Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Emilia Bertoletti had always had a normal childhood: two loving parents, a dog and a cat as pets, and the sterotypical "middle American" home, complete with white picket fence. She walked back and forth from school everyday and never found anything out of the ordinary with her street, her neighbors, or her life. That is, of course, until the news that convicted serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, lived down the street from her and her family. Dahmer, known by many as the gay men who killed men and kept them in his fridge, lived ust houses away from the Bertoletti's and once Emi found out, it deeply traumitized. Granted, she wasn't male and had nothing to worry about but the thought of a serial killer living just houses away was enough to scar her deeply and even send her weekly to a therapist - much to the pushing of her parents who were worried about her. It was during these weekly visits that Emi began to get out her fears and frustrations creatively, mostly in writing. It also here that she realized it wasn't all that frightening and that she began to acquire a taste for all things strange, horrifying, and weird. And she now owes it all to Jeffrey Dahmer. She applied her new fascination in all aspects of her life and once the time came for her to leave home and attend college, she knew exactly what she wanted to pursue as her career.
College was a new experience for the young woman. She left Wisconsin behind for the South - as in Savannah College of Art & Design. Not only did she manage to learn the necessary things one learns in college, but while attending, Emi met the most important person in her life. They would start out as her creative partner, become her best friend, and then her husband. Holden Kennison was a fellow student that collaborated on a senior project with Bertoletti, a short film which then became their first production, the 2002 horror Bubba Ho-Tep. The critical praise was enough to get studios behind their next project, the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While the reviews were mixed, the fans had spoken - there was a new duo in town that had captured their attention in the genre. They were up and coming horror masters, that wound up being endorsed by George Romero to provide their take on the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Again, critics were missed, but the fans enjoyed their take. However, criticism was starting to float around, as many fans and critics talked about their many remakes, which was not quelled by their second project of the year, a remake of The Toolbox Murders. It was this project that brought the two of them together, and after long rumors of romance between them, the two fell in love with one another. It turned out that taking their personal relationship was just the trick they needed, as 2005's Feast produced similar results. However, each of them recieved critical acclaim when they were invited to take part in seperate episodes for Showtime's Masters of Horror. While Kennison turned in the well-received episode Cigarette Burns, Emi turned in the banned-for-tv Imprint. It was the following year that they returned to the series as a tandem, writing and directing the episode Pro-Life. Their next film, released that year, turned out to be their most critically panned film, and yet their most beloved film by fans, Hatchet.
Since their last project, the two have split from Drewie Mulley as the three continue to find their own creative voices, Emi launching her post-Team Nerd career with the critically acclaimed blockbuster Iron Man, which was then followed up by what she would say is her biggest success, marrying Holden. After a successful sequel, Emi now is taking a little time off to enjoy her new last name and her new title of Executive Producer for AMC's series The Walking Dead, all while now supporting her husband as he once did her.
