Outside the Frame: A Long-Haul Trucker's Stories on Roads Less Traveled | Ry Shorosky | TEDxLasVegas

Key Concepts

• Storytelling and Human Connection: The core drivers of the speaker's creative work.
• Blue-Collar Upbringing: The speaker's background and the worlds they aim to represent.
• Childlike Curiosity: A guiding principle for exploration and creative endeavors.
• American Lore and Wild West: Themes that resonate deeply with the speaker.
• Sex Work and Taboos: The subject matter explored in the Nevada brothel.
• Privilege of Access: The speaker's recognition of being invited into intimate worlds.
• Trauma Healing and Male Trauma: Aspects of blue-collar life discussed.
• Trusting Your Gut: A personal mantra for creative and life decisions.

The Journey of a Storyteller: From Trucker to Director

The speaker recounts their multifaceted career path, transitioning from various blue-collar jobs like long-haul trucking, cowboy, and beekeeping, to becoming a photographer and director. Their work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times and Time magazine, as well as for various brands and companies. Despite professional success, the speaker felt a disconnect from their blue-collar roots and the authentic stories from those worlds.

Rediscovering Purpose on the Road

In 2021, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the speaker temporarily left their established career to hit the road again in their semi-truck, hauling goods across the country. This experience during the pandemic proved pivotal, allowing them to understand what truly drives them as a creative: storytelling, and more specifically, genuine human connection.

The Nevada Brothel: A Catalyst for Storytelling

The speaker shares a defining story from 2014, their first year as a trucker in their early twenties, fresh out of art school in New York. Driving through Nevada, they encountered signs for an alien-themed brothel and truck stop. Intrigued by this unusual roadside attraction, which evoked a sense of childlike curiosity reminiscent of their youth, they pulled over. Despite being too timid to enter at the time, the experience left a lasting impression.

Returning to Nevada: Permission and Immersion

Years later, in 2018, the speaker, now working for major publications, found themselves unable to shake the memory of the Nevada brothel. Driven by an obsession with American lore and the feelings evoked by the landscape, they returned with the intention of photographing the brothel. They secured permission from the owner, Dennis Hoff, to photograph inside. What was initially planned as a short visit turned into an immersive five-day experience. The speaker was given a suite in the back of the brothel and spent their mornings making pancakes for the women who worked there, engaging in deep conversations about their lives, sex work, and the realities of blue-collar America. This experience profoundly impacted the speaker, revealing the incredible stories hidden behind closed doors. Although the work was not published in major outlets, it was posted on their website.

The TV Pilot and a Tragic Turn of Events

More recently, the speaker moved back west and found themselves in a position to develop a pilot for a TV show about their life as a trucker, focusing on telling American stories from the road. They decided that the Nevada brothel would be the perfect location to encapsulate what drives them as a creative and a person. During a scouting trip a couple of weeks before full production, they revisited the brothel, and the owners were enthusiastic about the idea.

However, during the actual five-day shoot with a 15-person crew and a limited budget, a tragedy struck. While the crew was at a nearby Denny's, the speaker received a call from a friend, Cassie, who worked at the brothel. Cassie informed them that one of the women, a good friend of hers, had been found unconscious in her room and appeared to have died by suicide. This occurred just two hours before they were scheduled to shoot a segment of the TV show pilot.

Prioritizing Humanity Over Production

Despite the immense stress and the feeling that a decade of sacrifice was riding on this TV show, the speaker immediately shifted their focus. They prioritized being there for their friend and the community at the brothel during their time of grief. They assured the brothel staff that the TV show would proceed but would be set up across the highway to avoid disturbing them. The speaker spent the night texting with Cassie, checking on the women, and experiencing a surreal moment while filming B-roll at the truck stop, witnessing a county coroner's van arrive at the brothel.

Resilience and Shared Stories

The following morning, despite the ongoing grief, Cassie called the speaker, expressing the desire to move forward with the filming. The women wanted to tell their stories and honor their deceased friend. This led to the speaker sitting down with several women from the brothel, who spoke on camera about sex work, its taboos, the core of what drives them, male trauma healing, and other aspects of blue-collar life that are often romanticized but not fully understood. The speaker emphasizes the privilege of being invited into these worlds and sharing these stories.

A Guiding Mantra: "America is Not Always Beautiful, But God Bless Her."

The speaker concludes by reiterating the importance of trusting childlike curiosity as a creative and as a person. Their personal mantra has become, "America is not always beautiful, but God bless her." This encapsulates their role as a storyteller and the importance of supporting each other, regardless of background or story, as this shared humanity is what binds everyone together. They encourage others to "get out there and trust your gut," even if it leads to unconventional situations like knocking on a brothel door, as one never knows what profound experiences might unfold. The speaker believes this approach truly defines who they are, where their work is heading, and their commitment to trusting the process, even in the face of the unknown.

Conclusion: Building Bridges and Moving Forward

In closing, the speaker urges everyone to do their best to help bring people together and guide the country into its next phase.