THE LAST 10 YEARS OF TRAVEL

So, this is where I'm living right now. This is Dakar, Senegal. I'm living in this incredible fishing community right on the water with the Lebou people, the fishermen of the Cap Verde Peninsula of Dakar, Senegal. I've been here for six months, immersing myself in this culture. In Senegal, there's a real sense of community, unlike anywhere else I've been. Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! It's a huge change after living in Cape Town for so many years. It's offered a whole new perspective on how I see the world. My 20s are over now. What was that chapter? So yeah, let's get into it. Let's go. For the past 10 years, I've been moving a lot. As I look back, I only have gratitude. You see, I've always been obsessed with the idea of living on the road. Watching my dad leave on business trips growing up, I always wished I could go with him. He was a huge traveler, just as his father was before him. Goodbye. Off to Africa. No more questions. Ever since graduating from university, I've wanted to make films. I'm obsessed with the idea of lost worlds, places people don't know exist. So I started freelancing. I started going around the world and filming random projects for clients. The travel schedule started to intensify. Right around this time, I met a mentor who changed my life. His name is Randy, and we cross paths randomly while tracking snow leopards at 4,000 meters in Indian Himalayas. He started mentoring young filmmakers like myself on how to become better storytellers. In 2021, Randy started his own organization called Random Good, which funds and produces radically hopeful stories that raise awareness about important social and environmental issues. We became good friends and we started making films together. In India, Central African Republic, Congo, Chad. Through Random Good, we've been making films that raise awareness about the issues indigenous communities face all over the world. I've been lucky enough to work alongside some of my best friends. This is Rudy Wild. He changed his last name because he wanted to show people how wild he is. We've been together on countless adventures over the past five years. This is Xander. He loves filming wildlife, camping, and fresh mango. This is Chopin, a super-talented filmmaker, a pioneer of cinema in his home country of Congo. This is Eva, a passionate conservationist who cares deeply about protecting nature and indigenous communities. This is Rudy Gremlins, an incredible artist full of compassion who is so dedicated to everything he puts his mind to. With these amazing people, I've worked on two feature documentary productions in Congo and Chad. In the Congo Basin, we've been making a film with an indigenous music group that live deep in the rainforest. They're from the Baaka tribe, the original hunter-gatherers that have been living in these forests for thousands of years. In Chad, we've been following a story about a powerful woman named Hindu Umar who comes from a nomadic community in the Sahel. We've been documenting her journey as an activist, fighting for the rights of indigenous communities around the world. It's hard to believe how much has happened over the past decade. All I can say is I'm so grateful for these experiences and the growth that has come with it.