Jesse Aizenstat's Blog, page 3
July 29, 2013
Baja Smugglers - Full Documentary
Hi y'all. Here it is. Baja Smugglers. In total. Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. I hope you enjoy it. The challenge of making something worthy to watch has been something I've loved along the way. I hope to hear from you. After all, we made the documentary for you, the viewer! Thanks again for the support!!!
Baja Smugglers - Part 3
And here we go:
July 28, 2013
July 27, 2013
Panga Chaser
Yeah, big thanks to Tyler Hayden and the Santa Barbara Independent for the feature on Baja Smugglers.
CLICK HERE for the Q&A
Earlier this year, Jesse Aizenstat’s curiosity was piqued by the sudden influx of panga boats smuggling loads of marijuana up from Baja California onto Golden State shores. A self-styled rogue journalist with a knack for packaging his reporting into slick and accessible bundles of adventure and information, the 28-year-old Santa Barbaran headed to Mexico with a translator and videographer to see for himself what was happening in the mostly lawless Baja deserts and ports populated by the Sinaloa Cartel. The result of the week-long journey is a four-part YouTube documentary that throws the viewer into the trio’s car as they survey and survive the terrain, meeting with border security experts, fugitive panga captains, and everyone in between.
Aizenstat and I sat down Friday to talk about his latest release — his book, Surfing the Middle East, was the subject of an Independent cover story in March 2011 — and why a free, entertainment-driven documentary in the travel news genre might be the best way to examine tangled, wonky issues like the border industrial complex, socio-economic disparities, drug policy and law, and so on. Part 1 of Baja Smugglers was released Thursday and can be found below. Stay tuned for Parts 2, 3, and 4 to be posted exclusively on independent.com throughout the week.
CLICK HERE for the Q&A
July 25, 2013
BAJA SMUGGLERS - Part 1
BIG thanks to all my friends who supported me through writing "Surfing the Middle East." You typically don't dedicate documentaries. But what the hell? This one's for you!! Baja Smugglers!
July 23, 2013
Baja Smugglers
PIX of the DAYBaja Smugglers comes out this Thursday on the HuffPost and the Santa Barbara Independent!! Who wants to see it? Photo by Derren Ohanian / http://www.dnaimagery.com/
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July 22, 2013
Baja Fish Camp
PIX of the DAYA lone panga boat in a Baja fish camp. We're 12 hours south of the border here, 4 hours from a paved road. And it was here we got our interview with an actual smuggler. BAJA SMUGGLERS coming out Thursday! Photo by Derren Ohanian / http://www.dnaimagery.com/
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July 21, 2013
Motion Graphics & Film Making
"Motion graphics" can really take a travel documentary to the next level - and it's what we're doing this weekend before the launch of Baja Smugglers next week. Going for simple & artsy. What'cha think of our template?
July 19, 2013
Bush runway in Baja
PIX of the DAYStanding on an abandon "bush runway" that had been plowed by the Mexican military for fear of drug traffickers landing on it. Way out in the Baja desert, with the sun gone down, we realized just how easy it was to grow marijuana south of the border with no hassles. Photo by Derren Ohanian / http://www.dnaimagery.com/
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July 17, 2013
Creative Freedom
PIX of the DAYPIX of the DAY: Another surf picture with the same message: "The idea was that if we could brand ourselves as harmless surfers, we might just get some smuggler to talk to us. It worked. And it's now episode 3." Photo by Derren Ohanian / http://www.dnaimagery.com/
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