Reflections on I Am Art
It’s been several months since returning home from my first trip to Guatemala with the Athentikos team, and I can honestly say that it crosses my mind at least once a day. I felt very strongly from the moment I learned about this trip that I couldn’t say no to an opportunity like this; an opportunity […]
Am I a Product of My Decisions or Circumstances?
I recently read a quote that said, “I’m not a product of my circumstances, I am a product of my decisions.” That phrase has been like a splinter buried in my skin, constantly irritating and demanding attention. I’ve wrestled with it over and over and tried to figure out why it bothers me. Then, it dawned […]
I Love Guatemala – Kali Pliego
By Kali Pliego About 10 years ago, during my third trip to Guatemala, and halfway though a semester abroad, I naively professed my love for all things Guatemala to a man who told me, “If you’re telling me that you love Guatemalans, then I’m telling you—you must not know many Guatemalans.” He was a North […]
Tamagochy
Tamagochy is a Guatemalan icon, made famous for his performances in the streets of historic Antigua, Guatemala. We saw him performing during our scouting trip in 2011 and were totally blown away by his creative talent. We first noticed the crowd surrounding him and wondered why everyone was gathered. We approached the crowd to explore and […]
Prodigal Clown – A Symbolic Story of Their Lives
Street youth joined professional entertainers on June 16, 2012 to present a symbolic story of their lives and honor a fallen hero. Professional Clown Italo Castro, devoted himself to mentoring street youth and became a father figure to many – even opening his home to them. Sadly, he tragically drowned in 2011. In the wake […]
A Child's Barrier to Education
“Homelessness is not a sufficient reason to separate students from the mainstream school environment”…argues legislation introduced last month. On April 25, 2013, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced “The Educational Success for Children and Youth Without Homes Act of 2013”. This legislation aims to strengthen parts of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act originally passed and […]
My authenticity was challenged in prison
My authenticity was challenged in prison. I wasn’t incarcerated for committing a crime, but I was certainly a prisoner of ignorance. It took the wisdom of an “outlaw” to set me free. It was 2008 and Amelia and I were in Guatemala to receive our second adopted son, Elliot. We traveled to Guatemala several times […]
Diving Into Documentary Production
Diving into documentary production is like diving into the ocean. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, but you can easily drown in it. A year ago today I said goodbye to my family to spend 2 1/2 months in Guatemala producing Becoming Fools. At the time, I was anxious to get to Guatemala to start capturing the story. […]
More Than A Trophy
We gained more than a trophy at the Omaha Film Festival. Despite a total white-out blizzard, the turnout was pretty decent. Over 50 students, teachers, filmmakers, parents, grandparents, friends and family braved the snow to experience Becoming Fools in Omaha. We learned that there were at least another 100 people who planed to come, but […]
Real Social Innovation … Straight from TED Talks
In 2008, Athentikos was founded through a calling of authentic response to tell inspiring stories of hope through the art of story. Over the years, we have sought to do so in a way that is self-sustaining. But now, as we begin the process of marketing our second documentary, Becoming Fools, we are unfortunately little […]