VoyageMIA Interview
Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Fiorellino.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I love to watch travel videos on YouTube, it’s a great way to learn and to virtually travel to distant places without leaving your home. I especially enjoyed the videos on the quirky and unknown places that haven’t been discovered yet by mass tourism. I was also a big fan of Anthony Bourdain, who can be considered to be the godfather of unconventional travel. I also did notice that no one was traveling to so called dangerous neighborhoods that mainstream media deemed to be no go zones. It seemed like every city had one. I also realized that nothing sells and gets more clicks than fear. I wanted to know why mainstream media declared so called no go zones and the people that lived there as being all bad. I refused to believe that a whole area of a city could be considered off limits and I wanted to see how it got that way and were these no go zones as bad as everyone said they were.
In my episodes, I not only visit the no go zone but I will stay overnight in the area, eat my meals there and if there’s any local cultural or nightlife activities, I will partake. Each episode is like a journal of what I experience in each city. I started first here in Miami area in Opa Locka. Opa Locka is far off the tourist trail but after spending a full weekend there, I found everyone that I encountered to be friendly and nice. I discovered hidden gems such as Jackson Soul Food II, Legacy Caribbean Brewery and the fabulous Moorish architecture that is throughout all of central Opa Locka. After that, I decided to go to the South Bronx, south side of Chicago, etc. My latest episodes were filmed in Syria and Lebanon, both very compelling countries and my best episodes yet.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, this is harder than it looks. While I know my way around a computer I have no editing skills at all. I had to take on someone to assist me, Phillip Talleyrand and I pretty much had to learn everything from scratch. I never took any kind of class in media production nor do I have a journalistic background. That would have definitely helped me when it came to interviewing people. Everything from learning how to use a camera, to writing my story outlines I had to learn on my own and very quickly.
No Go Zones – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What makes No Go Zones different from other travel web series is that we are literally willing to go anywhere that is considered dangerous. We are open to any and all suggestions and are also willing to converse and engage with everyone we encounter while filming an episode. I’m proud of the fact that nothing is staged or rehearsed and everything that you see is organic.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I was really proud and happy when I was asked to appear on the Big O show here in South Florida. I’ve been a listener of his for years and it was my 1st time being interviewed on a platform like that. I was both nervous and excited for his show is a sports talk show but he was willing to have me on anyway.
Article link : http://voyagemia.com/interview/meet-michael-fiorellino-no-go-zones-wynwood/