Where mountains meet the city: with Bettina Micheli

Born and raised in Alto Adige, in 2000 Bettina Micheli started a new life in the fascinating and energetic city of New York, where she still lives and works today. Having arrived there somewhat by chance, Bettina then worked in the Big Apple for years as a photo editor for leading publications such as The New York Times, W Magazine and Flair. In 2011 she started her own company, B* Projects Inc, which produces advertising and communication campaigns in collaboration with prestigious international brands and media such as Ralph Lauren, Tiffany, Netflix, Hyatt, Tom Ford, LVMH, The Met, Nike, MAC and Estée Lauder. An enthusiastic devotee of art, cinema and literature, Bettina never forgets her first great love: the mountains. In actual fact, as soon as she gets the chance she “escapes” to her homeland, to walk among the peaks she loves or ski when the snow blankets the meadows and fields and the panorama is one of brilliant white beauty.

Bettina, what exactly does your job as a producer in New York entail?

My job is very creative, but above all it is about organization and project management. In practice, I coordinate all the elements necessary to create a photo shoot or video. These range from budget management to location research and casting, looking after the creative professionals involved in the project such as photographers, stylists, and other collaborators, and finally post-production and squaring the budget, finishing up with the delivery of the end project.

How would you describe your approach to this job? It seems almost as though you are a “puppeteer” holding all the strings of a complex project?

I would say that my approach is very human-based. I never forget that despite the constantly tight timescales, the many hours of work, the budgets involved and the stress that often hovers over everything during a shooting, I am still working with human beings who have weaknesses and critical issues, particular sensitivities and needs that can never be underestimated. On the other hand, however, it is essential to satisfy the client’s requests.

The mountainous region of Alto Adige is your “Heimat” or “homeland”. What is your relationship with the mountains, especially now that you live in a metropolis?

My bond with the mountains is very close and fundamental. Skiing is absolutely my greatest passion. The mountains for me mean winter, snow and skiing. I love the mountains very much even in the summer, but since I don’t live in a place surrounded by high peaks, I settle for the “smaller” ones that I find around New York. For me the mountains are also and above all a source of psychophysical well-being, the sport, fresh air and beauty provide me with emotions and sensations that nothing else in the world gives me, not to mention the endorphins stimulated when all these elements come together. The screensaver photo on my phone shows the Sella Group with snow, just to emphasize how strongly I am tied to this natural environment.

The mountains are also a great life teacher. Is there something of your being a mountain woman that you bring with you into your life in New York, both personally and professionally?

Definitely perseverance. When you go to the mountains you have to go uphill, often with great effort, but always with the unmatched enthusiasm of reaching the summit. You know that you have to go up there before you can go down (also knowing that often the descent can be even more tiring), and you know that getting up there will be challenging but then, once you start walking you see the nature that surrounds you, you feel the reciprocal energy, the effort fades into the background and you feel a powerful sense of gratification.

Is there anything during your days in New York that reminds you of the mountains and that makes you feel good, a memory, a place or maybe a sensation that you cling to in order to find yourself?

Absolutely yes. When I return to New York, the memory of the last day on skis, the thought of the snow, the sun, the good food eaten in the mountain huts and the people dear to me with whom I share the day on the snow, all this is a precious memory that I always carry with me. Likewise, when I have a bad day, I delve back into my memory and to give myself energy, I say to myself “Come on, in a few months we’ll be back in Alto Adige”.

What is your ideal day?

A day on skis is a perfect day for me, there is nothing that can compare to it. When I meet other people who are as passionate about the mountains, I feel like I’m part of an “exclusive” club: one where there’s no admission card, you just have to share this passion and when we meet, the world around us stops and suddenly it’s as if only the mountains exist.

How do you spend time in the mountains in summer?

After the pandemic in New York, I discovered how easy it is to go walking around here, even without driving. By now I know all the places that can be reached by train and I go there at least one or two weekends a month. I really need it because having lived in a big city for so many years, arriving in a place where there is only nature and silence is a real lifesaver. I have one friend in particular, who is also Italian, with whom I share these mountain trips most frequently. However, little by little I am inviting other people to come with me, although not without difficulty because New Yorkers are not exactly mountain people. However, once I’ve convinced them, they are very happy to have done it. In these experiences in nature, they discover that particular form of tiredness that gives a special kind of happiness which is entirely new to them. In Alto Adige, in the summer, everything is different because you can walk and climb to high altitudes with wonderful panoramas, and then there are the huts, one of my favorite destinations when I go to the mountains, since after the effort, you feel rejuvenated by eating something delicious.

What is never missing from Bettina’s backpack?

Water, sunscreen, insect repellent and something to eat.