Vanguard on Current

It's refreshing to find a news journalism program that isn't just fueled by flashy effects or hype. Instead, Vanguard on Current is a show that allows its correspondents to tell a story and get you interested in the bigger picture. In my opinion, they successfully balance informative commentary and entertainment without feeling the need to dumb-down the argument or take their subject matter too lightly.

Their guerrilla documentary style approach also makes it feel more personal. I love how the correspondents actually get involved with their subjects, whether traveling to unique locations or spending a day in their life, you feel like those involved have actually invested a lot in getting to understand why people are saying and/or doing the things they are.


Current TV has become an online staple for me in the last year with shows like Infomania, Rotten Tomatoes, and now Vanguard. In its 4th season already there is plenty of material and full seasons of episodes to watch online. For those interested in everything from the recession to pirates to robots and even a bus trip across America - Vanguard is worth checking out. I've posted a few of my favorite episodes below, for more click here.

Lost Vegas: Vanguard


The Great American Detour: Vanguard

Salton Sea: North Shore Yacht Club

Late in the summer of 2009 my friend Dave and I went on a road trip to Southern California. One of the highlights of the trip was traveling out to the Salton Sea to check out the rundown buildings and remnants left from the tourist boom that fizzled out in the late '70s and '80s because of the ecological state of the sea itself.

The North Short Yacht Club was once a million dollar resort facility that saw celebrities and tourists using the marina. Throughout the 1960's this place saw a lot of traffic, but as the salt levels in the water continued to rise the desirability of the location weakened. After several floods in the decades that followed, the marina was eventually unusable and the yacht club was finally closed.

Dave and I visited in August 2009 when renovations were just beginning - everything was still in a rough state and the yacht club was still very much abandoned. Today, however, the yacht club looks much like it did back in the 1960's (see the picture of the renovated facility below). Supposedly there's now a museum and community centre inside.

Recently renovated North Shore Yacht Club.

I wanted to post this because it has quickly dated the footage that I shot just last year. Check out my Salton Sea videos to see what the rundown building looked like for over a decade - sitting empty on the shore of the Salton Sea in California. For more on our experience and the entire road trip (labeled Indio Outio), you can read my full post about visiting North Shore here.

Yobi Film Again?

After finishing in 2nd place of the Yobi Filmmaking Competition this year with my short, The Geology Student I have had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to create a brand new short to try again. To my surprise however, I noticed in my junk email folder yesterday that Yobi had sent me a message stating that on Sunday night I was actually voted as a Top 3 weekly winner with The Gizmo Tree.

This comes as a big surprise not only because I had made the semi-finals with The Gizmo Tree in season 1 of Yobi Film, but because this time around I hadn't even made any mention or done any campaigning for votes. This season (#3) of the film competition has seen a change in the rules to try to get even more films into the mix - and potentially even more films into the finals and going for the top prize.

I haven't decided what my approach is going to be yet. With the new rules I can still lose this round and then submit something new again in the next one. As much as I'm proud of my past work I think I'll feel more charged if I come up with something completely new - a more polished narrative short of some kind.

I sometimes feel like I'm not creating new videos anymore and then I remember that I am - it's just for other people now. I don't want that to be an excuse to not still keep the personal projects going though. So I'm inadvertently a weekly winner again, but I'd still like to get something new in the running. You can see the original promo I made for the Gizmo Tree below, when I made the Yobi Film Semi-Finals back in early 2009.