Food at the Hütte: Helvetia, W.Va.

Last time we were back in West Virginia, we met up with our friends, Jonathan and Clara (Coat of Arms Post), to help film at the Swiss restaurant, the Hütte, in Helvetia. Jonathan and Clara have been working on a documentary project about Helvetia--Clara's hometown--for a while now. I'm excited to see what they come up with. Kerrin shot some sweet slow motion on the FS7 and flew his drone about...I collected audio and photos and explored the many books, photographs and artifacts in the tiny restaurant. If you haven't been to the Hütte to eat yet, go! It's delicious. Just imagine: homemade, fresh baked bread, mounds of swiss cheese and frothy hot chocolate. YUM.

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

Hutte Restaurant in Helvetia, WV

50 People Who Are Changing the South

I'm so incredibly honored to be put on this Southern Living magazine list of the 50 People Who are Changing the South in 2015. You gotta check out the lineup...they're some seriously awesome people on the list.

Being from West Virginia--weird Appalachian middle ground between the South and North--I've never really considered myself Southern. Nevertheless, I am very happy to rep the Mountain State!

Thanks to Southern Living for including me and for taking the time to get to know HOLLOW.

Photo by: Elle Effect

Magnum Foundation Photo Ex: HOLLOW discussion

Thanks to the Magnum Foundation for having me as a guest back in October 2014. They just released the recorded presentation and following Q&A. If you're interested in learning about the process of making HOLLOW, check it out!  

[vimeo 112433263 w=450 h=253]

Also, check out all the other speakers on Magnum's Vimeo Channel.

Music & Live event photographers

I put out a message to some of my photographer/filmmaker friends to help me find event, music or performance photographers for a student I am mentoring. The student is interested in building a stronger portfolio around capturing moments of local band performances and band portraits. Here's the list my friends provided me, but I would love to learn about more photographers. Leave comments with links if you would like to send more tips to my mentee.

Rebecca Kiger's recommended:

• Annie Leibovitz early work for Rolling Stones
• Ultimate Music Moments Winners

Madeline Herec's recommendations:

• Chris Owyoung 

Chris Jackson's recommendations

• Jeff Gentner 
• Joe Gall

Andrea Morales' recommendations:

• Mary McCartney
• David Gahr

last night- Miami Beach

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It's Art Basel weekend here. Lots of people--and great art--has flood into our South Beach neighborhood.

Our neighborhood streets are swarming with tourists.

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Rodrigo Amarante at the Wolfsonian. An awesome collaboration with Eric Cade, who created an immersive performance installation.

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Before the show

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Sushi...naturally

Details from the farm

I have spent the last three days with my family (distant and close) and was thinking about how quickly the places and people you leave behind transform. For some odd reason, you expect things to stay the same. I'm not sure why I have that perception, my life changes quickly. But I have always assumed that when I return home it would feel the same, it would look the same. But it never does. It always changes. The kids from up the holler are now in college. The dark-haired ones have greyed. The "little girl" I grew up with is pregnant with her third child. The names we once heard announced for prayer requests, have been laid to rest.  Some have lost their vision, and others have found their voice. I'm glad things change, but sometimes you have to accept that keeping up with that change is impossible.

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These roots run deep: my family tree

My mom sent me this treasure the other via a text message. I was going about my day, but this made me stop. Wow...I thought. What an amazing document to just be texted into your life. It's your blood line. Your family tree. Your roots. The people that made you...well you. I continue to be fascinated by my family's roots in Appalachia. Kudos to my Great Uncle Roy who created this beauty. I think I might update it soon...more to come.

Fall & Architecture in Montreal

Snapped some photos while wandering around drizzly Montreal--which, for the record, instantly became one of my favorite cities in North America. Are you looking for a super walkable city, with great food, awesome murals and alot of energy? Go to Montreal.

Recent Awards and Honors

The past month has been a fun whirlwind of events that I have succinctly distilled for you in six bullet points and one gallery!

• Hollow won the Excellence and Innovation in Visual Storytelling award at the Online News Association Awards! See Tricia and I accept the award here.
• Sarah and I have started interviews for She Does podcast (coming in Early 2015).
• The Hollow team was nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy for the New Approaches in Documentary Category.
• I taught a workshop at FoST 2014 and met my hero, Robert Krulwich.
• We won the Innovation Award at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in Montreal!
• I spoke at the Magnum Foundation Photo Ex Symposium about Hollow and using film and photography online.

Just Launched: Disaster Resilience Journal

In collaboration with Helios Design Labs and the Red Cross EU, we bring you The DISASTER RESILIENCE JOURNAL. Over the next 42 days, we will bring you stories from people all across the world. Stories of the natural disasters people face and the steps they are taking to overcome them. Some of these stories are photos and text, while others are video-driven. Micro-games allow you to simulate preparing for a disaster and interviews with experts provide insight into resilience.  We just launched the journal today, but the fun begins tomorrow as new stories and games appear daily. Make sure to check out the site everyday to watch the stories unfold (some of my favorite stories and game wont appear until 20 days in!) To learn more about the project and see "my favorites" list click here.  To read about our process check out Mike Robbin's post on the Helios blog.

Join us for this 42-day journey!

EXPLORE:  DISASTER RESILIENCE JOURNAL

9.9.14: Dispatches From Miami Beach

Last week, we moved to Miami through January. You can find us every evening on the beach. Get in touch! 

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Screenings, Updates and T-Shirts

We sold out of the first 100 t-shirts and have ordered more! If you place your order now, expect your t-shirt to arrive in 3-4 weeks.

The Revivalist gives their thoughts on the [app-uh-latch-uh] tees

Luckily, there’s no need to correct anyone’s pronunciation anymore. Just slip into this instructional t-shirt the next time you’ll be around folks who insist on saying Appalachia that other way, and they’ll get the picture pretty darned fast.

MEDIUM: Inside the World Press Photo Multimedia Jury

Including some great tips for storytelling and a mention of HOLLOW

The Hillville writes about [app-uh-latch-uh] t-shirts

For many citizens and natives of Central and Southern Appalachia, watching the meteorologists on the Weather Channel pronounce the name of our mountain range is a cringe-worthy experience: “There’s a storm system making it’s way across the midwest and will hit the Appa-LAY-shun mountains of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.”

HOLLOW will be exhibited at the American Museum of Natural History

The project will be in the Grand Gallery from October 23-26 for the Margaret Mead Film Festival.

HOLLOW is a finalist in the Online Journalism Awards

Winners will be announced in Chicago on September 27.

We moved to Miami!

Just a personal update, Kerrin and I moved to Miami Beach last week. We will be based here through January working on our next documentary and interactive project. More to come! Follow my Instagram for daily snaps.

Hollow in-competition in Montreal

We're up against 7 awesome projects! Check it out.

Kudzu and Friends in McDowell County

We decided to take a Saturday drive through McDowell to visit with my second family. Ed got to meet baby August and Alan played us his new banjitar. Kudzu has covered nearly everything and more buildings have collapsed. I love that county and the people it holds.

"This baby is made of lead," Ed exclaimed as he struggled to get a grip on August.

Story & Heart has launched!

Two months ago I stumbled onto Story & Heart on Twitter. It was marketed (very quietly) as a story-driven stock footage site. As a filmmaker and journalist, who is constantly documenting life, I was thrilled. The idea that I could potentially make money off of work that may never see the light of day was intriguing.  I quickly applied and was accepted. Yesterday, Story & Heart went live. Now anyone can license my footage for their project.

I'm excited to see how S&H grows, but mostly I am thankful for the people behind it who have been so personal and generous during the process of building this filmmaking community. Holding weekly online meet-ups and putting together beautifully crafted and informational PDFs with guest filmmakers are just some of the reasons I feel lucky to be part of this community. The first time I received a phone call from S&H, I was shocked. Wait...they actually care about how I am progressing with creating my profile and uploading stories? It was pretty awesome to have such personal connection in a world full of generic contact forms and unanswered emails.

Also, now as a member of S&H I think about how to spend my downtime a little differently. Why waste time in front of my computer when there is a great, big world out there just full of stories waiting to be captured? The biggest drawback for me is talent releases. I have shot well over 15 TB of great footage that would be fantastic on the platform but because this is a licensing platform, I must have releases for all individuals who appear in the footage. For most of my footage, this is nearly impossible. So far, I have only uploaded five stories so far but plan to kick it in high-gear over the next few months!

Thanks Story & Heart for being so cool.

Also, check out my niece (with sparklers) in S&H's launch video: [vimeo 103090147 w=759 h=427]

Pit Of Dreams: Afton, Virginia

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After picking peaches nearby, we randomly stumbled on the "Pit of Dreams" mud bog event.

A look under the hood of a 1983 Ford F-150 after mud bogging.

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Alex Taylor,19, has been mud bogging for two years.

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Ramon Sigala and Megan Lovejoy.

New Short Film and Photos: The Marijuana Divide

 I traveled to Gunnison County, Colo., to make this video about two towns that had taken different paths since medicinal marijuana was legalized in 2000 and recreational marijuana sales began this year. One, Crested Butte, has embraced the sale of retail and medicinal marijuana; the other, Gunnison, has so far rejected it. (While anyone in the state over 21 is free to use the drug on private property, it’s up to local governments to decide whether it can be sold.)

I spoke with a wide cross section of people – including politicians, educators, store owners, police officers and two guys who hope to strike it rich in the legal marijuana trade. Yet I found it surprisingly challenging to find someone to speak for the oppositional side. Many told me this was because marijuana was not a new recreational drug to the state; Colorado and weed have a long history, they said. Others said, “It’s just not that big of a deal.” I called an individual who was deep-rooted in the ranching community who said that finding ranchers to talk about it would be nearly impossible. They were “not in favor” of the new laws but weren’t comfortable talking about this to journalists.

Yet I did find a sense of caution: concerns about access for youth, proper labeling and fair taxation. And one thing everybody agrees on is that this new legislation is a huge experiment.

LINKS:

• New York Times editorial board decision

• The Marijuana Divide on Op-Docs  

• Editorial about Gunnison with video

• The Marijuana Divide in HULU

Coastal Conversations in Vlorë, Albania.

Llogara, Albania

Photos taken in June for HUMANITY.TV

Photos: Hollow screening at the U.S. Capitol

We had over 250 people (including 10 McDowell residents) at our viewing, discussion and reception at the U.S. Capitol. Thanks to Senator Manchin for hosting such a fantastic event.

PHOTOS by Kerrin Sheldon here.

Family Hike

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family hike (1 of 6)