Mic, Camera, Mild Chaos

I’ve written and hosted dozens of TV segments. They range from journalism to video essays, satire to man-on-the-streets, explainers to…occasional absurdity.

“Stranger than Fiction” | In the early months of the Trump presidency, things were already getting so politically bizarre that you had to go beyond reality—into the realm of fiction—to actually wrap your head around it all.

“What Does Mike Pence’s Hometown Think of Him?” | Mike Pence is from my hometown of Columbus, Indiana. So I went back there and did man-on-the-street interviews, talking to people about what they really thought of Pence. Many of my Hoosier brethren turned shy with a camera and mic in their face, but I found some good characters willing to speak up...two of which were my parents.

“Dia de los Muertos in Chicago” | I traveled to Chicago to learn more about the visual feast that is Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead. At the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Chief Curator gave me a tour, showing me the colorful ofrendas (offerings or altars) that honor deceased loved ones. Then we moved outside, where local Mexican-Americans describe their own ofrendas.

“Trump Spelling Bee” | After President Donald Trump incoherently tweeted the nonsensical word “covfefe,” we satirized his blunder by having kids spell it at the National Spelling Bee.

“My FarmersOnly.com Dating Profile” | If you only wanna date a farmer, I’m a dang good candidation. I raise alpaca so you’ll always be warm. And I got corn too, so you can have cornbread, corn syrups, corn cobs. Ain’t no reason why we can’t have offspring together. Just give me a jingle and it’ll be the first day of the rest of our lives or something mushy like that.