Netflix has revealed the new series Crime Scene, which tackles the mythology of locations in contemporary crime. The first season focuses on the nefarious Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Directed by Joe Berlinger, the trailer contains footage of “Hotel Death,” explaining the murders and suicides that have occurred within its walls since the early Thirties. “Is there a room here that somebody hasn’t died in?” the hotel manager asks. “I never got used to that.”
The series also investigates the mystery of Elisa Lam, a Canadian college student who disappeared there in 2013. Security footage last shows her inside the elevators; the footage went viral on the internet and resulted in a frenzy to solve the case. Her body was found in the hotel’s water tank shortly after.
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel arrives on Netflix on February 10th, consisting of four 50-minute episodes. It was executive produced by Berlinger, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Sara Bernstein, and others.
‘The Family’ is a five part docu-series about a secretive Christian organization that wields political power both domestically and overseas. Directed by Oscar nominated Director Jesse Moss and based on the investigative reporting of Jeff Sharlet, this series of films shines a light on this shadowy group and asks important questions about their activities and agenda. The Family was produced by Jigsaw Productions and Ep’d by Alex Gibney.
I edited episode four.
The Patriarchal Allure of The Family
‘Prayer, Politics and Power: ‘The Family’ Reveals Our Insidious American Theocracy’ - Rolling Stone
“Love Fraud is absolutely unbelievable, except that it’s true. Filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp, One of Us) explore the stories of a shockingly high number of women who were all aggressively courted — and in many cases, married — by a con man with multiple aliases whom, over the course of the four-part documentary series, they start to track down. Love Fraud is like The Jinx but better; it dives deeply into the ways we are blinded to the truth, even about ourselves — and its finale is truly, chillingly unforgettable.”
Love Fraud premiered at Sundance 2020
Savior Complex is a three-part HBO Documentary series examining missionary work in Uganda, where an American is accused of causing the death of vulnerable Ugandan children by dangerously treating them despite having no medical training.
The Director of ‘Savior Complex’ on the Perils of ‘White Saviorism’
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/04/arts/television/savior-complex-jackie-jesko-renee-bach-hbo.html
A hilarious documentary film exploring relations between comedians and their mothers by academy award-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Was scheduled for world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. And debuts on Mother’s day, Sunday, May 10 at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT ON Comedy Central.
“In a very compact 73 minutes, more than a dozen others share bits, stories and reflections about their mothers that swing from hysterical to poignant to cringeworthy with the pacing of a perfectly honed set.”
I edited the second episode of “Dirty Money: Payday” directed by Jesse Moss. “Payday” was Emmy long listed for directing and editing.
"“Payday,” directed by Jesse Moss, is an astonishing hour and eight minutes spent unpacking Scott Tucker, the race car driver who earlier this month was sentenced to 16 years in prison for operating an illegal payday-lending operation that hid behind Native American tribes and their sovereignty."
The truth behind the U.S. Government's secret Pentagon program on UAPs, Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, otherwise known as UFO's, is exposed.
I edited Season 1 episode 2
I Am Rebel: The Love Drug, is a documentary exploring the history of MDMA in therapy, science, and culture. This episode highlights the life and work of Alexander "Sasha" Shulgin, Ph.D., the pioneering chemist who recognized the therapeutic use of MDMA.
"Doug Liman is getting a little rebellious with National Geographic. The director behind “Edge of Tomorrow” and “The Bourne Identity” is the executive producer behind “I Am Rebel,” a four-part documentary series spotlighting real-life iconoclasts who have made world-changing contributions to science, art, security and technology.
“This is a world that just has amazing characters,” Liman told Indiewire via phone. The director said he was drawn to the docuseries’ premise because it echoed a recurring theme in his films: “They tend to always follow anti-heroes.”
Cable television's longest-running documentary series National Geographic's EXPLORER presents a mix of entertaining, illuminating, and surprising investigative stories from all over the world, along with in-depth interviews and provocative roundtable discussions. EXPLORER takes viewers around the world, opening a window on hidden parts of the world, unlocking mysteries both ancient and modern, and investigating stories of science, nature, and culture.
I was one of two offline editors for this Peep Show spin off documentary.
Live Free or Die is an ongoing National Geographic show profiling five people that have "re-wilded" themselves- i.e. gone back to nature to live a basic existence. Living in the wilds of America they sustain themselves by hunting and foraging for food.
The cast members have left the comforts of modern society behind in an effort to use just their skills and intuition to survive. The series’ cameras follow its subjects into the wilderness and swamps where they’ve built simple homes without running water or electricity. At times, they suffer from weather extremes and scarcity of food. But, “re-wilders” find the prize is in having the endurance to survive such challenges.
Breaking Borders follows seasoned journalist Mariana Van Zeller and acclaimed chef Michael Voltaggio as they travel into conflict zones to get the story behind the story. The goal is to gather people from all sides of the conflict to break bread and explore the issues that divide them.
"Take a shopworn, simplistic concept, apply it in an unexpected way, and what do you get? An entertaining and informative travel program.
It’s called “Breaking Borders,” and it has its premiere Sunday on the Travel Channel.
The journalist Mariana van Zeller and the chef Michael Voltaggio team up to travel to parts of the world where intractable tensions dominate life. They bring together representatives of various sides of a festering conflict, and Mr. Voltaggio serves them a grand dinner featuring local dishes. The hope is that good food shared in a hospitable setting might help enemies find common ground.
This is a variation on an old idea that turns up a lot in feel-good documentaries and on the agendas of well-meaning foundations. If only Israeli and Palestinian children could play together in the same orchestra, all the differences would melt away. To apply the formula, substitute other feuding peoples for Israelis and Palestinians, and soccer team or spaceflight or whatever for orchestra.
It’s a lovely idea, and it often even makes a difference on a small scale, yet the world’s enmities keep right on boiling. So whether the breaking-bread version in this series actually accomplishes much is open to question. But it makes for a travel/cooking show that’s considerably livelier than most.
Ms. van Zeller is engaging and succinct as she summarizes the conflicts in the trouble spot of the week, and Mr. Voltaggio is amusing as he takes a crash course in the local cuisine and visits street markets to buy his ingredients. Their first stop is a gimme: The premiere finds them inviting a Palestinian book store owner, a two-state-solution advocate and several Israeli settlers to dinner in the West Bank."
The World's Strictest Parents is an international television franchise reality series developed by TwentyTwenty Television with its original broadcast in Britain by the BBC.
The series won an International Emmy Award for best Non-Scripted Entertainment
The concept is that two so-called "unruly" teenagers are sent to live with a strict host family either locally or abroad for a week in an attempt to change their attitudes, outlooks and behaviours in general. During the week they receive an impact letter from their real parents with a list of issues they should try to resolve.
I edited three episodes for Twenty Twenty Television.
