Some Older Projects:
- Accordian Dreams, one of Hector Galan's latest documentary, features yesterday's and today's squeezebox trailblazers that defined Texas Mexican Music.
This program looks at today's young rebel accordionists who have expanded this musical style to the fringes of rock, blues, and pop, while paying homage to its pioneers.
Other great works by Hector Galan (some of which I also had the privilege working on as I mention below), can be reviewed at his web site Galan Productions, Inc.
- November of '99, I returned from a two week adventure in Guadalajara, Mexico with my good friend and producer Carlos Amezcua, documenting the great achievements
and continuing struggles of an organization that provides schools, shelter, food and medication within a three state area of Mexico (Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guanajuato)
to families in need. The company F.A.F.I. (Foundation for Support for the Formation of Childhood), whose founder and benefactor wishes to remain anonymous, has been
active for over 40 years establishing over 75 schools which houses over 37,000 children from various broken or severely impoverished families. Without the help of F.A.F.I.
providing these institutions, many families would endure even greater hardships and possibly force them to send their children to live on the streets which is already
the case with many families. This documentary will primarily be used for the foundation to help raise awareness of the anormous needs, and in the hope of raising more funds
to provide needed help in the construction of new schools and in the caring of an ever growing amount of children.
- Pat Fries, whom you met above, and I spent a lot of quality time together in the month of October '99 when we traveled to California twice, New York, Germany, England,
and Japan on a corporate project he produced and I shot for Hewlett-Packard. The project entailed producing two departmental training videos for Customer Service & Support Groups whose iniatiative is to inspire Hewlett-Packard customers to become fervent advocates of Hewlett-Packard products and services.
These two videos will be incorporated into the corporate web site as a training tool to inspire the new employees within these departments.
- In August of '99, I spent some time in Guatemala with producer Oscar Lawson on two separate projects. The first project, a 40th Anniversary video for CARE (Guatemala),
took us to Coban, a town about three and a half hours from Guatemala City. With the help of (and new life long friend) Veronica Moreira (Communications Director),
we drove from Coban each day, to small outlying villages to meet the indigenous people (Mayan Indians) and to document the various CARE work programs that help
make the lives of these people, though rich in culture but poor by normal standards, a little easier. These CARE programs and food supplementations given to these
indigenous people are not given as charity but most be earned through work and education given by the CARE staff workers to teach and help them in new and more
productive ways of life. Meeting CARE staffers, seeing the work they do and witnessing the Mayan Indians in their everyday life, was a rewarding experience.
Our second project took us back to Guatemala City to do a story on some of the over 2000 street children of all ages and the work Casa Alianza is doing by giving them
shelter, love and guidance. Casa Alianza, an independent, nonprofit organization, is the Latin American branch of the New York based Covenant House .
Founded in Guatemala in 1941, it has branched out into Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Casa Alianza serves some 4,400 street children a year through
a four-tiered program that fosters stability and restores hope. Work on this documentary will be seen on CNN, the nationally syndicated program La Familia (Our Family)
and the Odyssey Channel. Both pieces are post-produced at Hispanic Telecommunications Network (HTN) in San Antonio, Texas.
- Back in December '98 I shot a very interesting documentary in Mexico (the State of Michoacan) about a very colorful and religious ceremony the people of Mexico
celebrate each year on November 1st known as "Dia De Los Muertos" (The Day of the Dead). It took us to the town of Patzcuaro and the island of Janitzio. We highlighted
two families, one of old Indian culture and one of more traditional Hispanic descent. We followed these families as they came together to worship and remember
their loved ones who have passed away. This documentary will be aired on Univision, La Familia, and possibly on PBS. It was produced by Carlos Amezcua with Hispanic Telecommunications Network (HTN).
- I also shot a one half hour documentary produced locally (Austin, TX) by Lane Orsak (Executive Producer) for the Center for Battered Women. The principal objective
of the documentary Bridge of Hope, is to capture how the Center functions, is administrated, and most importantly, the essence and circumstances of the wormen who
enter the Center. Austin, Texas is a very unique community in the Southern landscape. Rapidly growing with a very educated population, Austin prides itself
in being progressive, liberal, and alive with creative energy. The community is packed with powerful and progressive women in the Arts, Business, and Government.
The question becomes, "Why do some women in our community allow their power to be torn down over time, riddled with fear and insecurity, while other women
are embracing their personal power to live their lives in ways tht make them feel strong and alive"? We hope that Bridge of Hope will not only educate and inspire
but will truly change consciousness.
- The early part of 1997, I completed shooting a very exciting project. A shoot that entailed documenting a number of Maryknoll ministries throughout the world.
The first leg of our journey began in Southeast Asia which took us to Cambodia, Philippines and Thailand. We then traveled to South America to Brazil, Peru and Guatemala.
The last leg took us to Africa touring Kenya and Tanzania. This documentary is edited into a 13 part series, each 30 minutes in length, titled The Field Afar. This project takes
viewers on a compelling journey into the lives of missioners, showing what it is like to be a missioner overseas, how missioners struggle with a life that is sometimes lonely
and arduous, as well as where they find strength and joy. Each segment also celebrate the lives of those served by the Maryknollers whose faithful work brings support,
hope, and love to some of the most depressed parts of the world. The producing company is San Antonio based Hispanic Telecommunications Network (HTN) .
Overseeing the project is independent producer Gayla Jamison and producer/president of HTN José Roberto Gutiérrez. It aired during prime time hours
on the Odyssey Channel in the month of March 1998 and will repeat again in the month of October on the same channel.
- I also worked with another talented young producer, Jessica Bega, on Worthy Mothers, a one hour documentary on alternative life styles. This portrays two lesbian couples
who are married and have decided to adopt a child. We follow these couples, documenting their emotions and legal battles they face with their adoption process
and how their family feels about this relationship. This piece is now showing in the film festival circuit around the country.
- As primary photographer, I was honored to be involved in a four part documentary (also produced by Hector Galan) each one hour in length, that details the
Mexican-American movement. The documentary concentrates primarily during the time between 1965-75. There has been much focused on the black civil rights movement
of the past, but,
until this undertaking, very little has been documented on the Mexican-American movement. !Chicano!, History of the Mexican-American Civil Rights Movement
aired on PBS in April of '96. It will also become available on CD ROM to be shown in high schools and colleges across the country.
- Another documentary I am proud to have worked on with Mr. Galan is called Songs of the Homeland. This is the history of Tejano music from the beginning of the 1900's
to the present. It aired on PBS in September of 1995. If you are interested in the Tejano music scene, or are just interested in knowing more about it, check out
The Tejano Homepage.
- I have also shot two Frontlines for PBS. One feature was called 'Go Back to Mexico' the other was WACO-the Inside Story. I hope to start another Frontline project soon. More on PBS and Frontline can be found here.
These, along with my other project page, are just a few of my favorite projects I am proud of. If you'd like more information you can contact me by writing or calling. I can also be reached by e-mail dkaupp@olproductions.com. That's a rap for now!
© 2008 Lone Rider, Inc
Dieter Kaupp
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