Sabina Bußmann-Kelsey

Born Sabine Christina Bußmann in Germany, Sabina grew up in the hometown of Ludwig van Beethoven, Bonn/Bad Godesberg (a city which goes back beyond the Stone Age), the former capitol and university town where prominent students such as Heinrich Heine studied. With three brothers: Michael, Joachim, and Rolf Jr., and two busy parents, Rolf Sr. and Hertha, Sabina was not only a tomboy but also a "loner" which permitted her to create her own fantasy world into which she could retreat. Having a mother, an eccentric artist who came from a family of intellectuals, scientists, dressmakers, designers, and an entrepreneurial father from a family of visionaries, Sabina had the seeds to fertilize her world of fantasy. When not in school, young Sabina spent her time reading books, writing stories, creating story boards, painting, renovating antique furniture found on the street or in abandoned buildings, which included her first bicycle circa 1940, which she found and painted purple. Visiting flea markets in Amsterdam, Paris, and London fueled her creative mind. On special occasions during those formative years, Sabina designed romantic fantasy sets for her family and friends. The sets were inspired by stories from the Arabian Nights or J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings; as well as, the first film she ever saw in a theater as a teenager, The Never Ending Story. Leaving home at the age of sixteen, Sabina pursued her desire to become a costume and fashion designer, which required a three-year apprenticeship as a professional dressmaker and tailor which was a requirement to study Costume and Fashion Design in Germany, at that time. Sabina obtained her degree in pattern making while managing a designer flagship store in Düsseldorf, Germany. Sabina returned to Cologne, Germany to finish her college degree, then moved to New York City to study Costume and Fashion Design at, Parsons The New School For Design. Four months after arriving in New York City in 1989, Sabina met Everett Kelsey, and they married two years later. After graduating from Parsons, Sabina worked in the New York fashion industry for several years frequently traveling to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. After the reunification of West and former Communistic East Germany (DDR), Sabina and Everett moved to her country of origin, as a result of business opportunities offered to entrepreneurs in the newly privatized eastern states where many foreign investors streamed. By raising funds with the assistance of the European Recovery Program (ERP), Sabina and Everett created and opened a seafood and steakhouse restaurant, serving regional American cuisine in Halle/Sachsen Anhalt on the Saale River. The restaurant was installed in a 19th century stone structure, which they renovated and designed. They developed a corporate identity for their 2 million Euro business, which was celebrated and heralded in national magazines and newspapers as one of the top ten culinary experiences in Germany. Sabina has the ability to visually deconstruct a space, story, object, or the appearance of a person or character then synthesize the deconstructed components and reconstruct the same space, story, object or personal appearance with astonishing results. Whether the original condition is a structural space or that of personal appearance, her process is the same: visual deconstruction, objectively synthesizing the parts, taking apart a moment and then reconstructing with a totally new result. Eager to create something new, the business was sold after a successful run and Sabina and Everett moved back to the United States where Sabina activated her career in the film industry. Sabina has a business sense while being an artist. She uses her "Left-Brain" and "Right-Brain" equally, enabling her to focus on the intricacies of filmmaking. Passion for animals, particularly abandoned animals, makes Sabina and her husband the proud owners of two rescued Pit Bulls. She delights in gardening and strives to preserve nature and protect our planet. Sabina enjoys people with a good sense of humor, different cultures, learning from the experiences of the older generation, and classic black & white films from the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. Growing up in Germany, To Kill a Mocking Bird had a huge impact on Sabina when she saw it at the age of thirteen. Sabina delights in great food from around the world, creating beautiful environments and living spaces, seeing beauty in each person as she explores the dimensions of life, her family, her soul mate, and his mom... Sabina's, "New-York-Mom". Sabina Bussmann-Kelsey and Everett Kelsey founded Organic Polyester Productions (OPP) in 2004 as an artistic laboratory to create and experiment with different story-lines and characters for the silver screen.