Maine's Bigfoot Festival 2026

Mike Familant is a full-time researcher, producer, and investigator from Northwest New Jersey dedicated to tracking Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch or "Big Red Eye") across North America. 

Key Projects and Media

·         "In the Shadow of Big Red Eye": Familant is the lead investigator and producer of this show, which he created in 2016 to provide a more realistic look at Bigfoot expeditions compared to mainstream TV.

·         "Squatchables": A docuseries he produced in 2018 acting as a "Bigfooting 101" guide for beginners.

·         "Sussex County Bigfoot": His YouTube channel where he hosts episodes of his various shows.

·         Library Tours: He travels extensively across the U.S. (from Florida to Maine) hosting live presentations called "The Bigfoot Experience," where he shares gathered evidence and stories from his 14+ years of research. 

Background and Research

·         Origin: He began his research in 2011 after a personal encounter in North Florida involving alleged rock-throwing during a camping trip.

·         Goal: His stated mission is to encourage people to "get off the couch" and explore nature while searching for the truth behind iconic cryptids. 

You can follow his ongoing expeditions on his official website or the In the Shadow of Big Red Eye Facebook page. 

Jason Kenzie is a Canadian photojournalist, filmmaker, and researcher widely known as a "real-life monster hunter". He

specializes in wildlife photography and documenting cryptids, particularly

Sasquatch (Bigfoot). 

Career & Expertise

 Film & Documentaries: Kenzie has directed and produced an extensive series of

investigative documentaries, primarily the Searching for Sasquatch

franchise, which includes over 17 chapters as of 2025. His work is available on

major streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Tubi.

Animal Photojournalism: He began his career in event photography before transitioning

into extreme animal photography, capturing exotic and dangerous animals such as

tigers, bears, and giant spiders.

Paranormal Research: Beyond Sasquatch, he explores other urban legends and hauntings

through his Paranormal Adventures series.

Author: Kenzie has published a children’s book series titled The Adventures of Lil' Jay Jay and a comic book, Searching for Sasquatch and the Hidden Treasure of

Bigfoot Valley. 

Recent Projects (2025-2026)

In 2025 and 2026, Kenzie continued expanding his documentary

portfolio with several new releases: ·        

Searching for Sasquatch 17: The Ozark Howler

Searching for Sasquatch 16: Claws of the Dogman        

Paranormal Adventures 4: The Kentucky Haunting

Kenzie is based on the West

Coast of Canada and operates

through his official website, Life Through My Lens, where he shares his photography and documentary updates.

Aleksandar "Aleks" Petakov  is a South African-born American filmmaker, adventurer, and documentarian specialized in exploring the unknown, including cryptozoology, folklore, and historical mysteries. 

Career and Work

Aleks is a primary crew member and director for the independent production company Small Town Monsters, where he focuses on objective, investigative storytelling rather than sensationalism. His notable projects include: 

·         Beyond the Trail: A documentary series on YouTube that explores sightings of Sasquatch and other cryptids across North America.

·         Dark Coast: Hunt for the Alaskan Bigfoot: A 2023 mini-series focused on investigations within the Kenai Peninsula.

·         On the Trail of Champ: A documentary series investigating the legendary lake monster of Lake Champlain.

·         Strange Places: A 2024 series exploring eerie ruins and mysterious locations. 

Background

·         Early Life: He was born in South Africa to parents who fled the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. He moved to the United States and is currently based in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire.

·         Education: He graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2015 with a BA in Film, Video, and Interactive Media. During his studies, he also attended a seminar on humanitarian action at the University of Oxford.

·         Philosophy: Petakov approaches his investigations with "thoughtful curiosity," aiming to take witnesses and mysteries seriously without the cynicism often found in paranormal media. 

Steve Kulls, known as the "Squatch Detective," is a licensed private investigator from New York and a prominent figure in cryptozoology, specifically the study of Bigfoot. As of 2026, he is recognized for his focus on evidence-based research and his work in exposing Bigfoot-related hoaxes. 

Professional Background

·         Investigative Career: A licensed Private Investigator based in New York who began his focused research into Bigfoot in 1998 after learning of local sightings.

·         Media Presence: He has appeared on major networks including History, National Geographic, Discovery, Fox News, and the Travel Channel. Most recently, he was a panelist on the History Channel's The Proof is Out There.

·         Platform Founder: He is the founder of Squatchdetective.com and the executive producer of Squatch-D TV, a podcast and video series that broadcasts live weekly. 

Notable Works and Books

Kulls has authored several books examining the phenomenon through both a researcher's and a skeptic's lens: 

·         50 Large: The real story of the Georgia Body Hoax – An account of his role in debunking the famous 2008 Bigfoot body hoax.

·         The Squatch Playbook: A Believer Looking at the Sasquatch Mystery Through the Eyes of a Skeptic.

·         What Would Squatch Do?: Using Primate Behavior to Look at the Bigfoot Mystery.

·         Bigfoot: A Scientific Examination (released in late 2025/early 2026). 

Investigative Approach

Kulls is respected in the field for advocating critical thinking and scientific inquiry. While he has reported personal encounters, he remains a vocal skeptic toward "woo" (supernatural) theories and focuses on physical evidence and eyewitness interviewing techniques.