Tag: robert g. rose

Categories
Trinidad & Tobago

Trinidad – Limin’ in St. James

Tassa Drumming in St. James, Port of Spain-Trinidad

Port of Spain has been great so far. Food is good, people are friendly and “laid back” is the mantra. I can deal with this. Of course it’s always hard for an ex-New Yorker to keep his cool and chill sometimes, especially since we’re working and up against deadlines. But then my Tennessee roots get a chance to shine and take over.

The gang from "Anti-Everything" enjoying Bake n Shark in Maracas Bay

I finished up my last bit of pre-production by taking in a little Cricket match at the Queens Park Oval. Andres, an ex professional player for T&T and proprietor of the on site Cricket sporting goods store graciously showed me around and we agreed to hook back up on Monday when the film crew is here. Though cricket looks a little slow for my taste (some matches last 2 full days!), the outfits look mad cool and I’m hoping Andres can show me some pointers.

Tassa Drumming in St. James, Port of Spain-Trinidad

Also, last night the guys from the local punk band (yes, the only one on the island), Anti-Everything took me out for a little pre-limin, limin if you will (“limin” is Trini talk for “hanging out”) after letting me sit in on one of their studio sessions as they get ready to record a new CD.

I had a meat pie which was excellent but held off on the Roti and Doubles until the camera can document my first reactions when the crew gets here.  If it’s anything like the meat pie or the bake n shark, well, this show could be come the “No Reservations” episode cause I’m telling you the food here is good. And while I certainly don’t claim to be Anthony Bourdain, I will say that though we normally eschew food segments on the show due to the proliferation of food themed travel shows, for this particular episode, I think we’ll make an exception.

Pretty Trini Girl

I mean in Trinidad you have so much diversity on display simply through the food choices; East Indian, American Indian, African, Spanish, Asian and um, well.. also there is …  British?!

And then there is the music. As you’ve probably guessed punk music is not that big of a deal on an island with only one punk band, but the fact that there is one excellent punk band on the island does sort of speak volumes about how a culture of 1.3 million people are open to different influences. Last night we witnessed some Tassa drumming from East India and it was nothing short of spectacular. I have a little lo fi flip cam video of that coming soon so stay tuned.

Makin' Roti in St. James, Port of Spain

And we’re just getting started. On our first day of filming, we’re heading to the world famous Maracas Bay beach to sample some Shark N Bake (more food!) and then off to Lopilo, the island’s historic Spanish colony before ending the night with a rehearsal from the guys of Anti-Everything.

And that is just for starters! so hang tight, our trip to Trinidad and Tobago has just begun!

More pretty Trinis!

 

Categories
Colombia

San Vicente Thermals

We woke up early (are you sensing a theme here?) to head to the San Vicente Termales (Thermals), a beautiful, eco-touristic retreat about 1 and ½ hours outside of Pereira.  We were met by Laura (our film student assistant) and Alexa, our bi-lingual guide that had been recommended to us and we had met the night before.

The terrain of the winding road was really rough from the rains with the small rental car bottoming out numerous times, but the scenery was incredible.

River that flows through San Vicente Termales

We arrived in a dreamland of exotic foliage, waterfalls and ponds (thermals) with steam wafting from them.

The first thing we did was to take a hike and after Renzo fell and barely escaped pitching into the rolling rapids (along with the camera) we realized tennis shoes were NOT the right footwear for trekking in these parts, so if you go, wear boots!

Alexa and I then did a canopy, the 2nd canopy ride in my life (all in the past week) across an incredible landscape of greenery and trees whizzing by and below.  I did mine superman style which is laying belly towards the ground and going face first. Very cool!

Alexa taking a canopy ride

We then hit the thermals and it was like a really, really warm bath outside in the mountain air surrounded by trees, flowers and the sound of nature. It was incredible and naturally heated from the nearby and (I hope!) inactive volcano.

We broke for a delicious lunch and the owner, who is a well known expert on the healing power of thermals and somewhat of a celebrity in these parts, pulled out a crystal to read all of our energy. All but one of us had negative energy, so one by one he fixed us up.

After lunch it began to rain but thankfully that passed and we were able to continue shooting my favorite part, which is getting buried up to our faces in hot volcanic sand, followed by a Turkish bath, an  invigorating but painfully cold water rinse from a natural spring and then we hit the thermal spas again.

This combination supposedly opens your pores and allows the natural minerals to get inside, healing you from the stress of life from the inside out.  I don’t know about all that but I will tell you I felt like I could sleep for a week afterwards.

But wait, there was more. Then we were given mud baths from the natural algae pools. The greenish mud didn’t smell great but it was warm and gooey and afterwards my skin has never felt so soft, like a baby’s behind!

One of the many naturally warmed pools of San Vicente (75-80 degrees)

The drive back was exquisite with the sun setting over coffee country. A magical day thanks to the hospitality of the people from the San Vicente Termales.  If you’re ever in coffee country you really should check them out and their overnight accommodations are both charming and reasonably priced. You can find out more about them at their website HERE.

Some of the beautiful flora of San Vicente

Renzo and I grab a late dinner and discuss our progress and give feedback to each other.  So far so good and how could I complain after a whole day of pampering?

I think I’m beginning to dig this job!

Check out more beautiful photos from San Vicente Termales HERE

Categories
Colombia

Coffee Country

Javier Picking Coffee

Driving to Colombia's Coffee Country

We woke up early to take the 5 hour or so bus ride to Pereira. The bus was big and comfortable and we made a couple stops to eat along the way so the time passed surprisingly fast.

After we pulled into the Pereira bus terminal we were met by Renzo’s friend Laura, a local film student who had agreed to help us out on our shoots while we were in town. We were glad for the help and she was glad to get some real world experience in her field.

After checking into the hotel in the central part of town, we rushed out to the rental car agency because Pereira was really just our home base and most of our shoots were an hour or so outside of town.

Javier Picking Coffee

After renting a decent sized vehicle we headed over to the Villa Martha Coffee Finca (ranch). The drive was absolutely stunning as we climbed the mountainous terrain and the weather thankfully held out. We arrived late afternoon, a perfect time for shooting.

Javier, the owner of  Villa Martha met us and, appropriately enough, offered us some of his home grown, organic coffee. I found out later that almost all of the best Colombian coffee is exported to places like the U.S. and Europe, with the worst quality held back for sale in Colombia locally. Not so with Javier’s coffee, it was extremely fresh, just picked and processed days before and I can honestly say was the best coffee I think I’ve ever tasted (and trust me, I’ve drank a lot of coffee over the years) .

Javier doesn’t speak much English, but I instantly liked him and we built a good rapport as we shot a few on-air segments with Renzo shooting camera, and simultaneously translating my English questions to Spanish for Javier and Javier’s answers to English for me.  Not an easy job even without the worries of shooting camera!

Villa Martha Accomodations

The Villa Martha Coffee finca (farm) is relatively small and the sole purpose is tourism. The coffee it grows is sold exclusively to tourists and those who come to the finca specifically to buy the coffee. The accommodations are rustic but beautiful and run around $30-$50 US Dollars per night, depending on the season. There is also a nice pool out back, tiny hummingbirds and colorful butterflies all over the place.  All in all, it looks like a very relaxing and tranquil place to vacation and I was bummed we weren’t going to be spending the night.

We met one young European guest who was in the middle of an epic motorcycle journey from Alaska to the tip of Argentina! He had some great stories to tell but since he’s hoping to write a book about them someday I won’t steal his thunder.

Villa Martha Pool

We wrapped up the shoot and headed back to Pereira just as it was getting dark.  I felt really good about the shoot today. I sure hope tomorrow that the Termales (Thermal Spas) will offer more of the same.

Categories
Public Relations

Renzo Devia – Biography

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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.

Categories
Public Relations

Robert Rose – Biography

raw-travel Robert Rose TV Guide

Robert G. Rose – Biography

Robert G. Rose is a successful media entrepreneur, producer and host of the internationally syndicated television series, Raw Travel ®. After flirting with long term travel for years, in 2008 Rose sold his successful startup media company and had the opportunity to live and travel abroad full time. This experience cemented his love of travel and produced life changing moments that inspired Rose to share his experiences by developing a TV show that would focus on authentic travel in a socially aware context.

This idea became reality in 2013 when Raw Travel ® premiered. Today heading into its 5th Season and 100th episode, the show can be seen every weekend in over 160 U.S. cities in over 93% of the U.S. on CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CW, etc. affiliates. Raw Travel is also broadcast in several countries and territories around the world including on National Geographic in Asia, Amazon in India, Fox in Europe and many more. The show can also be seen on a variety of In Flight Entertainment on a variety of domestic and international airlines such as Virgin America, Alaska Air, Air Canada, FinAir and more as well as several digital outlets coming in 2018.

With almost 50 million viewers tuning in annually in the U.S. alone, Raw Travel currently lays claim to have become the most watched authentic travel show on U.S. commercial television, broadcast or cable.

Raw Travel’s rapid rise lies in its DIY (Do It Yourself) approach to both filmmaking and travel. With a relentless mission of showcasing less publicized aspects of destinations and doing good while having fun, the show combines themes such as eco-tourism, voluntourism (giving back), underground music and subcultures.

Rose has visited over 50 countries and counting. When not traveling or working on Raw Travel, Rose reads voraciously, volunteers, blogs and runs his production & distribution company AIM TV Group  & hs digital record label, “Punk Outlaw Records”.