June was a month of building things out. Not the dramatic, visible kind of progress that’s easy to point to — but the kind that makes the next steps possible. New platforms, new team members, infrastructure that didn’t exist a month ago. The project is taking shape in ways that are harder to photograph but no less real.
Welcome, Jonathan
I’m glad to share that Jonathan Fernandez has joined the team as Film Composer.
Jonathan studied at the University of Central Florida and Berklee College of Music. He brings a formal music education to the project alongside a genuine feel for narrative — which matters when the music has to do real work inside a story this layered. A film like El Pinero lives in a particular emotional register: something between grief and curiosity, between the weight of history and the strangeness of encountering it in person. That’s a lot to ask of a score. I’m glad to have someone on board who I think can meet it.
YouTube + TikTok
El Pinero now has a presence on YouTube and TikTok.
For now, those channels are home to the same short-form reels we’ve been posting on Instagram and Facebook — history, geography, the people behind the film, the story itself. If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know the kind of content we’re putting out: short, research-backed pieces on the island’s history, its geography, the American settlers who built lives there and eventually left. Now that content is available in two more places, which means it’s findable by people who might never come across it otherwise.
That may not always be the case. As production gets closer, there’s a natural place for longer video — things that don’t fit in sixty seconds, things that need more room to breathe. YouTube is where that would eventually live. For now, find us at the links above, and share the channels with anyone you think might connect with this story.
The Script
The script is still being updated. We’re on the eighth draft, and the story is getting sharper with each pass. Coverage from Shore Scripts earlier this year gave us a clear set of structural notes to work from, and the work since then has been about following those threads to their conclusions — tightening Cole’s arc, making sure every scene is earning its place. It’s close. Not done, but close.We submitted draft seven to Shore Scripts for professional coverage and got detailed notes back. It was a useful process, the kind of structured outside read that forces you to see the script as something other than the thing you’ve been living inside for months. We’ve also gotten feedback from a few trusted people too. A new draft is in progress. The story is getting sharper.
The Email List
There’s now an email signup which you can access here.
If you want updates from this project delivered directly to you — not filtered through an algorithm, not dependent on whether a platform decides to show you something — that’s the place to sign up. It’s the most direct line between this project and the people who care about it. We send updates when there’s something worth saying, not on a schedule for its own sake. If you’ve been meaning to sign up, this is a good time to do it.
What’s Coming in July
A few things on the horizon worth naming.
We’ll be applying for fiscal sponsorship this month. If you’ve read Update #4, you know what that means and why it matters — the short version is that it’s the structural piece that makes this project legible to grant-makers and gives donors a real tax benefit. We’re also actively pursuing additional grant funding, with applications going out in the coming weeks. None of this is fast, and none of it is guaranteed, but it’s the work that has to happen before the bigger asks can be made.
On the design side, Ava has been working on some graphic materials for upcoming promotions. More on that when there’s more to share.
How You Can Help
Sign up for the email list. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. And if you’re in a position to contribute financially, you can do that on the website — it goes toward the real costs of keeping this in motion.
— Robert
Enjoying the journey? You can support El Pinero directly here.