FIELD NOTES (Entry #2) - 10/31/2025 - DEADLINE DAY

STUDIO CITY, CA 2:47 PM, Channel 5 HQ.

It's a scorching late fall afternoon in Studio City and I'm thinking of two numbers in my head that refuse to make sense together.

Channel 5 monthly operating costs: Somewhere north of $70,000 when you factor in payroll, server fees, office rent, equipment, fiber optic cable installation, RV insurance, etc.

The minimum cost of defending yourself against bullshit wiretapping claims a federal trial: $500,000.

I cannot afford both.

The math just doesn't work. I've run it six different ways in the past hour, calculating how many merch drops and Ground News shout-outs I'd have to churn out in order to keep the business afloat. It is simply impossible. Soon, I'll have to launch a fundraiser and beg the public for cash. I never wanted to pull back the curtain and share the nitty-gritty, financial reality behind our operation, but it's better than declaring bankruptcy and moving back into the RV.

My kidneys hurt. So does my bladder. And no, I don't have alcoholism or chlamydia. Coffee dehydrates the liver and I've been on five cups a day since we got back from Ireland.

Still, I walk to the kitchen to pour another cup of coffee I absolutely do not need. The fluorescent lights are brutal. Only lights we keep on in the whole office. The rest of the space is lit by a hodgepodge of lamps and Christmas lights that make it feel more like a dive bar in rural Wisconsin than the nucleus of a semi-sophisticated news operation.

Despite all these factors, I'm actually having the best day ever. Everyone is working hard and nothing has gone wrong yet.

I look through the glass walls of a street-facing conference room we call the 'War Room.'

Our pre-production manager Liam is furiously corresponding with our West Bank fixer about linking us with a militant group called the Jenin Brigades in the north of the Palestinian territory, while simultaneously filling out paperwork that was just sent over by the Bureau of Prisons.

And no, we aren't bailing out Crip Mac, though he is set to be released around Christmas (Cripmas). We have an interview set up next week in North Dakota with Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who had his life sentence commuted by former President Biden in the final hours of his presidency. Despite being released from federal prison, Leonard is still living under state supervision and generally not permitted to leave the reservation. Our team must undergo a B.O.P. background check in order to sit down with him. Hopefully my border felony doesn't complicate things.

On the other side of the War Room, our on-site social media manager Sydney is cutting clips from Mexican Independence Day video for tomorrow's release on Canal Cinco Latinoamerica, which is our alternate, Spanish-language channel. She's also coordinating with a recently deported Green Card holder who we're set to meet under the arch in Tijuana at sundown tomorrow. We're set to shoot a 5CAST with him to discuss his reporting on GEO Group—the private investment firm that's financed the construction of half the I.C.E. facilities across the country. He was picked up at a No Kings Protest in Chicago and deported to El Salvador for his work. I find it impossible to understand how any American supports what these I.C.E. pigs are doing.

My girlfriend is already anxious about the Tijuana trip. Little does she know, I actually hate strip clubs and do pretty much anything I can to stay away from them, but Jamaica thinks I'm a secret maniac so I've gotta get back to L.A. by midnight or I'll be in the doghouse. It's a small price to pay for all the great things she's brought into my life. I truly believe that a higher power sent her to protect me from evil and will pretty much do whatever she says.

In my office, our all-around-guy Juan is prepping final translations for the Mexican Independence Day video. He is from Albuquerque and speaks more fluently than I do. He also needs an American wife to secure U.S. citizenship so if you're a nice lady reading this, please marry Juan. He is a great guy who holds open doors and maintains a diverse array of house plants.

Juan also runs point for Canal Cinco operations with our Mexico City team, who are prepping for an upcoming trip to El Salvador. One of Bukele's aides just confirmed his availability for a sit-down interview next month and is looking into getting access to CECOT, where I plan to join MS-13. Kidding. Point is, our itinerary is stacking up like a geopolitical Jenga tower. We'll be traveling from El Salvador to Palestine and then finally, to Iran. I'm working on a secret project with VICE founder Shane Smith and we're kicking things off in Tehran with a tour of the Iranian government's totally non-suspicious nuclear facility. After that, I'm going to Orlando.

In between the War Room and my office is a one-desk room dubbed the 'Literary Department,' where my writing assistant Joe is frantically typing up the manuscript for our lawsuit announcement video. In order to raise $500,000, we'll have to put on a serious show for the public in a way that doesn't defame Bill Joiner and/or interfere with ongoing litigation. I trust Joe to walk that line. I've known him since I was fourteen and he's always given me pretty good ideas. Actually, this whole Field Notes thing was his idea and it's been quite refreshing to have a non-video creative outlet. Words, homie!

After passing the Literary Department, I take a look into the editor’s room.

The four B-roll soldiers—Gabe, Ethan, Wiggy, and Charlie—are deployed at their stations, putting B-roll onto our forty-minute Zohran Mamdani rally video that Sidam & co. shot last weekend in New York. A poster of Joaquin Phoenix stares out from the wall. I have no idea why he's there.

Across the country, JP—our NYC correspondent and social media manager—is cutting together footage from the Andrew Cuomo Young Professional Luncheon. He infiltrated a secret meeting hosted by something called 'Cool Girls for Capitalism' and actually got to talk to Cuomo himself. It's JP's first on-camera appearance. The monologues are good. Really good. 

Both the Mamdani rally video, JP's Cuomo piece, and Mexican Independence Day are dropping tomorrow at 9 a.m. PST. It's the first time we've dropped three pieces of content in a single day and I'm incredibly excited to blitz the internet with our coverage.

Plus, the endangered language series is really starting to come along. Editing that footage has been a momentous task. Between the Irish Language, Gullah-Geechee, Cajun French, Texas German and Baltimore Jiqqalyang episodes, there is over 60 hours of footage to comb through. Because of this, I've hired an off-site editor named Drew to cut through it all, and he just sent me a 'V1' of the Irish episode. It looks really good. While we were out there, we got to sit down with this rap trio called Kneecap in West Belfast and a podcaster named Blindboy in Limerick. I forgot how solid both of those interviews were. Irish people are so awesome. Honestly, they're tied with Mexicans in my mind in the global vibe gauntlet.

Drew is awesome too, even though he lives in Austin, Texas and would rather die, Alamo-style than live in California. I owe a lot to him. I met him on the streets of Washington D.C. back in 2020 when he was working as a camera operator for InfoWars. He secured us the Alex Jones interview shortly after, which really brought This Place Rules to life for obvious reasons. Drew quit InfoWars shortly after, nearly driven to psychosis by the antics of his hothead boss and asked for a job. I gave him one. And to answer your question - yes, the same guy who edited Alex Jones' supplement commercials also edited Channel 5's "Free Luigi Rally" video.

I'd say that the most crucial soldier in our new-and-improved work force is Cam, our audio guy. He has an apartment in Silver Lake and rarely comes in, but Cam is a certified sound genius who can turn an iPhone voice memo to crispy, professional audio from his laptop. It's a satisfying process to watch and audio will always be king when it comes to documentary filmmaking.

Channel 5 is becoming a real thing. By my calculation, there are twenty-seven tasks happening across twelve people right now and I couldn't be happier.

This is what we built. This actually works. Plus I got to see a couple Seattle homies last night at an extremely, extremely cutty bar in the Valley where nobody knows who I am. We got to catch up without interruption.

Lawsuit aside, I live a privileged life. 

Back when I used to dream of being a journalist, I always imagined working in a chaotic newsroom like this - six people screaming over the phone in different directions, printers churning out teleprompter scripts, hard deadlines in the air and the world at our fingertips. I just never imagined I'd be in charge of it.

I want to do something to show how grateful I am for everybody's hard work. Maybe I'll give everyone Red Lobster gift cards or Massage Envy credits.

Alright, I'm gonna do a color pass on this Zohran Rally video. Should have it up on Patreon in a couple hours.

Love y'all.

AC