Director Kelly Estes of God Bless Bitcoin: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
An Interview With Guernslye Honoré
It’s forgivable not to know something; it’s unforgivable not to learn something.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kelly Estes.
Kelly Estes is founder and President of the Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Foundation, a non-profit that provides bridge scholarships to private high schools and colleges for high-need, high-achieving students to help break the cycle of poverty through education. Kelly has devoted the last thirty years to education as a teacher and as the Graduate Support Director of an enrichment program that provided programming and advisement in a school district where 95% of the students grew up in generational poverty. Kelly along with her husband Brian Estes recently directed, wrote and produced the documentary GOD BLESS BITCOIN, which will be available online worldwide beginning on July 25, 2024!
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
I grew up in the small town in Southern Illinois. It was an idyllic childhood, what people would call “free range” today. I could play outside until the street lights came on, walk to the public pool with friends in the summer, ride bikes on country roads for hours. And, because I was the fourth generation of my family to live there, I knew that if I was misbehaving someone would see and tell my parents. Like many, my family knew financial struggle. My parents had to make hard choices about what we could buy — I can still see my mom sitting at her desk, budgeting for the week as she paid bills. She had an elaborate system. My parents were hard workers and amazing savers. Because of that, we were able to rise up to middle class by the time I was in high school. I grew up believing that if you worked hard and put 10% of your earnings in savings and tithed 10%, that you would be able to have a successful life. Knowing that and living in a community of people who lived by that made me feel safe. Like I said, they were halcyon days.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
While I’m not a professional filmmaker, I am a sort of professional storyteller. You see, I am a writing teacher, so I have 30 years of experience in helping people tell their stories. What brought me to this specific story was my husband, Brian. He had a voice nudging at him, asking him to make a documentary about the moral and ethical reasons for the world to be on a bitcoin standard. But, we aren’t filmmakers, so we kept ignoring the voice. Eventually, an Emmy® nominated filmmaker approached Brian about making a documentary. When Brian came to me and asked me to help him, this was his pitch, “Kel, we’ve got a filmmaker who can do all the work; I just need you to help me come up with what to say. It will be easy.” Famous last words . . . it will be easy. I knew then that I was in for it. Telling a story is never easy . . . it takes time, patience, and introspection. Two years later, we finally finished the film, and it is the exact story Brian felt compelled to tell, so the work was worth it.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
The most interesting takeaway from making God Bless Bitcoin is that despite what our culture tells us, we are not that different from one another. I’ve always suspected that people have more in common than they realize, and that if we could look for ways to relate to each other rather than look for ways to differentiate ourselves from each other, we could be much more productive. It was the religious leaders who confirmed that suspicion for me. When our Jewish, Christian and Muslim experts were talking about what their faiths believe about how we are to interact with each other, especially in relation to how we are to use money, every one said the same thing. We are to use just weights and measures in dealing with each other in finance so that there is enough for everyone. In essence, we are not to steal or lie to gain wealth at another’s expense. Buddhism and Hinduism teaches this as well. In essence, we are all saying the same thing, we are just using a different vocabulary. How great would it be if we approached all of our interactions with each other with that in mind?
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
By far, working with our narrator Natalie Brunell was the most rewarding experience while making God Bless Bitcoin. I love that she is unabashedly who she is. In a culture where people are afraid of being criticized for their beliefs, Natalie respectfully asserts hers. She is unafraid to discuss her faith, her disappointment in the current financial system, her belief that we can do better. She was an Emmy-award-winning TV journalist and investigative reporter before she took a leap of faith and began her own podcast about bitcoin. Getting to work with such a professional was a treat. And, she made me see something I had been missing. Millennials often get a bad rap, but when she told me that generation will be the first one that will not be better off than the ones who came before, I was shocked. It explains so much about why many have put off marriage or having families — they are afraid they can’t afford it. That’s a really sad statement about where our money has taken us, and it was Natalie who made me realize just how important bitcoin is to millennials because it gives them hope.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I had two teachers in high school who saw something in me that I didn’t and encouraged it. Nila Grogan and Ruth Smith both recognized that I would be a good teacher. At the time, I was actually considering going into PR, which would have been fun, but probably didn’t suit me. I had never considered education as a career, but within the same week, both said to me, “You should think about being a teacher — you’re a natural.” I took that as a sign, and did just that. It has been the most fulfilling 30 years I could imagine. Nothing feels better to me than seeing the pride on a student’s face when they have successfully written their story and been able to express themselves.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My mom has a sign in her kitchen that says, “All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.” It’s been there for as long as I can remember, and it’s how she taught me to live. If you want peace, bring peace to others. If you want joy, bring joy to others. If you want love, give love to others. While I haven’t been successful at those every day, I’ve tried, and that has made all the difference.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Right now, I am working on promoting God Bless Bitcoin. Our goal is to get 1 Billion views, so we decided to make the movie free. On our website, Godblessbitcoin.com, anyone can view and download the movie. Our hope is that if people watch it and believe in its message, they will share it with others. We’ve also dubbed it in 7 languages and added subtitles in over 15 languages to make it universal.
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
If I know I’ve helped someone in any way, I am proud. That is the beautiful part of being in education — it is a profession that inherently helps people.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
1. Well done is better than well said.
2. It’s forgivable not to know something; it’s unforgivable not to learn something.
3. People show you who they are.
4. Be direct.
5. It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers, or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
The story drives everything. If I can capture the essence of what the writer is trying to say, then I’ve done my job. For example, in God Bless Bitcoin, my husband had a specific message he wanted to deliver: Bitcoin is a more moral and ethical form of money than our current broken, fiat system. To make that complicated discussion easier to digest, we created 3D animations that helped illustrate some of the more technical descriptions and found b-roll that enhanced what our interviewees were saying.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I’d say if 1billion people actually understood how our current monetary system worked, they would be better equipped to make decisions about how to use the resources they work so hard to earn. Hopefully our movie will educate people so they can see how bitcoin might be a better alternative than what they are using.
How can our readers further follow you online?
They can follow, learn and watch the film at http://godblessbitcoin.com/
And follow us on social at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GodBlessBTCfilm
Twitter: https://x.com/BTCdocumentary
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/godblessbtcfilm/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@godblessbtcfilm
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
