Hundreds of Killers

Story Time

So today, I thought I'd tell you guys a story. A funny story from MANHUNT, of which there are more than I could ever remember. My story today centers around one of the associate producers [AP] on the series, who shall remain nameless, but not hard to figure out.

This one’s a 1 and a half cups of coffee kind-of story [7 min read]. So sit back and enjoy…

The Pitbull

You have seen him in many of the behind the scenes / making of clips of that series. To say the least, he’s an interesting cat. He was instrumental in getting many things done, in fact difficult things done, during that series. He was a Pitbull. However, He was at his best when our executive producer [EP], was on site. The EP was like his dad and could steer and direct the AP’s efforts effectively. Without the EP around, AP was the classic loose cannon rolling around on the ship deck about to destroy everything and fly over the railing. AP was also a stylish guy, with his shaved head and traditional tattoos. He had a good fashion sense, and was always dressed stylishly. This turned out to be a problem, and this is what happened…

How to Prepare for an Operation / MANHUNT Episode

From the very first episode of MANHUNT, we filmed AP usually in the field with the Hunter Force running alongside what was usually the main element of the Hunter Force tracking me down. He was very good at his job and we filmed MANHUNT in lots of remote and very difficult places. What I would do, and this is the point of today's newsletter, is, as I was preparing for each episode, I would look at maps, I would read weather charts, I would get all the information I could from local sources (preferably) to determine what I would wear, what footwear I would use, what I specifically would carry on my person, and what was available to source there. I could also get an idea [a very rough idea] of what booby traps and deception trails I might be able to utilize in that environment.

For instance, I could see that there was a lot of water in the area we were going to be in - that would determine how I would carry and plan on accessing clean water. I would factor that into my potential plans.

I would prepare 3 or 4 or five potential booby traps or deception trails that might work in that particular region, and then source and acquire whatever I might need for those, knowing that if, in the moment, I would see an opportunity for one of these executables, I would have something already thought through to utilize. That way I could set a booby trap in 15 or 20 minutes instead of an hour. Or I could have a cool counter tracking trick that was on the forefront of my brain to use if the situation called for it.

And finally, one of the best sources of intelligence I could get in any area are the people who have lived there for thousands of years! That’s why always, always, no matter where you're going, look at what the locals do. What do they wear? How is their day structured? What are their daily struggles and what have they done to alleviate them? You can save yourself a lot of reinventing of the wheel if you look at what the locals do and how they live. Whether in the military preparing for an operation, a MANHUNT episode, or traveling for fun - I always use this strategy and is how I would structure my load out in accordance with that principle.

So, as I always say,  “the situation always dictates” - meaning that we always draw our response based on the very specific situation we find ourselves in in that particular moment in time.

After the first episode of MANHUNT, I noticed that AP would go in the field wearing stylish clothing and sneakers. Not even proper running shoes, but fashionable sneakers. NOT the best. So I began to source clothing and footwear for AP and bring them to his room before we inserted in the field. Now the problem with this is that AP never, and I mean not a single time, used what I brought him… The next day I would see him go into the jungle or wherever, wearing silky shorts, fashionable sneakers, and a lightweight T shirt, and stylish sunglasses. I think you can see where this is going…

Running from killers…

This takes us to Panama. In very dense rough jungle no less. I noticed in my research that the Hunter Force was wearing full-body coverage, as you should in any jungle environment, and so I made sure that my people had access to proper clothing. And as you can imagine, AP chose not to wear what I gave him.

In this photo, he is in a tee shirt, and at least he is wearing a lightweight long trouser [he was often in shorts], but this is him getting stung by hundreds of Africanized killer bees in the jungle. AP was desperately running from this while the Panamanian military guys he was with were all wearing full camouflage covering. And while they got a couple stings on their wrist and neck, none of them were running screaming through the jungle. In fact they were actually standing there pointing and laughing as AP and his camera guy ran screaming through the jungle, eventually ending up lost, and having to stop the entire hunt so we could find our missing cameraman and producer.

Lesson Learned

So take this as a lesson, boys and girls, not only did he (both of them, actually) end up in near anaphylactic shock with hundreds of Africanized killer bee stingers in his body pumping venom under his skin, but he shut down the entire production for both my element and the hunter force along with all their elements. It also created a major safety hazard as we attempted to find our lost team members in the jungle…

This grew into a bad situation that could have been likely avoided had he simply have been wearing protective clothing. Instead, he was the very stylish, screaming man running hunched over in the jungle, getting tormented by Africanized killer bees!

Now this principle is not only beneficial for things like MANHUNT or combat operations, but even when you travel recreationally. I look and see what footwear people wear, what kind of clothing they wear, how they structure their day, etc. My girlfriend and I were just in Paris a few months ago on vacation and visiting friends, and you can pick up very interesting things about life there by simple observation. I would see many women dressed to the nines, makeup, stylish dress, handbag, walking the streets in a beautiful outfit, but wearing sturdy sneakers carrying their high heels. They walk so much there, and many of the streets are very old, constructed of cobblestones with many cracks - you can learn a lot by observation, which can inform your choices as you travel. I just reread this, and noticed that in the photo, AP is at least wearing gloves. That is a huge step forward, so I must give him credit here, he probably listened to all my stories about accidentally grabbing a black palm tree in the jungle…

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