Jessica Elisa Farrell

It all started when…

At a very early age, I developed an interest for storytelling. Back then, it was by way of drafting tall tales on a notepad, directing my brothers in livingroom plays, and making up songs with my best friend. I was a born day dreamer, artist, creator, thinker.

It wasn’t until the death of my little brother in 2007 that my childhood interest in storytelling turned into a life changing passion. Losing my brother was something I was completely unprepared for, it felt as though my world had ended, and in a way it did. Life as I knew it— the things that seemed so important, the things that motivated me, all of a sudden felt meaningless. Life became precious and I wanted to soak up every second of it. I decided to never to take my life and the lives of others for granted.

I wanted to know what moved people— love, culture, work? The more I talked to people about life, the more connections I made between seemingly opposed subjects, the more my love of analyzing people and their different social tendencies grew. I’ve spent the past several years studying and experiencing anthropology as the facilitator of the different modes of storytelling in places like; Indonesia, Costa Rica, China, Peru, and parts of Europe. Through all my adventures and with all the different people I have met, the power of story is the one thing that has remained a constant.

Storytelling is a crucial tool that transcends time, language, and culture, and I believe the medium that best appropriates this tool is radio. In a world where mischaracterization is deliberate, Public Radio programs such as; Radiolab, This American Life, and Invisibilia introduce people all across the globe to people and cultures outside of their own, and even more importantly facilitate relation for those who may feel alone in a time of need. I hope to one day add to that gift in any way I can.

Heart

My Story

As an anthro-journalist, I believe that storytelling is one of the greatest forms of spreading compassion that exists, with public radio as my medium of choice. Radio not only inspires the imagination, it creates a unique intimacy between host and listener that inspires and expands perspectives, which I have experienced first-hand listening to my favorite programs, Radiolab, This American Life and Ted Talk Radio Hour to name a few.

Like many Angelenos, my career has not always been the most straightforward. When I tell people that I went from producing music videos for NSync to grooming pets to winning awards for my research on the stigma of heroin addiction, I usually get a few raised eyebrows. It’s dynamic, I admit. But, here’s the insider’s scoop:

While born and raised in Los Angeles, I spent a few of my childhood years on my grandparents’ beach ranch in Mexico. Still fluent in Spanish, I am very connected to my Mexican roots and its vibrantly colored, mysterious spirit. In many ways, the stark differences between living in the fast-paced, competitive L.A., and the easy-going, friendly Mexico mirrors my dynamic career choices as an adult and my personality.

As an entrepreneur and autodidact, I built a successful music video post-production company at 17 years of age. Always an adventurer, I decided: Why not? Take the risk. The risk turned into a Hollywood-painted dream. I worked relentlessly to make connections with noteworthy producers and talent managers within the Entertainment Industry that quickly resulted in landing gigs with D-12, Kylie Minogue, and Green Day.

I continued working in the music video industry for four years before an intense need for a different type of culture than Hollywood’s kicked in. The superficiality I experienced day after day made me miserable and insecure. I said goodbye to my job, booked a ticket to Costa Rica, and spent my days absorbing its natural beauty, surfing and sharing stories with travelers while making a few bucks as a bartender.

Six months into my relaxing life in Costa Rica, I heard word that my uncle had been murdered. I returned to L.A. to be with my family. Looking for sustainable income but avoiding Hollywood, I joined my family’s mobile pet grooming company. Being raised around dogs, cats, horses, chickens, goats, pigs, snakes, raccoons, tarantulas, and more, meant that I, too, was an obvious animal lover like my parents.

Grooming pets had its ups and downs; while I love animals, I did not enjoy feeling filthy all day, or battling L.A. traffic in a huge Shaggin’ Waggin. It wasn’t until tragedy struck again—this time, the death of my younger brother in 2007—that I felt called to contribute to the world more deeply. Using pet grooming as my financial support, I enrolled in community college to take steps towards finding a passion and subcounciouslly, searching for an answer to his mysterious death.

Experiencing anthropology as a facilitator of empathy and compassion, I chose it as my road to creating a better world. Soon after, I received a full scholarship to USC, was awarded research grants for my work in opioid and heroin addiction, designated a Discovery Scholar, and graduated magna cum laude in 2015. As part of my degree, I embedded myself into rehab culture with heroin addicted ex-cons as my research focal point, and studied abroad in Indonesia, traveling through ancient rain forests in Borneo and mountains in Bali to uncover cultural insights on the native people and primates.

Now, I am a novice radio producer, documentarian, and photographer. I am a world traveler fueled by new experiences and beauty in places such as Hong Kong, China, England, France, the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Peru, Nicaragua, Hawaii, Canada, and Mexico. I love all things crafty, including flower arranging and paper art, oil panting and am a baker extraordinaire of patisseries, with a specialty in French macarons.

Most of all, as you’ll come to find out through my research, I am a humanist who loves people, cultures, growth, and making new connections between seemingly opposed subjects. I love analyzing social tendencies. I will read or listen to any book and podcast that analyzes why we do the things we do: the differences between men and women, the theories behind how we love and why we hate. Solving mysteries, exposing truths, breaking down social phenomena, bringing light to stigmas—this is the calling I heard so many years ago. Hello, I’m Jess. Welcome to my story. I welcome yours.

Ears

Audio Production 2016

Here is a collection of the audio work I have done so far, most of which had been done with Lancer Radio, Pasadena City College...more to come.

"Just Asking" radio interview and call-in show with hosts, Jessica Farrell, Jordan Stremfel, and Scott Fields, Guest Veteran lactation consultant Ellen "Binky" Petok, talking about the barriers and stigmas that come with breast feeding and formula feeding. Show starts at 1:10.