Our Story
Founder Bio
Rena Bussinger holds a degree in English Literature from the University of Washington with a minor in Women’s Studies. While in school, she participated in the Washington Women’s Heritage Project, a regional oral history project dedicated to preserving the stories of women in Washington state. This experience sparked an interest in oral history and documentary storytelling that has sustained throughout her career.
Her passion for stories of everyday experience prompted Rena to pursue a career in public broadcasting, where she obtained a position with the Seattle/Tacoma station KPLU as a Corporate Support and Promotions Assistant, assisting in the production of events such as the KPLU/Starbucks Jazz Cruises and the Art of Jazz concert series at the Seattle Art Museum.
In 2000, Rena joined the team behind the PBS documentary series Adventure Divas, a global pilgrimage to find visionary women around the world, founded by the mother-daughter duo of Holly Morris and Jeannie Morris. The acclaimed series aired on PBS in 2001-2002 and the companion website is a home for the ongoing chronicle of Adventure Divas’ world travels. Following production of the series, during which she worked as a production coordinator, Rena has remained involved in the company as the web manager and contributing editor for AdventureDivas.com. She also contributed research for the book Adventure Divas: Searching the Globe for A New Kind of Heroine (October 2005, Random House/Villard).
Most recently, Rena spent two years as the Studio Manager for Jennifer Loomis, a fine-art photographer and photojournalist whose business photographing pregnant women began with a referral from Annie Liebowitz’s studio. With a home base in Seattle and a satellite studio in San Francisco, as well as clients in New York City and Washington D.C., Rena had a significant role in helping the business grow from a single studio operation to having two studios, clients in four major markets, and national recognition from media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Good Morning America. At Loomis Photography, Rena became versed in archival photographic printing and preservation methods and consulted with clients about archival care and presentation of their highly valued photographs.
Rena’s writing has been published on AdventureDivas.com and in the Seattle arts and culture magazine Tablet. She has worked on numerous film and documentary productions including three films by artist/animator David Russo, whose work has been honored at film festivals worldwide, and as a Prop Manager on the newest film by internationally acclaimed director Guy Maddin, The Brand Upon The Brain!.
Currently, Rena is involved with Swingset Film & Audio, a new resource for Seattle’s independent film community, that provides gear rental, editing facilities, recording studio, screening room, gallery, and meeting space for independent filmmakers and artists. A new partnership between Swingset and The Story Foundry enables Rena to provide clients with the professional audio and digital imaging technologies utilized in the film and documentary industry.
Born in Kalispell, Montana and raised in Bellingham, Washington, Rena has lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of her life. She has traveled extensively throughout the United States, and lived in Sweden as a high school student. Her father is a Project Engineer for a large consulting firm, her mother is the Catering Manager for a grocery company with stores in Washington and Oregon, and her brother works in New York as a colorist and high definition editor on feature films.
