We're making a Tacomentary!!!

Y'all know we're about that #TacoLife and we about to take the tacos and The Tacos of Texas to a whole 'nother level! We pitched our idea, shot the pilot and now we're on for a 7 episode docu-series with ITVS Indie Lens Storycast in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. 

We'll explore all things tacos, taco culture and the people who make them and explore issues (cuz y'know, it's PBS) such as: taco gentrification and the importance of the tortilla, connecting audiences with the faces of immigrants who keep local traditions alive while pursuing the American Dream. Shoot, we'll prally chow down some tacos with Cookie Monster! LOL. No, not really. 

Check out el presser below for más details. 

 

 

ITVS Indie Lens Storycast Picks Up 'The Tacos of Texas' 

Digital Web Series

 

Austin, Texas, February 20, 2018 – ITVS has greenlit a new digital series, The Tacos of Texas, that will stream exclusively on Indie Lens Storycast, a YouTube channel launched September 12, 2017 in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece, the team behind the books, The Tacos of Texas and Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day, set off to explore iconic tacos in cities throughout the Lone Star State in this seven-episode documentary series.

 

"We're excited to show viewers Texas' iconic taco styles such as San Antonio’s Puffy tacos, Austin’s Migas tacos, El Paso’s Carnitas tacos and the Rio Grande Valley’s Barbacoa tacos y más. We'll talk to the people behind the tacos, explore their stories, food traditions and uncover each city’s unique take on tacos," said Mando Rayo, Series Producer.

 

Born with tacos in hand, these Texas natives spent the past ten years covering the local taco scene, and now their love of this Texas staple will take them deeper than ever before as they explore the Taco Culture. The series will highlight local issues such as: taco gentrification and the importance of the tortilla, connecting audiences with the faces of immigrants who keep local traditions alive while pursuing the American Dream.

 

"Tacos are everything in Texas. We want people to see it for themselves through the eyes of people that make them. We're excited to partner with ITVS for this series because for us, tacos always taste better when you know the story behind the tortilla," said Jarod Neece, Series Co-Producer.

 

The series has already begun filming and will continue through July, visiting El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, Brownsville, Houston, Corpus Christi and Dallas.

 

"With Tacos of Texas, the Indie Lens Storycast team saw two very engaging hosts in Mando and Jarod, who both have a deep knowledge of the diverse and quirky taco scenes across Texas," says Pamela Torno, Indie Lens Storycast Series Producer. "This series will give our digital audience an authentic tour of the state and give voice to the communities that are holding onto traditions while creating new ones, so we're pleased to support it."

 

Stay up-to-date and go behind the scenes by subscribing to Indie Lens Storycast and following The Tacos of Texas:

 

Tacos of Texas: www.tacosoftexas.com  

Tacos of Texas sample images: http://www.tacosoftexas.com/itvs-web-series

Indie Lens Storycast: http://bit.ly/StorycastSubscribe 

Tacos of Texas on Instagram: www.instagram.com/tacosoftexas  

Tacos of Texas on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tacosoftexas 

 

About the Producers

Mando Rayo and Jarod Neece are the authors of the best-selling books, The Tacos of Texas (University of Texas Press, 2016), Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day (The History Press, 2013) and founders of the blog TacoJournalism.com. Rayo is the CEO and engagement strategist at Mando Rayo + Collective, a multicultural advertising agency and Neece is the Senior Film Programmer for SXSW Conference & Festivals, working with them since 2002.

 

Crew

Mando Rayo, Producer/Co-Host

Jarod Neece, Co-Producer/Co-Host

Dennis Burnett, Director

Zachary Edick, Co-Director

Wynona Becker, Editor

Maria Real, Field Producer

Gerald Flores, Field Producer

Nick Worthen, Sound Engineer

Robert Gomez, Key Grip / Still Photographer

 

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CONTACT: Mando Rayo, armandorayo@gmail.com, 512-785-0447

 

 

About Indie Lens Storycast

Indie Lens Storycast is a free docuseries YouTube channel presented by Independent Lens in partnership with PBS Digital Studios. Created by indie filmmakers, and developed by ITVS, Indie Lens Storycast showcases stories that reflect the funny, strange, and dynamic world we live in. Featuring a range of topics and expanding Independent Lens' content offerings to connect with a digital-savvy audience and experiment with new formats to spark conversations vital to communities across America. Visit the Indie Lens Storycast channel on YouTube for more information.

 

About Independent Lens

Independent Lens is an Emmy®Award-winning weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10:00 PM. The acclaimed series, with Lois Vossen as executive producer, features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation:facebook.com/independentlens and on Twitter @IndependentLens

 

About PBS Digital Studios

The PBS Digital Studios network on YouTube includes more than 15 ongoing original series, including from PBS member stations across the country, designed to engage, enlighten and entertain online audiences. The PBS Digital Studios network has more than 12 million subscribers and has generated more than one billion views. Series include the Webby Award-winning It’s Okay To Be Smart, Physics Girl and Crash Course, as well as popular series such as BrainCraft, PBS Space Time and more.

 

About ITVS

ITVS is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that has, for over 25 years, funded and partnered with a diverse range of documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and co-produces these award-winning films and then airs them for free on PBS via our weekly series, Independent Lens, as well as on other PBS series and through our digital platform, OVEE. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more information, visit itvs.org.