Like the person in the ghillie suit behind me in the photo, the production crew for "Raw Travel" is often anonymous. They are content with some recognition during the credits and whatever meager pay I could scrape together to compensate them for their considerable skills.

"My Summer in Ukraine" was not a typical travel show in more ways than one. Almost every aspect of it was more difficult, from the obvious, filming in a war zone in some risky locales under emotional circumstances, as our talented Ukrainian videographer and director Anastasia Zui, to the less obvious, combing through hours and hours of footage to piece together the best broll shots to help us tell our story in such a way as to keep the audience engaged, as Sr. Editor Renzo Devia did.

To craft a pallet of music that fit the unique mood of this particular project, which was at times moody and dark and others light and fluffy as Brian McKenna of BtOVEN Music did.

Or, as Santiago Salas Castro of Journey Animation did, create an animated video to help us tell the Lada's Orphanage story. Mix the audio to make it all sound not only broadcastable on TV, phone, or theater but as powerful as possible with the field audio often recorded in less-than-ideal conditions, as Cesar Chaliwa of Chaliwa+Sound did.

Every person mentioned has worked with us before and is a trusted and valuable member of the Raw Travel family, which is why I'm so happy to announce that Raw Travel TV's "My Summer in Ukraine" was recently awarded the Silver Anthem Award for Humanitarian Action & Services in the film, video, and TV category.

I'm also proud to announce that "My Summer in Ukraine" also received a Bronze Telly Award in the "Series-News & Politics."

This category is especially sweet because the competition is broad and deep; as you can imagine, 2024 was a pretty big year for "news and politics."

Of course, the real reward is telling stories that need to be told, and the story of Ukraine needs to be told. There are some excellent documentaries out there, and they are all helping to keep hope alive in Ukraine and fighting back against the glut of disinformation and misinformation. I'm proud we were and are able to do our part, and I'm proud of the team who put this together.

Congratulations to Anastasia Zui, Renzo Devia, Brian McKenna, Santiago Sales Castro, Cesar Chaliwa, and the rest of the team on their dedication and hard work.

Read the press release below:

“MY SUMMER IN UKRAINE” WINS ANTHEM & TELLY AWARDS

AIM TV & Raw Travel TV Win Second Award for Ukrainian War Documentary

NEW YORK, NY: May 23, 2025 – AIM Tell-A-Vision® Group (AIM TV), producers of the nation's most-watched travel show, Raw Travel®, announced that their documentary, “My Summer in Ukraine,” has recently received a Bronze Telly Award in the “Series-News & Politics” category. This recognition follows their recent Silver Anthem Award for Humanitarian Action & Services in the Film, Video, Television category.

Airing on TV in 2024 and inspired by Raw Travel Producer/Host Robert G. Rose’s travels in Ukraine in 2023, the “My Summer in Ukraine” film and documentary series delves into the experiences of a travel journalist working in a war zone, as Rose engaged with various humanitarians, filmmakers, soldiers, and Ukrainians.

In the documentary, Rose accompanied humanitarians Mark Cary (USA) and Hymie Dunn (UK) to several hotspots, including Odesa, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and a harrowing trip to Kherson City, where he and his associates came under mortar fire from Russian munitions.

The talented young Ukrainian videographer Anastasia Zui filmed much of the documentary. Zui has been a member of the Raw Travel crew since 2019 and has been a refugee from Eastern Ukraine since Russia’s initial invasion in 2014. Veteran TV editor Renzo Devia of Creador Pictures, a long-time collaborator with Rose since 2000 and part of Raw Travel's crew, edited the post-production series.

The sound design and music varied dramatically from Raw Travel’s traditional approach. Much of it was created by the recording studio and musical collective BtOVEN, which is based in New York City. BtOVEN has also worked with Raw Travel TV for several seasons to create unique music for the series.

Audio mixing for the film proved especially challenging due to filming in the unpredictable environment of a war zone. Raw Travel’s longtime audio mixing partner, Chaliwa Music + Sound, in Miami, Florida, handled the work.

Santiago Salas Castro of Journey Animation, which has offices in Costa Rica and Canada, created an animation of a harrowing scene in the first part of the episode that helped to recreate visuals from an emotional and sensitive interview with Lada Schmel of “Lada’s Orphanage” near Bucha, Ukraine.

My Summer in Ukraine originally aired on TV in 2024 and has helped raise awareness along with over $50,000 in hard donations and in-kind contributions for various grassroots organizations and humanitarians featured in the docuseries, including Lada’s Orphanage, humanitarians Mark Cary and Hymie Dunn, the Kherson Mobile School Project, Care4Ukraine.org, and many others.

The documentary is currently streaming online at MySummerInUkraine.com, and more information about Ukraine can be found at RawTravelUkraine.com and RawTravel.tv, the show’s official website.

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ABOUT “MY SUMMER IN UKRAINE”

“My Summer in Ukraine” is a four-part documentary series filmed during Robert G. Rose’s trip to Ukraine in the summer of 2023 alongside Anastasia Zui, a Ukrainian cinematographer. They journeyed through various regions of Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Irpin, Bucha, and more, engaging with humanitarians, soldiers, and others. The documentary aims to reveal a unique perspective on war that many are unaware of, highlighting tragedy, resilience, sorrow, and immense joy. “My Summer in Ukraine” premiered on broadcast TV in 2024 and is currently available on Raw Travel’s YouTube Channel.

ABOUT AIM TELL-A-VISION GROUP

AIM Tell-A-Vision (AIM TV) Group is an independent production, content, and distribution company founded by media veteran and entrepreneur Robert G. Rose. Since 2000, AIM TV has produced and distributed positive, compelling content that reflects a mission of presenting “Media That Matters.” Visit AIMTVGroup.com for more information.

ABOUT RAW TRAVEL TV

Raw Travel is an adventure and lifestyle series showcasing socially and environmentally aware, independent travel. The series uniquely weaves eco-tourism and voluntourism (giving back) themes with underground music and authentic culture. Since 2013, the show has raised funds and highlighted dozens of non-profit organizations helping the unhoused, orphaned children, people with disabilities, displaced refugees, etc., as well as encouraging earth stewardship, sustainable living, and travel with a purpose.

The show is broadcast each weekend in 185 U.S. cities on major affiliates and several international territories, including Asia, Africa, and Europe. It is also available on several major airlines. The AIM Tell-A-Vision Group produces the show and manages its domestic and international distribution. For more information, visit RawTravel.tv.

ABOUT ROBERT G. ROSE

Robert G. Rose is an independent media entrepreneur and travel journalist. Throughout his career in travel journalism, Rose has visited numerous challenging, politically charged destinations for filming, including Haiti, Cuba, China, and Vietnam (all while undercover), Colombia, and Georgia (including Russian-occupied territories), as well as Russia (2010) and Ukraine prior to and during Russia's full invasion. In the summer of 2023, Rose spent a month in Ukraine filming, documenting his experience traveling with volunteers and interviewing soldiers and civilians, some of whom were under the threat of Russian bombs and munitions. In 2024, Rose returned to Ukraine to screen his documentary and reconnect with his friends and the subjects of the film.