afrolatinos – Raw Travel TV Blog

We woke up brutally early to catch a flight from Pereira to Cartagena with a stop in Bogota. Renzo, the Supervising Producer, was really, really sick all night. Food poisoning. Definitely not good.

Enterprising kids built a "toll booth" over the flooded streets

Once at the Pereira airport, complete with an hour long delay, Renzo was not getting any better. Poor guy was in hell. We arrive at the Bogota airport to catch our connection to Cartagena and I got something to eat but Renzo could hold nothing down.

Rain lets up so we grab some dinner in Santa Domingo Square in old city

At Bogota airport we met up with Moses, our cameraman / editor who joined us for the remainder of the trip. Moe is a talented and experienced guy so luckily, Moe and I could at least carry on without Renzo. There is never a good time to be sick when traveling but at least we have a back up with Moses.

Afro-Colombian Dancing in Santo Domingo Square

In Cartagena the weather was absolutely horrible on arrival. It had been raining hard for days and the streets were completely flooded. Our hotel situation was not nailed down either but Renzo’s buddy, Luis Towers, a local Champeta musician was on the case and nailed down the Villa Colonial in Getsmani just outside the old city. It was cool.

Since Renzo was exhausted after being up all night and needed some sleep, Moses, Luis Torres and I headed out to shoot some b-roll. It started raining again so we stop to have a light lunch, but we really don’t get much video shot. We instead go on a quest to buy ponchos for everyone as it looked like we’re going to need them.

P1060109 — Cartagena is beautiful, day or night

Later that night the rain lifted for a bit and Moses and I took advantage to get some night shots of the old city. I sure hope this rain goes away tomorrow. Cartagena is not as much fun when it’s raining, but it still beats snow any day of the week!

Renzo Devia is a U.S.-born television producer and director of Colombian heritage. As an American Latino producer, Devia continually strives to project positive, dynamic images of Latinos on television. Devia’s production experience includes his first television job in 1995 at Univision networks, the nation’s premier Spanish-language network as well as extensive producing experience at MTV and HBO Latino.

While field producing for Univision, Devia encountered the Latino audience in the streets of New York city, learning valuable insights into the shortcomings of both Spanish and English television serving the growing U.S. Latino audience. After listening to feedback from “the source,” Devia realized there was a large void in the market.

Devia pitched his ideas and projects to Univision, but after repeated rejections from the Spanish television network, in 2001 Devia went independent and teamed up with Executive Producer Robert G. Rose (also a former Univision employee) and his vision became a reality with Urban Latino TV, which pioneered the business model for television programming in English for young Latinos.

Devia and Rose created Maximas Productions and produced American Latino TV and LatiNation which are still airing in broadcast syndication in over 100 cities nationwide. Devia, Rose and the Maximas Productions team garnered multiple awards including the Imagen Award for Best National Informational Program three consecutive years (2003, 2004 and 2005).

Devia strives to continuously develop programming that breaks down barriers and overcomes stereotypes of under served audiences. In 2008 Devia and Rose sold the American Latino TV and LatiNation properties to LATV Networks.

After 15 years of producing English language content for U.S born Latinos, Devia is now independently developing new projects and bringing his talents to Latin America. His quest now includes telling stories in Spanish from Central and South America and the Caribbean.

After many extensive travels and great relationships with the Latin market Renzo has made it his mission to educate people on the under served Afro-Latino culture. His vision has been consistent, to unite Latinos and empower them.

In 2009 Devia began his new company Creador Pictures, LLC and in 2010, Devia and Rose re-formed their creative alliance to develop and create “Raw Travel”, a different kind of travel television series focusing on socially aware and sustainable travel.