World of Jenks

Jenks lives with a previously convicted rapper to experience the life of a hip hop artist on the rise.

I have always wondered what it would be like to truly get to know someone with Autism. Now a hot topic in the news, I was reminded of a school my friend's mom worked at. I was soon introduced to and spent eight days with Chad, a 20 year-old living with autism. Not only does Chad not make you feel sorry for his disabilities, I quickly noticed that he's one of the funniest and most compassionate people I had ever met. I witnessed the heartache he feels from feeling different, but in our time together we took on challenges and pushed the boundaries of his condition. I'm glad to call him a close and trusted friend.

I was not a child of privilege, but I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from or where I'd be sleeping that night. Of all the worlds this season, homeless is definitely the one from which I'm most disconnected. And that's exactly why we did it. I met our subject, Danielle, in a city where homelessness is prevalent- San Francisco. While I was saddened to learn that Danielle has been living on the streets for almost ten years, I took comfort in knowing that I would be living with a pro. During my time on the streets we did it all: sleeping on a bed of cardboard, begging to fill a cup with change, dumpster diving for dinner. We even hitchhiked to Danielle's hometown for a shocking family reunion. As her friends call her, "Heavy D" opened up a culture that carries huge stereotypes and helped me to understand that the streets might not be the worst place for her to be living.

With ultimate fighting rapidly gaining in popularity, spending time with a fighter was at the top of my list. Plus, I never understood people who beat each other up for a living. From the info we were able to dig up online, Anthony was a perfect choice and we quickly reached out to get him involved. Little did I know that his career in the WEC was just one of his many important responsibilities. From tragedy striking his family, to being a role model in his community, Anthony had way more than a possible title shot weighing on his shoulders. My time with Anthony shattered my perception of his sport and taught me a lot about what it really means to be a champion. Even though there's only two guys in the ring, they're never fighting alone.

These are the people who throw red paint if you're wearing fur, right? Wrong. With her bleach blonde hair and brightly colored nails, I met Brogan in Miami Beach and thought I was in for a week of passing out pamphlets. But before I could get unpacked, she had me putting on a disguise and ducking down in the front seat of her car as we scouted some of Florida's most dangerous slaughter farms. Next thing I knew we were taking aim at a gun range followed by overnight missions in the Florida swamps dressed in full camouflage. Living with Brogan was probably one of the scariest weeks of my life, but also one of the most inspirational. Her dedication has saved countless animal lives and she doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon.

As a filmmaker, I've never really had a 9 to 5 job. That may sounds pretty cool, but it also means that I didn't know where my next paycheck was coming from. I wanted to meet someone making the same kind of hustle. We talked to a lot of players, but none had a story as crazy as our subject. At twenty-two, Nick became the youngest person to win the world series of poker, taking home a cool two million; then spent it all! I couldn't believe it. Where does two million dollars go? Battling depression and anxiety, Nick became an inspiration as someone who struggles everyday and is open to expressing his emotions. On his quest to make back his money, old habits are hard to break: expensive dinners, insane nights at the club, and of course- girls. Nick went from having it all to having to start over from scratch.