TOLEDO'S LAST MASTER SWORD-MAKER
DIRECTOR, DP, EDITOR
“Toledo's Last Master Sword-Maker” depicts the daily practice of Mariano Zamorano, a fourth-generation master sword-maker and craftsman at his workshop in Toledo, Spain. Mariano talks about the historical significance of sword-making in the area and speaks to the value that artisanal products instill upon communities.
Shortform Doc/Original Reporting
HERE/SAY MEDIA
REPORTER,DP, EDITOR, ANIMATOR
High schoolers across San Francisco, like eighteen-year-old Litza Padilla, spent over a year learning online. Students like Litza at San Francisco International High School have juggled Zoom classes with an additional challenge—learning English.
Read my full report in Here/Say here
News Segment/Original Reporting
CANAL180 - TREMOR x ONDAMARELA
DIRECTOR/ DP
I worked with my friends at Canal180, a unique TV Channel & Production team in Porto, Portugal to shoot this film about Tremor Festival documenting a special project for the opening of the festival.
We followed the artistic collective Ondamarela for 10 days as they directed the Deaf Association of São Miguel Island and the Rabo de Peixe Music School in a project of social inclusion through music.
Together on stage they created a unique experience that only the energy of music can provide.
Branded Content
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS
DIRECTOR, DP, EDITOR
Advance Auto Parts Presents, Car + Culture. A series about cars and the cultures that surround them. In chapter one we went to New Mexico to learn more about The New Mexico
4-Wheelers who have been active in the Albuquerque area since 1958.
Check out the whole 4-Part Series here.
Branded Content
ROAM MAGAZINE
DIRECTOR, DP, EDITOR
Roam Magazine was created to find the creative heart of Madrid. Through dozens of hangouts with some of the city's best, both well-known and hidden creatives, ROAM strives to understand the city’s true identity through its creative makers and doers. This episode features Madrid’s premiere caffeine purveyors, TOMA CAFÉ.
Check out the rest of the series here.
Editorial
BROWNBOOK MAGAZINE
CO-DIRECTOR, CO-DP, CO-EDITOR
Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Omar Kholeif talks about how his personal experience, traveling and living in different geographies drives his passion and curatorial practice. To tell
Dr. Kholeif's story I partnered with Documentary Filmmaker Jeremy Stuart.
Read the full article here
Editorial
THE BRIGHTSIDE.CO
DIRECTOR, DP, EDITOR
Despite having left Cuba at age 5, Brooklyn-based designer Deroy Peraza recalls his early life in Cuba and eventual move to the US with surprisingly vivid detail.
Read the full story at here
Editorial
WITH RUGS UNFURLED
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
ASSISTANT EDITOR
A self-produced 20-minute documentary about the social relations surrounding artisan rug production in Morocco, this film follows the long road Moroccan rugs take from mounting the hand-spun wool on the loom to the haggling over rugs in a high end bazaar.
Short Form Documentary
WASHINGTON POST
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Worked alongside the Opinion team at The Washington Post to film this interview with David Axelrod, former Chief Strategist to President Barack Obama, about his thoughts on the Iowa Caucuses leading up to the start of the 2020 election season.
Reported by Kate Woodsome
Opinion
BBC THREE
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Alongside my producer Grace Hahn, we captured the story of Natalia, a teenager living in suburban Chicago with a rare disease causing her bones to disappear. Her positive attitude and smile were a pleasure to document. This piece, to date, has over 500k views on BBC 3's Youtube Channel.
Short Form Documentary
FREETHINK - GUARDIAN ANGEL
CO-EDITOR
I was asked by Freethink to join this project as a Spanish-language editor. Thousands of American kids are stranded every year when their parents are deported. Nora Sandigo has become legal guardian to over 1500 kids and helps care for them so they aren’t lost to their families. Nora Sandigo is a woman in Miami who is stepping up to help out.
Short Form Documentary
INTERVIEW STILLS
Out of gallery
GEAR
CAMERAS
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Sony FS7 MKI Super35 Camera
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Sony A7s MKII 35MM Mirrorless
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Canon C100 MKI Super35 Camera
LENSES
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Canon L 24-105mm F/4
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Canon L 50mm F/1.2
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Canon L 70-200mm F/2.8
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Metabones EF-E Speedbooster
AUDIO
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RODE NTG 4+ Shotgun Mic
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Sony URX-P2 Wireless Lav
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Zoom H4n Field Recorder
SUPPORT
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Manfrotto Fluid Head Tripod
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Manfrotto Fluid Head Monopod
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DJI Ronin S
MISC
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DJI Mavic Air
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Atomos Shogun Monitor/Recorder
ABOUT
I’m Ben Derico—an independent Video Journalist and Cinematographer based in San Francisco, CA. .
My work as a DP and Director has been featured in publications like The Washington Post and BBC III. I specialize in character-driven, documentary short stories in both English and Spanish. As a freelance DP, I've worked on projects following the social life of traditional rug makers in Morocco's Atlas Mountains, learned how donated bicycles from Chicago make their way to rural bike mechanics in Ghana, and documented an amateur American photographer chronicling the lives of rural tobacco farmers in Cuba, just to name a few.
With 8 years of experience working on set with agencies like Leo Burnett, BBDO, and IDEO as a DP, producer, and director with Sidekick, my commercial production studio, I've managed teams on weeks-long productions, making deadlines, and never compromising quality.
More than being just a camera operator/owner, i'm a quick learner, eager teammate, and an previously published journalist in my own right with experience researching, reporting, and producing stories from start to finish.
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Photo Credit - Brian Howey
EDUCATION
Master's Visual Journalism - Candidate
University of California - Berkeley
Expected - 2022
B.A. Digital Film & Media Studies
Loyola University Chicago
2011
Spanish Language Certificate
University of Madrid - Complutense
2010
ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Campesino
Cinematographer - Cuba
2018
The Good Container
Director of Photography - Ghana & Chicago
2015
CLIENTS
Branded Content: Apple, IDEO, Advance Auto Parts, Oliver's, Mastercard, Kraft
Editorial: The Washington Post, Freethink, Eater, Vox, Mic.com, Brownbook, ROAM,
For commercial work with my production studio, Sidekick,
click the logo below.
