Pre-Production and Research

Videos I helped research and develop.

Dominican Republic’s Tradition of Mask Making

For one month every year, Carnival floods the streets of the Dominican Republic with wild colors, bold costumes and incredibly intricate masks. In Santiago, which hosts one of the island’s most colorful parties, Humberto Lopez is *the* mask maker to go to. He started crafting at the age of 12, became a professional at 16 and will forever be proud to create masks that celebrate Dominican culture.

Exploring Dominican Republic’s Undersea Caves

For diving instructor Uwe Rath, there is no greater feeling than exploring a cave deep under the water’s surface. There, he has an up-close view of a million years of natural history, accompanied by only the sound of his own breathing. Still in love with diving after 20 years, he’s passionately exploring the many unexplored caves of his adopted Dominican Republic.

The Underwater Indiana Jones Preserving Our Past

Known as the underwater Indiana Jones, Dr. Charles Beeker has been investigating shipwrecks since the 1960s. Unfortunately, these portholes to the past are vanishing as marine salvage operators and hobby divers are plucking treasures from these sites. On a quest to put an end to the pilfering, the underwater archeologist is currently working with the government of the Dominican Republic to preserve and protect shipwrecks, creating the first of many living museum sites that all divers can explore for years to come

Before Horns, Every Car Had a Flag Man

As if driving wasn’t stressful enough, imagine a man ushering your car everywhere you went, blowing horns and waving red flags. In a time before the car horn, all automobiles in Britain were required to be escorted by a flag man. With motorists only allowed to travel as fast as the flag man in front of them, a quick milk run down the road wasn’t very, well, quick. With many unhappy with the new legislation, Miller Rees Hutchison decided to take on the problem himself, eventually inventing the first electric car horn.

How the World’s First Movie Star Changed Cars Forever

In the early 1900s, Florence Lawrence was one of the most recognizable women in America. She starred in over 300 silent films and is credited as being the world’s first film star. But in addition to her Hollywood hustle, Florence was also a bit of an inventor. In 1914, she created a mechanical signaling arm for cars, a precursor for the modern-day turn signal. At the push of a button, a flag would rise on the back bumper indicating if the driver wanted to turn left or right. Sadly, Lawrence never registered her design and she was never credited for her invention—nevertheless, her contributions to the automobile industry will live on forever.

ETHIOPIA’S CHAPEL IN THE SKY

If churches were assessed by their risk factor, Abuna Yemata Guh would be our new Sistine Chapel. Perched 650 feet above a steep cliff in Northern Ethiopia, visitors face a 45-minute climb up the cliff’s vertical face in order to access the precariously positioned church. Dating back to the 5th century, history has it that its founder Father Yemata built the chapel to be closer to heavenly spirits; however, others claim it was a strategic move to avoid his enemies.