two decades of field experience, she has dedicated her life to uncovering the truth behind the world’s most elusive creatures, unexplained phenomena, and ancient mysteries.As a board member of the Crocodile Research Foundation, Brittany is at the forefront of returning cryptozoology to its rightful place within the broader scientific study of animals - where it began.
Her work is grounded in logic, guided by evidence, and rooted in the principles of zoology and field science. In a field often clouded by speculation, she remains a steady and rational voice, committed to seeking answers through research, documentation, and critical thinking.She also serves as a trusted consultant for television and film, helping shape accurate portrayals of paranormal and cryptid subjects. Whether tracking down legends or analyzing strange encounters,
Brittany’s goal is clear: investigate with integrity, and always follow the evidence, no matter where it leads.
Ryan "RPG" Golembeske
* Appearing at VIP Film Screening: Bigfoot Primal Fear (see Special Guests page for more info).
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Ryan "RPG" Golembeskie is an Executive Producer at Monsters Brothers Productions in Little Compton, RI and OutKast Paranormal in New Port Richey, FL. Alongside his brother Josh, Ryan created compelling TV shows and horror movies that captivate audiences. Notable credits include working on television series such as Finding Bigfoot,Expedition Bigfoot and documentaries, Citonga Bigfoot Spirits and Faith, The Skunk Ape Experiments and The Conjuring House Experiments. Ryan is also an MC at major Bigfoot conferences and is known for his unwavering optimism and adventerous spirit, which he channels into his work, aiming to evoke powerful emotions through both art and dialogue.
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Nick Pope
Nick Pope worked as a civilian employee for the UK Ministry of Defense for 21 years, and for much of the early Nineties was posted to a division where his duties included researching and investigating the UFO phenomenon to assess the defense, national security and safety of flight implications. Nick is a regular contributor on TV news programs and documentaries, and is one of the leading contributors on the History Channel show Ancient Aliens. Nick also moderates Ancient Aliens Live - a traveling stage show based on the hit TV series.
April Busset
April Busset, The Psychic Housewife of New Jersey, is a renowned Celebrity Psychic Medium and a natural-born clairvoyant.
She’s the visionary force behind Ghosted Magazine, its creator, founder, and CEO, turning it into a powerhouse that’s both inspiring and captivating within the paranormal world. Her work has been featured on the Travel Channel's "The Holzer Files" in the Lambert Castle episode, "Haunted Hotels," and "The Haunted Files." She is currently filming a new TV project. April has collaborated with some of the most well-known TV paranormal celebrities to investigate the most notoriously haunted locations.
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April's unique abilities to connect with spirits have been instrumental in resolving intense hauntings and possessions throughout the United States, providing comfort and closure to her clients.
She has also named a killer live on her show "Cocktails & Readings With April, The Psychic Housewife of New Jersey".
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April's journey into the world of spirits began at the age of four when her deceased father visited her two years after his passing. Her remarkable accuracy in relaying messages from spirits in the most haunted locations in the United States is a testament to her unique connection with the spirit world.
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April is on an exhilarating journey across the United States, captivating thousands with her uplifting gallery readings as they seek to reconnect with loved ones from the other side.
April currently does private readings for thousands of clients worldwide.
Adam Davies
British Explorer Adam Davies is unique. Simply put, there is no one alive today who has done more active (Off Camera) field work to prove the existence of yet-to-be discovered animals in remote and sometimes dangerous parts of the world. From the dense jungles of the Congo and Sumatra, to the Deserts of Mongolia, and the
Mountains of Nepal, Adam has traveled the world in search of scientific evidence for the existence of these creatures. Adam has actually brought back real scientific evidence of the
creatures he has tracked, a feat unmatched by anyone ever in this field so far. Examples of the creatures he has gathered evidence of, and which have astonished, include the Orang-
Pendek in Sumatra, the Yeren in China, and the Seljord Serpent in Norway. Indeed, he has even worked on a project with one of the worlds leading geneticists, also fascinated by Bigfoot.
Adam, an accomplished Animal Tracker since childhood, combines this with his skills in courtroom cross examination, a job he performed for 7 years representing the British Governments Home Office. Adam would love to hunt for unknown creatures round the clock, but for now he can only devote his spare time and money to this passion, just dreaming of what he could really achieve if he had the opportunity to devote all his energy towards the cryptid universe.
Adam is a frequent contributor to documentary television programming, including shows such as the History Channel, MonsterQuest, National Geographic, “Is It Real?” series,
Animal Planet, & Finding Bigfoot, and The Science Channel “Unexplained Files”.
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His latest books Extreme Expeditions 2: Manbeasts - A Personal Investigation (2014 / 2020 2nd Edition) and Extreme Expeditions 3: Bigfoot Versus The Yeti (2020), followed his hit Extreme Expeditions: Travel Adventures Stalking The World’s Mystery Animals (2008 / 2020 2nd Edition). You can read about Adam’s most recent expedition to Nepal, searching for the yeti with Josh
Gates while filming multiple episodes of “Expedition Unknown” for the Travel Channel, in his newest book Extreme Expeditions 3: Bigfoot Versus The Yeti (2020).
Ken Gerhard
Ken Gerhard is a widely recognized cryptozoologist, author and lecturer who frequently appears on television. Ken has traveled the world searching for evidence of mysterious creatures including Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, the Chupacabra, Mothman and The Beast of Gevaudan.
In addition, he’s written six books on the subject of unknown animals. His research has been featured on numerous TV shows including – Missing in Alaska, Monster Quest, Ancient Aliens, America Unearthed, The UnXplained (with William Shatner) and Legend Hunters. Ken has appeared on major networks including Travel Channel, Science Channel, National Geographic, SyFy and Animal Planet.
He can currently be seen on the History Channel series –The Proof Is Out There.
Marc DeWerth
Marc Dewerth is a long-time Ohio Bigfoot investigator who has been actively researching since 1990. He is the Curator for the Ohio chapter of the Bigfoot Field Research Organization ( BFRO) and a highly sought-after lecturer on Ohio Bigfoot sightings. Marc has been featured in shows like Paranormal Declassified and the Small Town Monster documentaries, as well as multiple podcasts.
Marc organizes the Ohio Bigfoot Conference at Salt Fork State Park, one of the largest Bigfoot conferences in North America. Each year, Mr. DeWerth welcomes thousands of people to this family-friendly and educational event.
Due to his hours of field research, Marc is also dedicated to documenting and preserving Ohio’s great variety of trees. He created and runs the Big Trees Ohio organization, a volunteer group of big tree enthusiasts who seek out Ohio’s biggest and grandest trees and document them.
Mr. DeWerth’s decades of experience with both nature and Bigfoot research make him an expert on Bigfoot sightings in Ohio and all of North America.
Craig David Dowsett
* Appearing at VIP Film Screening: Bigfoot Primal Fear (see Special Guests page for more info).
Craig David Dowsett is a British actor best known for playing the role of Winnie The Pooh in the horror film “Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey.” He was featured worldwide in Rolling Stone Magazine, Empire, CNN, Variety, IGN, ITV news and many more media outlets.
Craig also played roles in The Area 51 Incident, The House That Zombies Built, and Realm.
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Craig has now started directing his own independent movies. His directorial debut is the forthcoming “Bigfoot Primal Fear.”
Craig also has an extensive martial arts background with screen combat training.
Gwendolyn Purcell
* Appearing at VIP Film Screening: Bigfoot Primal Fear (see Special Guests page for more info).
Gwendolyn Purcell is a dynamic and enterprising individual with a deep-rooted fascination for the mysterious and unexplained. As the podcast host of "From Behind Tall Trees" and "Bigfoot: The Podcast," she delves into the enigmatic world of cryptids, particularly focusing on Bigfoot, engaging listeners with intriguing discussions and expert interviews. Her entrepreneurial spirit shines through as the creator and owner of "Got Knockers?," a unique brand offering Bigfoot-themed merchandise that resonates with enthusiasts and believers alike.
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Beyond her ventures in audio storytelling and retail, Gwendolyn is the visionary behind "Strange Knocks Magazine," where she serves as the chief editor, curating content that explores the mysteries of the world. She also brings communities together as the organizer of the Central PA Bigfoot & Cryptid Festival in Selinsgrove, PA, providing a platform for enthusiasts to share experiences and knowledge. Through her diverse projects, Gwendolyn Purcell champions the allure of the unknown and fosters a community of curiosity and discovery.
Daniel Lee Barnett
* Appearing at VIP Film Screening: Bigfoot Primal Fear (see Special Guests page for more info).
Daniel Lee Barnett is just 16 years old and is a Bigfoot Researcher, Podcaster, Author, Director and Conference Organizer. Daniel is
an autistic teenager with a profound love for cryptozoology. From Bigfoot to the Exmoor Beast, Daniel's passion drives him to explore the outdoors, interview global experts, and delve into the mysteries of cryptids. Supported by his family and professional researchers, Daniel's journey offers a unique lens into the world of cryptozoology and the environment.
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He has a documentary coming out very soon called My Bigfoot Life. It’s about his Bigfoot journey and encouraging people and families to enjoy nature.
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This documentary was featured at Cannes Film Festival this year, as well as the American Film Market and European Film Market, which is brilliant. Daniel has also worked on other shows such as Legend Seekers, which is a new family show based around getting children back out into nature. Daniel recently had the pleasure of starring in a new upcoming Bigfoot horror film called Bigfoot Primal Fear.