January Update

SEX+MONEY part I is finished being filmed
Part II begins in the spring
Going to be in Fresno for until Part II

Favor. Huge, huge amounts of favor has covered the SEX+MONEY crew. We have filmed about fifty politicians, lawmakers, former victims, vice agents, pimps and non-profit organizations. After 3 months, 25 states, 10,746 miles, 198 hours of footage, we have learned a lot. What was intended to be the main filming portion of the film has been birthed into so much more, and what was supposed to be simple pick-up shots in the spring has become a full-fledged Part II.

Part II came out of the research the 5 narrators have done from September til December. They realized they have to show in the documentary how ordinary people can go from just learning about being sex traffficking, to making a practical difference. Some of the narrators willl be working on a website to unite each organization with other like minded people across the nation, others will be doing benefit concerts and art shows to get the word out. That, along with some more intense undercover work will all be part of the spring shoot, Part II.

If any of you were on YouTube the day after Christmas, you would have seen that the little teaser trailer (Sex+Money Teaser) we did after the first 10 days of shooting in New York, won a contest hosted by Morgan Freeman (an actor you may have heard of) and was on the home page for a whole day. This is a huge amount of favor because now half a million people have seen what we are about and we pray will open doors both in contacts as well as financial backing for Part II.

Thank you so much for all your prayers! I have never seen the power of prayer come alive like it has on this project. It was only at the end of the project when we all started talking about how we have physically felt covered by God that I noticed this. I was reminded of Shadrack, Mishack and Abendigo, and how they came out of the fire, not even smelling of smoke. That is us; because God called us into the fire, He has been our guard, protecting our hearts and minds, allowing us to have compassion but protecting us from the muck of the world destroying us.

My plans for the next few months, until I rejoin the SEX+MONEY Crew in May, is to work, work and work some more. I am pursing an opportunity at Apple Retail again as well as picking up all the freelance video jobs I can get my hands on. My goal is to get rid of most of the debt that still lingers over my head from previous gear purchases, so I am free to pursue projects, even if there is no guarantee of income.

I now have some new ways to keep in touch. Facebook (Josiah Thiesen) Twitter (josiahthiesen) Blog (witness.bluewingstudios.com) and by text updates. Text updates are really for immediate prayer request, like when we need prayer at 4:00am because we are in the middle of the Red Light disctict in Mexico. If you would like to be added for that immediate prayer chain, send me an email with your phone number and I would love to add you.

Loving life and love Christ,
Josiah Thiesen

October Update

What is "Sex + Money - A national search for human worth"? A documentary that follows 5 photo journalist across the U.S. as they investigate human trafficking and sex slavery. Through interviews with today's most prominent abolitionists, awareness presentations and undercover research they are asking what is the problem, how did we get here, what's at steak if we stay here and where do we go from here. Watch the concept trailer to hear it in their own words. I do want to warn you, some of the footage is a bit vulgar.

My role is to help film, run sound and do a bit of editing for the project. I am working with three other incredibly talented guys from film school. Even after only a few weeks, we have had mixed emotions of feeling that sex trafficking is overwhelming as well as intense hope seeing people of all beliefs come together on this issue. The most surprising thing to me has been how the cops know where the prostitutes and brothels are and often do nothing about it. Many things have to change.

While filming undercover, we have already discovered prostitution on the streets of San Francisco, massage parlors in New York and been offered really anything you could imagine.

Morgan Perry, the producer, has been able to get some of the highest profile abolitionists to sit down for interviews. A former 14 year old prostitute, Brianna agreed to talk with us four hours after being release from prison and provided incredible insight into why the girls are so drawn to the pimps. What we have begun to realize is that the vast majority of girls begin at 12-15 years old, with the intention of completely breaking them and stripping their identity.

Financially, this would be considered more like a missions trip than a paying gig. I have been able to stash away some cash to cover the bare essentials. I am working with my church to set up an account so that if you would like to help out, that opportunity would be there and you would get a tax write off. Any funds would go toward helping pay off the gear I have already purchased, to better equip us with watch cams and such. If you would have any more questions about this, feel free to give me a call.

Thanks for your prayers. We really are going after the heart of this beast and at times feel the darkness all around us, but certainly not in us.