Meet the Colter’s Run Production Team
Gerald R. Molen
Executive Producer
Gerald R. (Jerry) Molen is semi-retired from the motion picture and television industry after a prodigious career that has spanned over 58 years. Upon his discharge from the Marine Corps, he started his career in Hollywood, working in the transportation department at Republic Pictures. His rise through the ranks at various positions in the industry led to his ultimate achievement of being recognized as an Academy Award-winning film producer for the 1993 Best Picture, Schindlers List. Some of his other producing credits include Jurassic Park, Hook, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Other Side of Heaven, Minority Report, “2016: Obama’s America,” and “America: Imagine the World Without Her.”
Currently, Mr. Molen serves as Chairman of Kindred Images, Inc., a film and entertainment production company dedicated to family entertainment. He is presently working on a documentary with Dinesh D’Souza, titled Hillary’s America.
He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Montana (2000) and an Honorary Doctor of Performing and Visual Arts from Southern Utah University (2004). His other awards and honors include the Golden Globe, British Academy Award (BAFTA), 1994 Humanitas Prize, Christopher Award, Peoples Choice Award, Torch of Remembrance Award (Anti-Defamation League), CAMIE Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Chapman University.
He frequently speaks to students, selected groups, or organizations on subjects ranging from the entertainment industry to his love for America. He is a native Montanan, born in Great Falls in 1935.
He has been married for 61 years to his wife Patricia. They have 2 children, 4 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. They reside in Bigfork, Montana.
Filmography
Film Credits:
Producer: Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindlers List, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Other Side of Heaven, Minority Report, The Legend of Johnny Lingo, 2016: Obama’s America, and America: Imagine the World Without Her.
Exec Producer: Bright Lights - Big City, Days of Thunder, A Far Off Place, The Flintstones, The Little Rascals, Little Giants, Casper, The Trigger Effect, Twister, Beyond the Blackboard.
Co-Producer: Rain Man
Associate Producer: Batteries Not Included.
Dean Folkvord
Executive Producer
Dean Folkvord is CEO of Wheat-Montana Farms and Bakery. The business has operations that cover over 14,000 acres of tillable land in Broadwater County, near Three Forks, Montana.
Dean holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business from Montana State University with additional certificates from Western College of Auctioneering and The Roy Ferguson Financial Farm Management Company. He has been a key member of multiple Montana state boards, including the Montana Grain Growers Association, The Governor's Council on Food and Nutrition, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Montana.
Dean is a Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals Champion, a past winner of the Montana State University Rodeo Team Scholarship, an Outstanding Conservation Farmer award recipient, and a Montana "Family Business of the Year" award winner. Dean both wrote and co-wrote songs recorded on MCA Records/Universal PolyGram Publishing. Dean's interest in the John Colter story grew after his family purchased and fully renovated the historic Sacajawea Hotel in Three Forks.
While learning about the history of the Headwaters area, Dean came to know more about the fascinating life and explorations of John Colter. Together with Stephen Gough, Dean is committed to seeing Colter's story of courage, integrity, and cunning survival play out on the big screen. Dean lives in Three Forks, Montana with his wife, Hope and their two daughters, Hillary and Haylee.
(Photo credit: Whitney Lin: http://whitneylinphotography.blogspot.com)
Steven P. Saeta
Producer
Steven P. Saeta is a third-generation Hollywood veteran, following in the footsteps of his late father, longtime assistant director, production manager, producer, and director Eddie Saeta (Brian’s Song, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Lady Sings The Blues) and his paternal grandfather, Sam, who headed up Columbia Pictures’ electrical department under studio boss Harry Cohn. Most recently, Saeta worked on Michael Mann’s Blackhat and was producer for 20th Century-Fox’s Agent 47 Singapore unit. Previously he produced the indie feature Jamesy Boy.
The Los Angeles native began his career as a production auditor, assistant director (NBC’s 1970s show “CHiPs”), and studio production executive (Tri-Star Pictures and New Regency Productions) before graduating to production manager/associate producer on such features as Fools Rush In, Forces of Nature, Almost Famous, Tears of the Sun, Spider-Man and, The Island, the latter five collaborating with Oscar-nominated producer Ian Bryce.
He also co-produced two award-winning television miniseries -- Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (winning a Humanitas Prize) and A Woman of Independent Means, for which Saeta shared an Emmy nomination with the film’s star, Sally Field (who also executive produced).
Gale Gough
Producer
Gale Gough holds a B.A. in Marine Biology from Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA. Upon graduating, she went on to assist the Director of the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, where she swam with and monitored shark behavior in the roundabout circular fish tank. When not swimming with sharks, she taught marine biology at the California Academy of Sciences, where her class on the workings of the uncrewed submersible Deep Sea Rover, used in underwater exploration, was awarded as a favorite among the students. She went on to open a successful restaurant in the Marina District of San Francisco.
When the restaurant sold, she was asked to assist the president of Lucasfilm Ltd. in the legal and business affairs office. Some of her duties included, but were not limited to, preparing contracts for actors, producers, directors, special effects, licensing products, film clips, photos, and music clearances. She established a database to monitor future obligations, option expiration dates, payment dates, and deadlines for Lucasfilm products worldwide. She created and maintained an inventory system to track all Lucasfilm Ltd. film, sound, and video elements to ensure worldwide distributors received materials for foreign and domestic distribution in accordance with contractual agreements. She also researched a precedence-setting litigation case for stunt actors.
Stephen Gough
Producer, Script Writer, and Author of Colter's Run
Born in Richmond, Virginia, raised and educated in San Francisco, California, Steve was a U.S. Marine serving in a combat infantry company in the I Corps of South Vietnam in the years 1966–67.
A USA Weightlifting International coach, Steve coached his son in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, before retiring that same year as a decorated "street cop" after nearly a quarter of a century with the San Francisco PD. A lifelong history buff, Steve and his wife moved to southwestern Montana, where he began writing his historical novel Colter’s Run and, subsequently, the screenplay about Western history’s first iconic figure after the return of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Matt Bogosian
Intellectual Property Attorney
Matt graduated from Columbia University with a B.S. in Computer Science and currently spends his time protecting and licensing his own and others' works, marks, inventions, and other intellectual property. Before becoming an attorney, he spent a decade in large-scale transactional software development and management for several companies, including Amazon and Yahoo.
Matt is a member of the California State Bar and is admitted to practice patent law before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He serves as a part-time instructor in appellate law at the Monterey College of Law.
Colter's Run Project Advisors
Linda Matt Juneau
Blackfeet Historical Advisor
Linda is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe with heritage in Nez Perce, Cree, French and English. She is the mother of three sons and seven grandchildren. Linda has over forty years’ experience working with tribal organizations, urban Indian programs, Indian economic development, tribal colleges, and tribal governments.
She holds an Associate of Arts degree in Hospitality Management from Blackfeet Community College; a Bachelor’s Degree in Native American Studies with a minor in Communication Studies; and a Master of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Cultural Heritage from The University of Montana.
She is a former Adjunct Professor in the Native American Studies Department at UM. She also served as a Tribal Liaison at UM, where her work addressed the ongoing collaborative partnerships between the University of Montana and the twelve Indian Tribes of Montana. Linda participated as a fundraiser for the Payne Family Native American Center on the UM campus, as well as the Chairperson of the Construction Committee for the center.
Her areas of interest and experience are in tribal histories developed by tribal members as oral and written traditions, research in Native American communities, and cultural influences for the development of effective social and educational programs. She is the current owner of Juneau Cultural Resource Management on the Blackfeet Reservation.
Tim Coulter
John Colter Descendant, Historical Advisor
Tim's interest in John Colter, his 4th great grandfather, began with many conversations he had with his aunt, Ruth Coulter Frick, and his father, Forrest Coulter. Ruth published the book, Courageous Colter and Companions, in 1998, which further inspired his interest in his illustrious grandfather, including genealogy.
Tim also has and feels a special connection to America's first people. His 2nd great-grandmother on his father's maternal side (Gasperson) was Sarah Crow Crawford, a full-blooded Cherokee whose family was from North Carolina. Soon after both Ruth and his father passed away in 1999, he began doing his own research, which has taken him on trips to Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and in 2008, he met Steve Gough after running the 7-mile Colter's Run at Three Forks, ironically occurring 200 years after the real event.
Steve and Tim became fast friends and, as a result, have taken several road treks together, including visiting John Colter's land, where he settled in Missouri, Yellowstone, Three Forks, and Fort Raymond, which was the first outpost in Montana. His heritage has allowed him to meet many interesting people, and he looks forward to many new adventures on this journey. Tim is an occupational therapist and has been married to Julia for the past 30 years. They have two sons, Sam and Alexander.
Ben Pease
Crow Historical Advisor
Ben Pease, aka "Benjamin Jordan Bahr Jr." was born in 1989, "The Year of The Snake," in Missoula, MT. Born to Linda Pease and Benjamin Bahr Sr., he grew up a beloved child surrounded by his loving family. While growing up in many locations around the U.S., he became very interested in art as he had strong influences from both his mother (Linda Pease) and his grandfather (Benjamin Pease Jr.).
Coming into his manhood and considered an angel by many, he excelled in art classes throughout his school years; painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, sculpting, and photography were his main subjects of focus. While playing football and basketball and participating in track during his time at Hardin Middle school and Hardin High School, he achieved various all-state awards and all-conference awards. He moved on to major in art in the North Dakota University system at Minot State University (MSU) while also continuing his football abilities at the collegiate level. He led the team in sacks as a Red-Shirt Freshman. Ever since his freshman year in high school, he has been selling his paintings and drawings to make extra money on the side of being a Native American student‑athlete‑artist.
He is currently continuing his studies at Montana State University while also actively excelling as a "Starving Artist.” Ben's artwork can be found at: www.benpeasevisions.com.
Dale Burk
Publisher, Historical Advisor
Dale Burk is a third-generation Montanan who served in the U.S. Navy overseas, including a stint as a Navy press representative at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo, Japan.
He graduated with honors from the University of Montana in Missoula and, after much encouragement from personal friend A.B. “Bud” Guthrie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author (The Way West, Big Sky)/screenwriter (Shane), he applied for the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard and became the first Montana author to have the prestigious award bestowed upon him for his writings on the politics of natural resources. Dale was a reporter-editor-columnist-editorial page writer for The Missoulian newspaper for ten years when he subsequently established and still operates a small regional book publishing firm, Stoneydale Press, in Stevensville, Montana.
An avid outdoorsman, he is also the author of several books, including his book “Dale Burk’s Montana,” a pictorial exposé about Big Sky country, and Montana Hunting Guide. Amongst his numerous awards, the two he holds in the highest esteem include his election to the Montana Hunting Hall of Fame for his writing and conservation efforts and being named a Trout Unlimited National Conservationist of the Year for his literary advocacy on the protection of critical trout habitat in Montana.
His lifelong interest in history began when his paternal grandmother introduced him to the story of Sacajawea and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Since then, he has immersed himself in discovering new and forgotten details about the sojourn, including that of enigmatic corpsman John Colter. Stoneydale Press is the publisher of Stephen Gough’s Colter’s Run.