Rob Lundberg’s “Uncontaminated Sound – The Interviews” EP #67 w/ Joshua Farinella of The Whistleblower

Guided by artistic desire and a true lover of artistry in all of its forms, Robert Lundberg has become a highly regarded photographer and filmmaker lauded for his innovative and versatile documentaries covering the worlds of music, comedy, art, and film. After spending his early years in Massachusetts, Lundberg moved to New York City. It was here that he more actively pursued a full-time career in art and film. Uniquely focused on seeking out the next big artistic challenge, Lundberg chose to pursue one of his most ambitious projects in 2020. It was this year he launched a new documentary series entitled Uncontaminated Sound – The Interviews.

Debuting in 2020, the series follows comedians, musicians, fine artists, and actors. Lundberg’s primary goal is to gain particular insight into their creative processes, which can only be thoroughly deciphered by truly going behind the scenes. With Uncontaminated Sound, Lundberg’s purpose is to offer an intimate look into all of the rarely seen or known “little things” that take place during interviews and other similar social and private interactions with artists and performers. Mainstream features are often heavily and unevenly edited, offering viewers only individual, preferred moments. In contrast, Lundberg is dedicated to delivering to you all of the real, raw, authentic moments that you would never otherwise have the opportunity to experience.

After a lengthy hiatus, Lundberg returned last week with his recent conversation with musician Mickey Leigh. For this week’s edition, he’s changing things up a bit. He is joined by Joshua Farinella, a former General Manager of Kerala, India-based shrimp processor and exporter Choice Canning, who has now embraced the role of whistleblower. Last fall, he moved his life to India to excitedly take the general manager job at Choice Canning. Not only excited by the prospect of living abroad for the first time, he was also excited about taking on a significant role at a new company, as well as the financial security it would provide.

But unfortunately, that enthusiasm was short-lived. Farinella quickly got to know the harsh realities of the shrimp processing industry in India. As he got to know more about how the plan operated, he was shocked at how things actually worked. To meet the company’s production quotas, it required a massive staff. The plant operated practically 24 hours a day and local and migrant workers were forced to live at to meet these quotas. Farinella continued to uncover unethical practices that he tried to address. Despite his best efforts, they were met with heavy resistance from his superiors. So he began to take secret recordings and document his efforts and experiences extensively. He was also very concerned by the usage of antibiotics in shrimp production.

Joshua Farinella, photo by Ben Blankenship

Discussing his conversation with Farinella, Lundberg states:

“In this special Uncontaminated episode, I sit down with Joshua Farinella, subject of The Outlaw Ocean Project’s investigation ‘The Whistleblower’ published March 20th this year.

“And for those who are unfamiliar: The Outlaw Ocean Project is DC-based investigative journalist Ian Urbina’s Emmy-winning project. Find out more at theoutlawocean.com.

“Farinella openly speaks out as former General Manager of Choice Canning’s Amalapuram, India shrimp processing site. Sighting not only horrid labour and workers’ living conditions, Joshua also documents the blatant attempts of upper management to cover up the large quantities of shrimp exported to the United States farmed with antibiotics and protected by falsified certifications.

“Thus, forcing an American consumer to inquire where does our food really come from and at what costs?”

With his return, Lundberg has more interviews to come with acclaimed artists. He has also brought you his ongoing series Uncontaminated Sound, which takes a look behind the scenes to get a look at performers before they take the stage. The series has featured Macklemore’s Gemini Tour featuring Eric Nally (formerly of Foxy Shazam) and Xperience, the late Louie Anderson, Sinbad, Ron English, We Are Scientists, Rufus Wainwright, and more. Lundberg’s photography has been highlighted in publications such as Huffington Post, Paste Magazine and more.