The Battle for the Cave of Tayos- (Part 1- On the Television Trenches)

The large and painful history of how an original research can also be stolen even if you prove the exclusivity itself despite you try during two decades with the usual players of cable documentary television.

by Alex E. Chionetti @ 2018.-

The art of patience and the tramp forgiveness

Sometimes one sacrifices the best topics that one considers true treasures, personal ,as well as universal. Other is not really aware that these issues have different consideration to the scale of values of their peers. Sometimes it is not enough to decide to share them with people closer, like friends, and -why not- with the public when one works as a conscient journalist or communicator, or film or television producer.This has happened to me recently when after so many years in the attempt, I was forced to confront myself with two immense loss,with two pet projects that I work very hard and follow the proper steps to manifest it, deciding to resume it in all, with its all integrity and fullness ,to turn it into the American and international television.

For years I had tried to produce a documentary about the "Cueva de los Tayos y sus Misterios", a subject that had been with me since my adolescence. Since my arrival to United States, I had knocked on doors and tried to reestablish a first expedition that had been truncated when I still lived in South America.

In documentary television it is said that you can not protect or contest the general topics (or at least they tell you that the lawyers to get rid of you if you are not paying them generously or withholding ...), especially when these when they fall into the category of "No script" (in English "non scripted"), a new name for programs that are documentary or that are now known as "reality television" (reality tv) .Terminology and semiology that present TV tries to impose on the rest of the world.

My first attempt had been towards the end of the "Twentieth Century" with those of Discovery Channel, first with those of Spain and Latin America, then with the various national and international divisions. At that time when you heard the name you felt enthusiasm as it was synonymous of knowing, of adventure and exploration with its slogan of "discover your world". The same excitement when one thought on the yellow frame or contacted with those of the National Geographic. Although they would do their best to kill your enthusiasm along the years, my firm faith for a long time.

Memories from turn of the century to now :This project based on my research that had begun in the late seventies would pass through attempts with international channels such as Fox, PBS, RAI, ZDF, TVE, when time passed and Discovery at that time were justified by passing the ball to the other global divisions with the excuse that Latinos had very little budget for that type of production. At that time the managers preferred to buy or access low-cost productions of the BBC (which was also an associated firm to Discovery since its beginnings) instead of encouraging or investing in productions on Latino issues prefer to show cans of million hours , not giving enough importance to hispanic producers living in the US on the rest of Latinoamerica. Something never concretized for decades.

Returning later to American soil, and with other exploratory trips around the amazonian jungle, he decided to face the National Geographic Television, beginning with its "Council of Explorations".

Then I decided to organize an expedition with all of the required elements, as similarly it had been in the mid-seventies, with tha relevance of having a friend and mentor, who also had been the assistant and custodian of astronaut Neil Armstrong, no less. There I found out that the subject should also be approved by the television division. Hallelujah! shouted with pleasure, since the topic was perfect, since the caves were more than photogenic, and had never been filmed.

My joy was not going to last long, since the secretary in charge of my application would come back a long time later to tell me that "the cave was not known, and that they preferred to touch on topics that were better known".

In fury I replied that they were synonymous with exploration, and that it was a flagrant contradiction. Years later I would meet with the one who was on her, and who is still, Rebeca Martin---who supossed to aid explorers with visual and media goals--, and who I try to remember without success, feeling touched by the story. I decided to present the theme again through her, telling her that many of my club (The Explorers Club told me that since I did not insist, it was a topic for that institution and channel). I did it, with enthusiasm and with new ideas, although I already perceived that this bureaucrat was not going to do anything, following an unusual question about the subterranean invertebrate fauna, which had also been in my original proposals. The fury was repeated, and I let her know, and I will continue to let her know.

Before that encounter I was returned from six month of expeditions and recording in Ecuador. I was established last moment,after been in Europe thinking in relocate there,but when living in the celestial Italian Alps the "Call of the Tayos" was resounding as a heavy thunder echoing inside of caverns flooded by brave and rogued rivers.

For the financing ,as I have some connections,I tried first HBO Documentary Films, Sheila Navens 's the division ,She referred to one below (Sara Bernstein),who loved and got excited with the project,confirmed that she cannot give me money for it but they will help me for post production if I accomplished the project. Should say if you return alive,as I describe all the recurrent perils of the ecuadorian rainforest,(When I returned a year later she barely remember who I was,and denied promising any post grant for completion).

From this I place in march an alternative plan that I was working for a longtime as I had friendship and business relation with one of the main ecuadorian tv networks;Ecuavisa.And their owner knew for a longtime my intensity regarding to a subject which was a important but always controversial and never totally probed in the historical and popular culture and mind of the ecuadorians.

The process of pre production and production was an uphill between the bureaucracy of a country in democratic presidential elections,after so many decades of corruption and economic inflation.Unfortunately, although I established a coproduction,I counted with the main cameraman of the channel,who was opposed to the project,and despited his help to organize the expedition he choose some militar support who affected my first expedition,and later he also left me alone to continue,afraid for the indian obstruction,and his own rejection of the topic.Later I was going to discover the truth.

As a more contemporary Werner Herzog I found myself stalled after almost five months where I continue recording for myself.The last and third expedition was for the most important of the caver system,and before this I promised myself that I will not leave the country without been conquered the descend and exploration of the Cave of Tayos of the Coangos River.

I descended to the bottom of the cave and explored and filmed.Everything it was fine,but my team--an elite of the ecuadorian special police team--felted some ominous outcome,deciding to leave before planned.On the way out we divided in two groups.One of my headman was ambushed and kidnapped.My party was intercepted by an indian shuar adult women who alert about high danger in our lives.A party of a henchmen were looking for us.She sheltered in her cabin,our head man reappeared telling that he was release,but something perilous was lurking.We decide to accept the lady offering,who was one of the few christian in the area,and spend the night,meanwhile hearing shots and smelling torches.Luckiness,or miraculously,the gang didn't find our location.After escaping before dawn first light and crossing the polly bridge,we found dozens of wine cartons,and conclude that party gang was very drunk.After obstructing the use of the bridge,we run and run,myself at the front,protected by my armed team.

On the domains of the "Ancient Astronauts".

One of my mistakes or may be one of my good deeds as journalist and media maker was to ut the cave in the map through my segment for the "Ancient Aliens" series.

Acting as consulting producer from its initial input,this now sleeper and History Channel's successful series produced by Prometheus Entertainment, I selected the topic of Caves of Tayos for two reasons. One was that the subject was put in map---way before my iniciative--in the literary best seller world by Erich Von Daniken with his 1974 "Gold of the Gods".

The Ancient Aliens series is based mainly in his theories,but I found the producers hesitant to convince the importance of the matter.May be ,as a second reasons, I was returning from my last part of several expeditions and travels to the region during the span of several years,and felt the need that was a good opportunity to tell the story how that happened.

Despite Von Daniken told me in 1993 that he have to embelished the story to please his editors,apart that was "vox populi" between researchers that he lied in the core of his narrative.He didn't witness the lost and spurious 'metal library",and created a big controversy in the seventies and ignited a persistence resentment in the ecuadorian lands,when they realize the author make millions of dollars distorting the sacred site and venerated legends.

Leaving this details aside,I was positive and share my best footage of the caves,the first digital footage in history of the place. Unfortunately,the lead producer--Kim Sheerin-- leave in the hands of very incompetent rookie production assistants who didn't understand nothing at all,neither the story,nor patient to understand the unique material I was bringing.

As I was recording other sites in South America for the same series, I will found in my return that they did everything they want,ignoring all my notes and original lay out of research on the topic. In post production I found the writers and producers discriminate against the main -latin/south american discoverers and fundamental characters of the story,and focus in the anglo part or in the ones without "not good accent"for television.

Any of my recorded interviews remain, but only one of the main hosts and the daughter of Stanley Hall, the scotsman ,who lead the bigger expedition to the site in 1976, choosing former astronaut Neil Armstrong as godfather for such eventful experience.

I mounted in cholera when the editors showed me the 12 minutes segment version,and above all found that I was not receiving credits on another two stories I presented before my trip.

A travel tham I was mainly paying for my own to get better footage for my own segments,when also I found they sent their own unit to the the Andes when also I was in the same time,and never knew or was informed about the double crossing,traicion or unacceptable bad communication skills from their part.

Complaining about the lack of investigative dimension in the segment,Sherrin defiant my anger .she spited "If you want more depth go and write a book on this". I was in the process then,and finished one called "The Tayos Odyssey", still circulating between national and international publishers to see the light of the day.

The segment ,my original idea and pushed one,to the extreme I have to write special memos needed to convince the executive producers about the relevance of the story--is still repeating and considered one of the highest rating and best episodes untitled "Underground Aliens". Despite all the grief and 'joy' for some cashiers and runners ,I now realize that spread pearls to the swine", paraphrasing in some gospelian terms.

Return to Uknown territory

Years later, I met Josh Gates when he was just visiting the "Explorers Club" in New York, with whom we became friends and helped him find other members that would induce him to become a member. That night I talked about two of my topics of exploration favorites, but especially that of the sacred cave.

He told me that we would not do my song, but if later, but in the meantime I would design several tracks and chapters for his popular series from that time called "Destination: Truth" -which was produced by SyFy Chanel, and that now have an encore broadcasted through the Travel Channel. So it was that I selected the best topics that I had researched personally in my travels although the condition to join those productions was to act as a fixer. Although the pay was minimal (taking in consideration I was creating and developing the subjects), I was interested and closed the contract, although this did not specify the topics, and lack of a pre production marge and preparation in the planned sites, details and witnesses. This was a series similar to the current "Expedition: Unknown" , although the topic was the cryptozoology, or animal not known by the official zoology, but that constantly appear around the world. Or a series of trips and search of bizarre appearances. The production had its problems, one that were issues that they were made for the first time exclusively, and another on-- all because of - the lack of previous organization when denying a preproduction trip, I leave many things unsafe, but the witnesses of the Latin countries are often "ladinos" (native indian or local people), when one also assures and they are paid, they can disappear or change their views at the last moment.

Finally, a certain friendship with Gates. After three expeditions and partial shooting of my documentary, reconnect with him to offer him the voice and the nar We agreed that he would visit me in my offices of the channel where he was producing a news program, where he had also offered to interview him about his person, etc. It never happened. He told me that he was still exclusive with the same channel, and that he was not allowed to give interviews. (Sy Fy was part of NBC / Universal, and this in turn has a sister network to Telemundo, at least it was one of the pretexts ... although he had always told me that we could go back to work but when he also left the contract with Ping Pong Productions , etc.) Years later I happened to see one of the first episodes of a series called "Expedition: Unknown" - produced and passed on the Travel Channel. I said, time to reconnect with Josh, finally it is on another channel. Internet I found a development executive ruthless (Brian Leonard), who preferred to contact instead of the "other young cookie cutters" who also shared similar functions. This turned out the opposite that promised. He made me send them the subjects after signing an NDA that was attached to the topics that he orchestrated, mainly that of the "Cueva de los Tayos". He would soon reject my four topics, saying now that they did not usually receive ideas from third parties for this series, and also had checked with the production company. I had not heard too good things about me. I had also read the topics, and that was the real reason. Then I concluded that they were already planning to do my concept, and they were not going to let me be part of it. I tried to talk to the executive producer, Daniel Schwarz, and he answered nervously that he could not talk to me, that he had been forbidden, and "something like this have not happened to me before", and apologizing and apologizing, he ended my call. My appeals to the Scripps attorney - owners and regents of the Travel Channel -, and a report to the president of this corporation did not help either, even letting the first know that if they did my issue they would sue. The most comical thing is that since 2007 there was I presented the concept to a travel executive, who already knew about Discovery.My fears would become reality in less than two years later when my friend Manuel Palacios asked me if I knew some who said represent the Travel Channel. Palacios, one more expert recently that we in the subject of Tayos had told him that he was going to try to get him a job if he was successful with the Gates series, and that he was aware that the ones from the Travel were going to appear at any moment and that he was going to recommend it, without imagining I already was or was still on the blacklist after so many years. Gates had also continued to receive calls and emails with several recommendations, he had never refrained from sending him concepts based in my investigations that touched subjects and places that went from the Argentine Patagonia to the sierras of Espania. Finding a lawyer who is interested in doing justice is almost impossible. They are all sharks that move in the depths of the murky waters of the infested ocean of world of entertainment and creative content. The other alternative was the only solution, to the detriment of my self esteem and thrashed, I again listen to the advice of lawyers seeking the easiest and least expensive solution for all. Negotiate. What I would try. So I went back to a path I had already tried with another recent battle. (See the article "The Borgias del Blue Book" Linkedin / - and magazine "El Ojo Critico") **. The idea was to negotiate an intervention or consulting until the last moment, but what one can not get is one of these assistants girls or associated producers , to which you will have to let yourself peck your brain and get the information you need with their sultry voices, although in this case I had French accent, and I was afraid to know Spanish. The conversations did not happen to second. And less when my name was surely recognized by the directors of the production company. The resignation was less powerful than the fury or urgency for a demand that would do justice, although there is no true science or wisdom that prevails. So I had to resign myself to having to see in the first days of February 2018, what had been recorded between August and September of 2017. chapter of the least boring episodes of "Expedition: Unknown". Another time they had fallen in the common places, such as the confusion with the plates of Father Crespi and the possibility that the "Metal Library" was in the Cave of Tayos del Rio Coangos, scene of the "1976 Expedition". The other thing is to focus on Stanley Hall's daughter, Eileen as the only researcher who continued with her father's legacy, and at the same time the mysteries associated with the caverns. I indirectly had pedestalize Eileen Hall with the segment that enters 2009/2010 was conceived for the successful series "Ancient Aliens", produced by Prometeous Entertainment for "History".Episode called "Underground Aliens" that put the cavern on the map ... or on the national and international spot.Unfortunately the executive producers did what they wanted with my content, and they preferred to find someone who spoke English, and better if it was of anglo roots. The latin characters of the story were not even named, and decided to focus on only the perspective of the Halls, the father and the daughter, almost nothing else. The current trend of surreal television in recent years is to have attractive characters, and much more impactful and potential than the drama of families. Parents and children, brothers, sisters, best friends. There are the events-formulas of "Pawn Stars", "The Curse of Oak Island", "The Kardashians", etc, etc.Besides to the frank friendship with Stanley during the years before and after my expeditions truncated with his death in 2008, I tried to maintain friendship with Eileen also before and after my segment for "Ancient Aliens", but later I found on a You Tube that denigrated us to several of the students of the subject of Tayos, - even naming my person - but without any foundation. Confronting it with that undeserved defamation, I took it away from the Internet, but I never received the promised letter. Although we were able to work together and inform each other if there was a company interested in making a documentary about the subject that had united and disunited, this never came from her. Even though I later learned that she would collaborate with an attempt that a Brazilian employee of the company Brick Wall Productions, based in New York - was trying to circulate and "pitching" in the documentary companies, among them and mainly Discovery Communications. At that time I had given a master conference at my club "The Explorers Club" - about my expeditions to Tayos, and I had noticed some people from local production companies as well as others and others with the appearance of scouts. (March, 2015). I think he was wrong because the Brazilian would confess that he had learned about my conference, citing what I personally knew with the interest of coloring if they could prove to me that the interest was not to take away the concept, like the others that I was already confronting. Brazilian had got visual aid without spending a single peso, when Discovery had advanced and paid for a sizzle reel. Ecuadorian ingenuity had been everything. (July 2015) During my interview it shook me that when I told him to go to Tayos, the region of Morona Santiago where the cave system is extended. It was not a thing of ninos, nor of producers without experience in areas of high danger for a production team. Boldly and shamelessly I answered that it was not his problem, since he would not necessarily go to Ecuador, but would send his line producer. "Afterwards, I would understand that Discovery would reject the project with one of the most stupid excuses, which was that a series about an expedition cavernaria was a claustrophobic and too dark theme "for the public of the channel. The most dramatic for me that a few months before had presented it to a VP of development and production of the Discovery Channel, but from the east coast, to a producer of the successful" Naked & Afraid ". This after receiving the six chapters that I had specially designed, it will tell me that the presidents living above, located in the east coast and in Washington, had rejected another similar project on the same theme of the caves. But the most hilarious and doubly dramatic was that not long after, Discovery was presenting a series about a group of speleologists exploring an Appalachian cave, combining it with an experimental project, on its main channel.n and research on sensorial deprivation. A terrible and impossible to follow. Tell me, how this abomination had been approved by the directors of Discovery itself, and not that of Tayos, either mine or from my competition. I was also convinced that I was and continue to be my own competitor since I was the only one who brought the issue and persevered it inside and outside the United States...

to be continue....