Bill Povletich is likely familiar to OnMilwaukee.com readers for his film about Hank Aaron's first pro season in Wisconsin, "Henry Aaron's Summer Up North," which we wrote about a few years back.

Since then the Mequon native and UW-Oshkosh alum has peppered his resume with, among other things, Braves projects. He was an executive producer of TV's "Milwaukee Braves: The Golden Legacy" and he was the man behind the PBS documentary "A Braves New World," which premieres on MPTV on Sunday, March 15.

He's also written a book on the Packers and made films about Pol Pot and Rwanda.

His latest work is the book "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak" ($24.95 in paperback) for Wisconsin Historical Society Press. It's an eye-catchingly illustrated walk through the years the Braves spent in Milwaukee -- with a focus on the civic and financial effects of the team's arrival and departure.

We asked Povletich about it.

OnMilwaukee.com: Can you tell me a bit about how you came to the write the book?

BP: Growing up in suburban Milwaukee, I was familiar with the headline-grabbing exploits of Henry Aaron, Eddie Mathews and Warren Spahn, but knew very little about the drama and nuances of the team's legacy in Milwaukee. The Braves era in Milwaukee was a part of my conscience much like Lombardi's Green Bay Packers -- "If you think the Brewers and Packers are good today, you should've seen them when," I was constantly reminded. After completing my first book, "Green Bay Packers: Legends in Green and Gold," which told the team's story through their third Super Bowl victory, I focused on the Braves. So when the Wisconsin Historical Society Press asked me to chronicle such an influential chapter in Wisconsin history, I jumped at the opportunity.

OMC: This is just the latest in a string of Braves projects. Can you tell us a bit about the others and how this one enriches the group of projects?

BP: My growing resume of Milwaukee Braves projects seems to have been somewhat of a pleasantly, inevitable destiny. Ironically enough, the initial seeds for "Milwaukee Braves: Heroes and Heartbreak" were indirectly planted way back at the 2005 Wisconsin Film Festival.

Kathy Borkowski, the Wisconsin Historical Society Press' Editorial Director, was in attendance during the screening of my documentary film "Henry Aaron's Summer Up North." That documentary chronicled the living legend's struggles, setbacks and successes in one important, if not trying, summer of minor league baseball in the northwoods community of Eau Claire back in 1952.

So, when the opportunity to write an article for the Wisconsin Magazine of History presented itself, Kathy remembered me and the "When the Braves of Bushville Ruled Baseball: Celebrating Andy Pafko and the 1957 Milwaukee Braves" article appeared in their Summer 2007 issue.

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