Atlas Obscura
We were commissioned to make two short documentaries that celebrate the off-the-beaten path wacky, weird, and unexpected places buried deep in the Nevada desert. Our goal was to inspire international travelers to explore undiscovered parts of Nevada in hopes of reactivating a lagging travel economy. In each doc, our small crew conducted dozens of interviews and dug through mounds of archival to piece together layered stories that both educate and inspire travelers to reconsider what lives between the cities.
The Ghosts of Tonopah
Towns like Tonopah are often discovered—by accident—en route from one place to another.
The camera mimics the POV of the traveler - curious and unsettled eyes, but with a sense of discovery—examining the details, exploring every corner. The locals we meet are our tour guides—some reliable and some not so much. The voices add depth, color, and local personality, peeling back the layers and the storied history. And the stories only reveal new questions, a deeper need to spend more time here.
By weaving together the voices of people who have been there, who are there now, and who never left, we’ll explore what we can learn about American life—and ourselves—when we face fear and fascination in the middle of the desert.
The Basque Connection
The Martin Hotel in Winnemucca has been a cornerstone of the Basque community for over a century. A boarding house for herders, a place where language and tradition is preserved and passed—like the food—from one generation to the next.
Refuge during the 1918 pandemic, private bar during Prohibition, and now home to dancers, musicians, ranchers, and curious travelers who are welcomed in as family.
In this short doc, we follow a long-time patron who considers The Martin a second home. What keeps ‘em coming, what does tradition taste like, and how does this cultural hub preserve tradition for local Basque while introducing those passing through to a rich, unexpected history
