The Bear Media

The Bear Media is a top down, bottom up, left, right and center production company based in Austin, Texas. The Bear is the legal name (backed up by literally tens of pages of actual legal documents) of an entity comprising the talents of  directors Ben Steinbauer and Berndt Mader. 

Winnebago Man, the Bear’s award-winning documentary directed by Steinbauer and shot by Mader, was theatrically released in the United States and Canada in the Summer of 2010. Michael Moore called it “one of the funniest documentaries ever made!” and Esquire Magazine proclaimed it “the best movie of Summer 2010!”

Five Time Champion, the Bear’s first narrative feature, written and directed by Mader, stars John Gries (Napoleon Dynamite), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Fletch, Tombstone) and Betty Buckley (Tender Mercies, Carrie, Cats). Five Time Champion won the prestigious Panavision New Filmmaker grant, as well as grants from Kodak and The Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The film will be released in the Fall of 2010. 

The Bear’s commercial clients include Ford, JC Penney, Wal Mart, The Oprah Winfrey Network, The University of Texas and many more.