“I like to think I have cyborg upgrades.” She’s a biohacker with three microchip implants. I meet up with Amie Dansby as she gets a new one installed and learn more about why she has microchip implants.
Author: Jessey Dearing
The Last Days of an Abortion Clinic
It was the last abortion clinic in Mississippi. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, I documented the last days of the “Pink House” with the clinic defenders.
Tengefu
Tengefu is the Swahili word for “protected marine area.” Abubakar spends his days dreaming about corals. When helping his daughter with math homework, they add and subtract corals. He is the former chair of the Beach Management Unit and helped start the reef restoration program on Wasini Island in Southeast Kenya. He believes the corals…
The Musty Boyz: Inside Minneapolis Takeover Scene
“I’m just going to go out and literally just shred the f— out of my tires.” Filmmaker Jessey Dearing takes you to the Minneapolis takeover scene, where large crowds gather for car meet ups spinning and drifting their cars … until the police show up.
Inside a Crypto Dating Scam
They matched on a dating app. He said he liked cryptocurrency … And scammed her out of $400,000. This two part doc explores a crypto scam of a young woman and how she was swindled. Part 1 Part 2
Cyberpunk Fashion
“Technology is fun for a little bit and then it’s no longer fun.” Meet the surveillance disrupters: Skitch is a maker of eyewear that defies facial recognition. Leo Selvaggio is an artist who has sacrificed his own identity to resist surveillance. Kate Bertash designs clothes that floods license plate readers with fake data. For Brut,…
Land Back: The Battle for Fairy Creek
“It feels like we’re in a war quite often at Fairy Creek. Like we’re in this war of the woods,” said Shy-Anne Gunville. In a remote rainforest at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, land defenders like Gunville are putting their bodies on the line to stop the logging of centuries-old trees.
Documentary: Five Years North
Five Years North is the coming-of-age story of Luis, an undocumented boy in New York City desperate to bring the American Dream back home to Guatemala. Alone, he struggles to work, study, and evade Judy—the Cuban-American ICE agent who patrols his neighborhood. Find screenings and more info at the official website. Role I was the DP…
Documentary: Since I Been Down
In America’s backyard, a community held captive by policies targeting gangs and drugs, sacrifices their youth for a false sense of justice, and safety. Nearly forty years later, a true path to justice and healing is led from inside their prison walls. Find screenings and more info at the official website. Role I had the…
VICE: Inside the CHAZ/CHOP Zone
Meet the Activists Inside Seattle’s Police-Free Zone In the early morning on June 9th, Seattle activists took over about 6 blocks surrounding the recently abandoned East Precinct of the Seattle Police Department — and they haven’t left. Full story here. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Kristin Fraser Cinematography: Jessey Dearing, Lance Bangs This…
VICE: Rescuing Animals during a Wildfire
Meet the Family Rescuing Animals Left Behind from Oregon’s Wildfires A 23-acre family business has turned itself into a volunteer refuge for evacuees from the Holiday Farm Fire. One of the family members– Garett Vollstedt– says his phone number has basically become a dispatch for people in the area since the fire started. Since it’s…
VICE: Documenting Portland’s Protests
How a High Schooler, a Veteran, & a Dancer Cover the Portland Protests “I’ve had stun grenades thrown at me on multiple occasions while I was standing off to the side of the crowd while I was clearly marked as press.” A high schooler, a vet, and a dancer covered the Portland protests. Here’s what…
VICE: Portland Protest, Wall of Moms, and Tear Gas
A Black Grandmother is Now Helping Lead the Wall of Moms in Portland VICE News went to Portland to find out why the Wall of Moms is suddenly getting so much attention and why the leadership is changing. See what the group’s leaders have to say. Getting Used to Your Government…
National Geographic: Undercane
Roughly half the adult male population of Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, is suffering from an often deadly kidney disease that appears to be linked to their work as sugarcane cutters. Known as chronic kidney failure, the disease has cast a pall over Chichigalpa, a city of 50,000 in northwestern Nicaragua that’s home to the San Antonio Sugar…
VICE: Michigan’s Water Crisis
How Michigan’s water crises turned one nonvoter into a political organizer Much of the nation sees the 2018 midterms as a referendum on the last two years of Trump. For many Michiganders, however, this election comes down to two elements: hydrogen and oxygen. Full story on Vice News Tonight. Role Cinematographer Full Credits Producer: Rueben…
UNIVISION: The Frozen Monarchs
Thousands of monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico for the winter each year, to find refuge from the cold weather in the country’s pine forests. In March, a rare snowstorm interrupted their sleep as freezing winds blew the butterflies out of their safe colonies, grouped together in the trees, and deposited many of them across the forest…
VICE: Portland Protest
Here’s What Happened When Right and Left-Wing Protesters Talked it Out in Portland Portland averted large-scale street violence over the weekend as a mix of right-wing groups gathered Saturday to proclaim their love of America — and their disgust with Antifascists. While Antifascist organized its own counter-protest, law enforcement mostly kept the two groups apart. The…
Vice: The Evolution (Or Not) Of School Shootings In America Since Columbine
The evolution (or not) of school shootings in America School shooting survivors discuss progress — or lack thereof — with gun violence in this segment. When the Columbine shooting happened in 1999, the survivors had no concept of what a school shooting was. Neither did most of America. “We thought there was some sort of…
NYTimes: Immigration raids with I.C.E.
A day in the field with immigration enforcers in California, a state hostile to President Trump’s efforts to step up deportations. I was sent on an early morning ride along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) officers in the Riverside, Calif. area with producer Deborah Acosta to observe how ICE officers operate during raids under the Trump administration….
Vice: This App Lets You Give Money to People Experiencing Homelessness
This App Lets You Give Money to Homeless People From Your Phone What if you combined the functionality of Venmo and GoFundMe with the user interface of a dating app to fight homelessness? “Samaritan” is a new startup out of Seattle that provides homeless people with small “beacons” (a key fob that functions as a…
Vice: Mueller Investigation
Mueller’s Investigation Has Created An Underworld Of Online Sleuth Sorting through the data of the dead — their pots, their knives, and the rocks they cooked on — in order to reconstruct how they once lived, is not so different from tracking the Special Counsel investigation. On a Friday in February, Adrienne Cobb, 29, lab…
Vice: Runaway Senators
How Oregon Republican Senators Killed a Bill by Running Away from the Police A climate change bill was pronounced dead in Oregon Tuesday, without anybody ever voting on it. Last Thursday, the Oregon Senate was supposed to vote on HB 2020, a bill aimed at capping greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Republicans opposed the bill, but…
Bring it to the Table
This is the trailer for the narrative aspect of Bring it to the Table, a project produced by Talking Eyes Media. Bring It to the Table is a participatory online platform, community engagement campaign, and webisode series aimed at bridging political divides and elevating the national conversation. The project is for those who are tired of hyper-partisanship….
Starbucks: Upstanders
Upstanders is a Starbucks original series featuring a collection of short stories, films and podcasts sharing the experiences of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. About the Films In April, I received a call from Joshua Trujillo, former photojournalist and current manager of photo and video for…
NYTimes: When Your Loved Ones Voted the Other Way
We asked parents and children who voted for opposing candidates to discuss their hopes and fears for the country — and for each other — over the course of the next four years. Watch at The New York Times. Credits Producers: Margaret Cheatham Williams, Alexandra Garcia Russell Baruffi Jr. (Seattle) Director of Photography: Jessey Dearing…
Starbucks: Upstanders Season 2
Upstanders Season 2 is a collection of short stories celebrating ordinary people doing extraordinary things to create positive change in their communities. These stories of courage and humanity remind us that we all have the power to make a difference. After creating the pilot episode and several episodes in season one, I produced four more films…
WSJ: The Hidden Safety Risks of Your Amazon Order
The Hidden Safety Risks of Your Amazon Order Amazon’s pursuit of boundless selection has led it to become a massive marketplace with millions of sellers. But has this business strategy put customers at risk? WSJ investigates how unsafe products, including children’s products and toys, have become available for purchase. Photo: John P. Campbell for The…
MSNBC: Enemies to Allies
In 2013, I traveled to Kenya and Kyrgyzstan to document a surprising approach to HIV prevention that relies on the unlikely bond between police officers and marginalized communities. From those trips, we created two short films. In Kisumu, Kenya’s third largest city, police abuse of sex workers was rampant. Extortion, physical and psychological abuse were…
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL: EXPLORER
In 2016, I was brought on as a Director of Photography on Season 9 of Explorer, as they re-launched the style and approach of cable television’s longest running documentary series. The season brought me to Indonesia, Italy, the Netherlands, and across the United States covering death ritual culture, nuclear reactors, refugees in Europe and environmental…
Spilling Over
SPILLING OVER is a documentary that examines the human consequences of America’s often excessive energy use. The story follows the Arnesen family and the town of Venice, Louisiana as they refuse to become casualties of our endless desire for more energy resources. In the wake of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, the people…
Mpala Live
I spent two weeks filming in Laikipia County, Kenya, documenting the research and wildlife at the Mpala Research Centre for Mpala Live!. Within its 200 square km of unfenced landscape, Mpala incorporates cattle ranching, wildlife, and research all in one. Mpala Live! gives you a round-the-clock look at the lives of elephants, lions, zebras, giraffes, hippos, birds,…
VICE: California Democrats Won’t Admit The Party Is In Chaos
California Democrats Won’t Admit The Party Is In Chaos The California Democratic Party has been in a state of chaos since the 2016 election and has become the crucible of the anti-Trump resistance. It’s the most Democratic state in the union and is considered a bellwether for the future of liberal politics — that is…
Starbucks: Courtney Block Competes in Special Olympics
Courtney Block is deaf due to a rare condition called pontine tegmental cap dysplasia. She was born with neurological problems, deafness, seizures and progressive vision loss. Less than 50 people in the world are known to have the disorder which causes both physical and cognitive issues, said her father, Ken Block. At 37, she may also be…
Great Big Story: Believe Us, You’ve Never Seen a Clam Like This
Believe Us, You’ve Never Seen a Clam Like This A geoduck is the world’s largest burrowing clam. That’s pronounced “gooey duck.” And it looks like a… um… (well, you have eyes.) This saltwater clam is unique to the Pacific Northwest and is challenging to harvest. But the crew at Taylor Shellfish Farms in Bow, Washington,…
Starbucks: Bean to Cup
For the first time in Starbucks history the entire life cycle of sustainably grown, high quality Arabica coffee from seedling to picking, milling, roasting and the craft of brewing in a café can be seen on its Costa Rican coffee farm, Hacienda Alsacia. On March 7, 2018 Hacienda Alsacia will opened its doors to a…
VICE: Wisconsin Republicans Strip Power from Incoming Democratic Governor
Wisconsin Republicans can’t accept that Scott Walker lost an election In an extraordinary session that started Tuesday afternoon and went on till after dawn Wednesday, Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin passed a series of bills designed to strip power from the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. Full story on Vice News Tonight. Role Director of…
VICE: 17-year-old rising star among Wisconsin Democrats
Meet a 17-year-old rising star among Wisconsin Democrats When Wisconsin helped to deliver President Donald Trump’s victory in 2016, many Wisconsinites were shell-shocked. From 2000 to 2012, Wisconsin had supported Democrats in every presidential election. But in 2016, many of the young and minority communities that came out for President Obama didn’t show up to…
VICE: NYC Cab Driver Suicides
Colin Quinn talked to NYC cab drivers about the industry’s suicide crisis Earlier this month, a cash-strapped taxi driver in Queens took his own life. But the tragedy was hardly a unique situation: he was the eighth cab industry suicide in the past year as ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft continue to rise in…
Politico: My Generation Is Never Going to Have That
On a brisk Saturday morning in March, a 27-year-old programmer named Zach Lubarsky, bundled in a fatigue jacket and knit cap, took a ReachNow rental car to the north end of Seattle and spent an hour or so scouting one of city’s most desirable neighborhoods. Wallingford, as it’s known, offers house hunters some of the…
Amazon Stories: Danielle Skysdottir
“The world told me I was a boy. They wrapped me in a blue blanket and I thought that was what I was. And it didn’t fit.” Danielle Skysdottir thought she had her life figured out. Growing up, she always loved computer programming. She graduated from college with a degree in computer science and was…