“Dale, Dale, Dale,” 2014

Documentary

“Solo Vine a Decir Hola”

I had driven by Raquel’s Partyland one too many times on my way to get some tacos on Cesar Chavez St. in Austin, TX.  That was something I missed about the valley: piñatas on my birthday.  I wanted to do this project to showcase a company that is hanging on to a changing demographic in East Austin.  Gentrification is causing businesses to close because they can no longer afford to pay the taxes and rent for their office.  East Austin is a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood.  In this documentary, Isaias and his wife, Raquel, discuss how their business has changed with the changing area and the affect it has had on their future with their business.  The crew and I all spoke Spanish, so getting to talk to them was a very comforting experience as I think it reminded us of where we come from: families of immigrants.  Our relationship with their family grew throughout filming and sometimes we’d stop by just to keep talking and we’d say “solo vine a decir hola,” which means “I’m only dropping by to say hi.”

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“Eastside Feathers,” 2014

Documentary

Mockumentaries are Documentaries, Too

East Austin, like other parts of The United States, is undergoing gentrification. I helped edit and film this documentary for a series of stories and a class based on East Austin. We had a subject, this chicken farmer and his wife and chickens. It certainly was an experience seeing a chicken farm for the first time. What was impressive was this man’s ability to sustain his family with his veggie garden, his chicken farm, and his hydroponic system. In East Austin, it’s not uncommon to find people growing chicken farms, a new development in this area, however. East Austin is known for an area where minorities like Latinos and Blacks live. Because of gentrification, one can start to see the influence of wealthier white masses, like the pop up of chicken farms. While a humorous documentary, it’s safe to say this is also a mockumentary.

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“Nicole Geller,” 2014

Profile Piece

Nicole Geller was my first profile piece.  She was also my sophomore roommate in college.  She is one of the coolest people I know.  If it’s not how she’s so up for anything, including 3am jogs around campus, then it must be her artistic talents and love for animals that I admire.

Fun Facts About Nicole

1. She loves cats.
2. She has a turtle named Titus.
3. She colors her hair all sorts of colors.
4. Her creativity is astounding! Look at how she melts those crayons.
5. She is currently working on a film that she wrote with her sister, Alexa.

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