February 13, 2025

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

 **Fertile Celebrates the Success of "Mister Abbott" on AMC+**

Chicago, IL – Fertile proudly announces the streaming of its critically acclaimed documentary "Mister Abbott" on AMC+. This lyrically infused, short-form documentary delves into the life of Robert Sengstacke Abbott, the visionary founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender. Garnering widespread acclaim, the film showcases the innovative storytelling and dedication of its exceptional production team.

The documentary's success is a testament to the hard work and creativity of the production team, including Pat Wimp, Director, Narrator, Writer; Natalia Salazar, Bob Hercules, Daniel Ash, James Carr, and Susan Keegan, Producers; Keith Walker, Cinematographer; Guiseppe (Cammo) Camucoli, Illustrator; Barron (Slot-A) Bollar, Original Music; Jaden Scott, Editing; Arionne Nettles, Journalist; Ina Cox, Public Historian; Sangeeta Laura Biagi, Creative Voice Coach; and Kurt Roger Cherry, Executive Producer, among many others.

"This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for 22 years. We are thrilled to see 'Mister Abbott' reach a wider audience through AMC+," said Cherry.

Wimp added, “… creating 'Mister Abbott' was a journey of passion, perseverance, and love. I was drawn to the story as a filmmaker and an educator, but also because of a personal connection. My great-great-grandmother plays a role in these pages left out of this American story. Our team sought to honor Mr. Abbott, a humble man who found his voice through the Chicago Defender—literally reshaping America by inspiring the Great Migration. It’s a story that 'reveals so many questions, hidden by the answers' still present in our society today. We hope the film informs the audience of Mr. Abbott’s story, but more importantly, we hope it moves people.”

READ MORE @ AMCNETWORKS.COM

Fertile is extremely proud to have collaborated with XL Fest and TateMen Entertainment on the distribution of "Mister Abbott" to AMC Networks, further amplifying the reach of this important story. We look forward to deepening our relationship with them.

Fertile extends an abundance of gratitude to the Chicago Community Trust, Field Foundation, Darrell B. Jackson, Andrea Green Thompson, and Dr. Bonnie C. Davis for their generous support of the production of Mister Abbott. We also thank the Independent Film Alliance Chicago and the Monroe Foundation for their invaluable assistance. Chicago—true to form—came together to make this filmed experience a reality.

**About Fertile**

Fertile is a groundbreaking initiative aspiring to reshape the landscape of storytelling through public spaces.. With a focus on producing content that transcends traditional and legacy media boundaries, Fertile conducts research to create knowledge about the use of media and information in public spaces and communities that inspire and inform. This initiative includes working with social entrepreneurs building sustainable enterprises based on its content creation prowess and strategy. Fertile collaborates with funders to design, direct, and manage opportunities that have the potential to extend the impact and influence of public space enterprises in their creative domain..

Fertile is deeply committed to uplifting authentic voices and enterprises that humbly aim to foster a well-versed understanding of and conversation about the American experiment; the connection of citizen to citizen, neighbor to neighbor, colleague to colleague, friend to friend, stranger to stranger, communities to communities and how these connections, relationships, and conversations are translated and communicated.

Fertile is led by Kurt Roger Cherry, currently a Fellow at UChicago’s Leadership & Society Initiative. Formerly, an investment banker involved in financing transactions across media categories, he was the Managing Member of the partnership that owns and operates the Chicago Defender and is an Emeriti Director & Co-Founder of Chicago Public Media.

Stay tuned for more details on upcoming projects and initiatives. For more information or to contact us, visit our homepage.

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