Series tracking the American Heart of Darkness picks Woods Hole Scientist for second episode

Their Open Call has netted a marine scientist from Woods Hole. Fresh off a successful summer of screenings, Hit and Run History has chosen Rita Oliveira Monteiro to join them as they travel to Cape Verde this fall.

Monteiro, a native of Lisbon, Portugal, works at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. A NOAA research grant through the State University of New York at Syracuse brought the PhD candidate to Cape Cod to study how land use affects the marine environment. Earlier this summer, she saw an ad on Craigslist, seeking for a Portuguese speaker to join a film crew headed to Cape Verde. “This sounded like a great opportunity and a lot of fun.”

Hit and Run History produced a pilot for their guerilla-style history series this spring. Instead of tackling one topic per episode, the Gumshoe Historians will follow it through several installments, part-travel show, part-documentary. First on their agenda is the Columbia Expedition – the first American voyage ‘round the world.

The film was awarded Massachusetts Cultural Council Grants from the towns of Marshfield, Wareham and Chatham. Between May and August it was screened in nine locations, including the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, and the Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum.

“Audiences loved it,” said series creator and host Andrew Buckley. “Not just the story of the Columbia Expedition – they really loved the on-screen chemistry of our crew.”

With such an enthusiasm response, in May Buckley announced in that Hit and Run History would continue the series. This would mean following the Columbia Expedition to its first stop on its groundbreaking voyage: Cape Verde. Aside from the challenges of getting to and filming in the small archipelago nation off the west coast of Africa, the crew faced a further obstacle. None of them spoke either the official languages of Portuguese or Kriolu (a creole derivative).

Based in in Southeastern New England, with a large concentration of people of Cape Verdean, Azorean, Portuguese and Brazilian backgrounds, it made sense to make an open call for a new crewmember. “They had to speak one of the two languages,” explained Buckley. “We were also looking for a person who either knew the area, knew the history, knew the water, or have video or photography skills.”

“And,” adds Assistant Director Matt Griffin, “we had to feel we could work and get along with them. A week overseas is a long time to spend with someone you just met.”

In June, Hit and Run History announced their Open Call through their fan page on Facebook and with the help of their media representative, Past Preservers. Joining Buckley and Griffin as a judge was Emmy-award winning videographer Jul3ia Astatkie. Applicants came from all over the globe, with a wide range of skills and backgrounds.

It was during a conference call on Skype that Monteiro convinced the judges. “She’s a great photographer,” said Astatkie. “And she seemed very natural and comfortable talking with us.”

The judges learned that besides English and Portuguese, Monteiro speaks Spanish, French and some Italian, and is a certified SCUBA diver. “It also didn’t hurt that she lives on Cape Cod,” added Griffin. Ideally, the successful candidate would have needed to be available for orientation and pre-production staff meetings prior to the trip.

Monteiro was at her lab when she received the news of being chosen for the trip. “I was surprised. I didn’t recognize the number of the call on my phone, and almost didn’t pick up. But,” she adds, “I’m glad I did.”

“She’s excited for the trip, and we’re excited to have her on board,” says Buckley. “Our approach to history is to show us having fun telling a story. Audiences are responding to that. And we’re going to have a blast in Cape Verde.”

More information:

hitandrunhistory.com

facebook.com/hitandrunhistory

ecosystems.mbl.edu/news/alewife_story.htm

capecodchronicle.com/features/feature_061809.htm

About Past Preservers:

Past Preservers was founded by archaeologist Nigel J. Hetherington in 2005 to provide historical and archaeological consultancy and professional support to the media industry.

Past Preservers provides expert opinion and counsel throughout the creative process, from conception to product delivery.

For all media enquiries please contact Nigel Hetherington on the following email- nigel@pastpreservers.com