“Vegas Traffic” the Movie where ART meets REALITY

BTSLV writer T.J. Chisley sits down with Lt. Governor of Nevada, Stavros Anthony and the cast and crew of Vegas Traffic to talk about the film and the potential impact it could have on Las Vegas.

Las Vegas has been dubbed as the Entertainment Capital of the World. Even more recently, the Sports Capital of the World, with the influx of different teams making a move. Many aren’t aware, but there is also a stock of creative independent filmmakers pursuing their film goals in the Las Vegas valley. Most of those productions being self-financed. It seems that, once the proper film tax credits have been implemented, the growth of the film industry will start speedily. There are serious inquiries from studio powerhouses like Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers putting in bids to build production facilities. Overall, there is major growth in the valley bringing in other industries and events like F1, the Superbowl, major concerts, and so many other venues. However, with so much growth there comes an increase in problems that have always plagued the valley, and many other cities that have a tourist attraction atmosphere. As you know, Las Vegas is a travel and tourism destination for passengers from all around the world, and with that comes the sad case of Human Trafficking. Unfortunately, Las Vegas is the #2 hub for this practice. “Vegas Traffic”, a film by writer & director Joseph Charafi, although fiction, shines light on human trafficking, specifically child trafficking, with a film adaptation of a reality that shamefully exists. Again, the story is fictional, but this film is an example of art meeting reality. John Molinaro, the star of the film, plays Det. Max Carter and I sat down with him to give us some background on, “Vegas Traffic,” and to shed some light on how the films storyline, based around the discovery of a child sex trafficking ring, mirrors real issues, in many ways. From the beginning, after sitting down to chat over some authentic, “The 305”, Cuban sandwiches from “Cubanidad,” one would get the feeling that John was destined to become an actor. John was born and raised in Las Vegas. He mentioned his father was the first film editor for the famous KLAS-TV 8 station in Las Vegas. It was Nevada's first television station. Later, his father went to Caesars Palace to run the showroom backstage, and John was right there, meeting the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Ann Margaret, to name a few. He mentioned that he was still too young to fully understand & appreciate the experience, but it still obviously made a lasting impression. Bringing us forward to the present, John is now an actor, and his latest film project involvement is delivering an artistic representation of an issue that’s truly a problem, and plagues not just Las Vegas. Kevin L. Sanders plays Det. Andrew Martinez, and he is John’s (Det. Max Carter) partner. Det. Carter is the older seasoned, seen it all & been through it all cop, that will even have a swig of alcohol on the job, and has a foul mouth. Now, Det. Andrew Martinez has a different approach to how he conducts his business as a cop. Andrew is Det. Carter’s new partner and he’s a devote Christian. All by the book. Interestingly, they may have different ways of getting results, but they both have the main goal in focus as they “race to find a kidnapped girl (“Maria”, as played by actress Chloe Sligar), uncovering a child sex trafficking ring in Las Vegas and risking everything to save the innocent.” Although John may be playing a character in a movie, both he and Det. Max Carter share similar ways of thinking, regarding the disgust of the sexual exploitation of children. When talking, various resources were discussed that are geared towards being a part of the solution to the issues. One resource I mentioned was ECPAT, which stands for End Child Prostitution/Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ecpat.org). This organization is a global network providing detailed research & statistics aimed at ending child trafficking, specifically. John brought things closer to home with a few resources available in the Las Vegas valley. It seems that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department implemented the Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force, SNHTTF. John said that this agency will provide on-site training services to businesses and community programs, to assist people in being able to recognize the various signs to notice a potential trafficking problem and then being knowledgeable in knowing what to do afterwards. He also mentioned that Uber has a similar type of program that trains drivers in the awareness of sex trafficking signals, so that the proper action could be taken of alerting authorities, if any of the red flagged behaviors are noticed. The Uber initiative is backed by ECPAT-USA and another advocacy foundation, Polaris. John knows he’s not an expert at finding the perfect solution, his goal is to bring more informed awareness to himself and to others. An area that he feels needs increased focus is employing more law enforcement presence, specifically dedicated to this problem. Keep in mind, there are many legal companies, from different industries, that profit from human trafficking. John put me in contact with someone that understands exactly what many of these victims have gone through and are currently going through. Staci Maione. Staci Maione is the founder of Agape Rescues Children, also known as ARC, which is a non-profit agency based out of Las Vegas. The agency understands the extent of the subject matter of child sex trafficking, and they are focused on creating and maintaining a high level of effective solutions to an ever-changing problem. Ms. Maione mentioned that the biggest need that a child that has been rescued from child trafficking is a safe place to sleep! She explained that if you really sit down and look at it from this perspective, a child has been trapped in a trafficking scenario for months, years or however long and their little brains are constantly in a “fight or flight” mentality. So, as soon as they are rescued, they need to be able to go to someplace safe and someplace they can get rest. ARC has its own screening process for qualifying homes that children would be recovering in, obviously for the purpose of safety and peace of mind of the child. The age range of the children that Ms. Maione is speaking of is 10 and under. Not to say that there aren’t older children, as old as 20 in many scenarios, but sadly the ages most abused are the younger ones. ARC (Agape Rescues Children), has detailed programs in place to help these children transition from a life of daily fear to slowly accepting people. 1. Starts with getting secure housing for those who have just been rescued. 2. Supplying professionally trained staff that can properly care for children with extensive trauma. 3. Feeding the mind, body and soul with good nutritional food. 4. A new age healing program, some with musical & vibrational therapy. 5. A transition plan that focuses on the future of the child being safe, forever. Ms. Maione stated that you could not give the kids back to their parents, right after they are rescued, because the parents could not truly understand the trauma the child has been through and how to properly get them back to a normal state, as they were prior to being trafficked. ARC is a non-profit organization that isn’t receiving any funding from the Federal Government, currently. However, the goal is to continue to bring more awareness to help save lives, with or without government funding. ARC is currently associated with a facility in Colorado that houses those that have been trafficked, so a working model already exists in having a safe facility. Ms. Maione would like to employ veterans to be the security force for future facilities. Hopefully, if government funding arrives then her larger vision of making this organization a force to be reckoned with, even more of a reality. One of the biggest things needed is more awareness of the problem and more awareness of how to spot this problem. Fortunately, the Agape Rescues Children website (agaperescueschildren.org/) has extensive information on just that. You can also donate to ARC as a tax write-off. The challenge of child sex trafficking is an international one, but the focus of “Vegas Traffic” is local, so we have been centering in on local agencies. John Molinaro put us in contact with the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nevada, Stavros Anthony, for his feedback on the film and the problem. Before I proceed, there is an interesting story of how John, aka Det. Max Carter, came to know the current Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. In high school, John was given an assignment geared towards teaching students how to write a proper business letter, seeking some type of response back from the recipient. If you were interested in becoming a construction worker or Doctor, then maybe you’d write to a hospital or construction company. Well, John wrote a letter to the Las Vegas Metro PD, expressing an interest in becoming an officer. The agency ended up responding and setting up a ride-along with one of their officers. That officer was to be the future Lt. Gov. of Nevada, the former LVMPD Officer Stavros Anthony. The Lieutenant Governor admitted he didn’t specifically remember the ride-along itself but remembers keeping in contact with John over the years. John invited the Lieutenant Governor to the films recent showing at “The Space” in Las Vegas, where the Lt. Gov. had an opportunity to view the film, along with his wife, Bernadette. He even spoke to the gathered crowd after the film to give some viewpoints on the problem. Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony is a Las Vegas resident of 44 years. He began his career with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in 1980. He has also been a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and a City of Las Vegas Councilman. As a police captain, Anthony spent time in charge of many divisions within Metro including Vice/Narcotics, Northeast Area Command and the Transportation Safety Bureau. He retired after 29 years of service; having made community service and public safety his focus. Anthony was elected as Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor in 2022. Lieutenant Governor Anthony was extremely busy, but because of the film and its subject matter he happily made time to sit down with me, providing some feedback on the artistic movie interpretation and the real problem itself. As far as combatting the issue is concerned, the Lieutenant Governor references the efforts of the Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force, or SNHTTF, mentioned previously. As stated on their website…” Our vision entails bolstering survivors in Southern Nevada by fostering effective community education, conducting thorough investigations, prosecuting perpetrators, and delivering essential services to deter future victimization.” Lieutenant Governor Anthony explained that there is a very concerted effort to work across jurisdictional lines to combat the problem today. LVMPD’s SNHTTF division works closely with the local FBI department to track and monitor operations. The problem that we have now is not the same as the problems faced in the past. Human trafficking has a different mode of operation. Lt. Gov. Anthony explained that prior to him becoming Captain, the focus was on arresting prostitutes and the “johns”, enforcement tactics only. Afterwards, he implemented more focus on arresting the pimps, still focusing on the “johns” and even more of a specific focus on the juveniles that were becoming prostitutes and getting them help. Back then, there weren’t many resources to help the kids, he stated. Answering a question posed to him regarding the dispersion of resources from the Federal government towards combatting this problem, he said that there currently isn’t a specific budget allocated to the SNHTTF or the FBI, but of course you could always use more resources. The current police position is one of being pulled in many directions. We have murders, robberies, thefts, sexual assaults and patrolling neighborhoods. One of his biggest issues is with people who say that this is a victimless crime, when speaking of allocating funds. He begs to differ because the biggest victim is the female or child being trafficked that suffers, terribly. But, 30 years later having many more resources, the future is looking much better at combatting the problem. Speaking on his direct feelings after viewing “Vegas Traffic” Lt. Gov. Anthony stated… “When I saw the movie, it took me back to 30 years ago when I was a Captain, but to see where we’ve come today where really there’s more of a focus on helping these women, and children, get out of prostitution, that’s great. And you need movies to be entertaining, but you want them to also capture your movies focus”, he stated. He felt that the realism of the actor portrayals versus real life was quite mirrored, in many ways. “It was very entertaining, it was very well made, the actors were excellent, but it focused on something that’s serious business here in Las Vegas.” The Lieutenant Governor understands the impact a movie can have because you may be entertained by a film, but when that film also can make an impact which can foster change, then you have a great project. The movie is there to show what the problem is and why more resources need to be put in place to further fight and prosecute the offenders. This newfound attitude can make one want to learn more about a problem, spend time helping to address the issue, and eventually find ways to fix the problem. He encourages the average person to take the first step in getting directions to assist by calling the LVMPD or the FBI to get all available resources. I informed him of another resource, that he had not been aware of previously but would keep for future reference, Staci Maione’s Agape Rescues Children. Lt. Gov Anthony, being Greek himself, informed me that agape is Greek for “love”, which I honestly was not aware. Since the Lt. Gov. liked “Vegas Traffic” as a film, I explained that as a filmmaker myself, along with many other film creatives here in the valley, we are very concerned about attracting the major studios. The question of his support for the film tax credit bill was posed. “I would love for Nevada to be the new Hollywood of the United States. I would love to see that.” he replied. He is not opposed to delivering film tax credits, but stated there was an issue with a bill (SB496) introduced in the last legislative session. He stated, “… it was just too big.” However, he mentions that there is a new bill that will be introduced in this year’s legislative session that’s going to start with baby steps. The future would consist of distributing a small number of film tax credits to see how they work, then building on that every year before addressing a final solution. Lt. Gov. Anthony wanted to relay to Nevada’s interested film creative community. He wanted to also make the point that many in the film industry will be coming from California to Nevada because of the state having no income tax & hopefully the film tax credit will be soon approved. Also, he noted that Nevada has loads of talent already here, ready to work with those coming from California to make movies. 15 years ago, he didn’t think we’d have sports teams, now we’re the sports capital of the world. We could have a huge impact and be a new filming capital, as well. We have spoken with the lead actor of the film, an advocate providing resources to those coming out of being trafficked and got a perspective from a government official on the impact of the film, “Vegas Traffic.” Some feedback is also needed from those behind the scenes that worked tirelessly to get this production from the paper to the screen. In comes Joseph Charafi, the director of the film. There were quite a few areas of interest where questions were posed to help us get an understanding of what Joseph was thinking throughout the filming process. The first question posed was directed at where the inspiration for the story came from. As a filmmaker, what he could do to raise awareness on this terrible subject was the first thing he wanted us to understand. Emphasizing that there are over 300,000 missing or exploited children in the United States. Joseph is a Christian, so there were spiritual and moral factors that encouraged his soul to pursue this production. “There are children suffering all over the world.,” is what he stated. The film’s viewing audience, from a marketing perspective, is directed towards both the Christian and secular mainstream communities. However, Det. Andrew Martinez, played by Kevin L. Sanders, who’s character is Christian, helps to thread the line between the secular and Christian viewpoints of the two detectives roles on screen. Having seen “Sound of Freedom,” a 2023 American Christian thriller film directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, and starring Jim Caviezel & Mira Sorvino; Joseph found even more inspiration. A calling, if you will. A lot of the characters in “Vegas Traffic” come from very different walks of life but come together in the film to face the problem. The symphony of character diversity needed would lead to the finding of actors with the right qualities. Joseph explained that he knew the budget would be tight and needed the kind of lead people that would step up to the plate and assist in upholding themselves on and off camera, while helping to guide the rest of the production team. Actors had to be prepared since there were going to be physical demands that would have to be met. “Vegas Traffic” is an action film with martial arts, weapons, chasing scenes and hand-to-hand combat so actors had to be fully up for the task at hand. Working with scheduling was one of the most challenging aspects of the production, but Joseph mentioned producer Trenton Brisco was quite an asset in this area, along with many other areas of the film, providing expertise and assistance making things smoother. Joseph had many hats to wear with this production. Not only did he write and direct, but Joseph was also the cinematographer, worked with sound design, editor and sometimes even made cameo appearances. During the filming, challenges were faced. One that Joseph remembers is a fighting sequence at a key point in the film that was so magnificent, but it took a long time to shoot because of being heavy with action and having intricate fighting techniques needed to be filmed. Now, even though Joseph had a direct vision for the production overall, he still left room for the actors to come to life by letting certain improvisational deliveries come through. He loves working with actors that not only follow directions but can also take a few risks to bring the character to life. On the opposite side, he does not like working with a “diva mentality” actor. This had caused a problem in a prior incident, but for the future they have learned how to address these issues, before the start of production shooting. Joseph Charafi wants the film to inspire audiences to reach out for information on how they can make a change to end enslaved traffic. Yes, he wants them to enjoy an entertaining film, but in the end, to also find ways to spread the message and make a difference. He has a child of his own, so the subject hits close to home like for many of us. Joseph pushes you to find an organization and start helping. “Stop the Traffic “, for example, is a charity organization that was created by the team. A percentage of profits from not only this film, but future movies, go to the organization to help fight human trafficking. If you want to make an impact today, then make social media posts about solutions and learn the “help sign language.” Joseph mentioned that audiences are excited about the movie and have given great feedback, thus far. There are a few scenes that Joseph finds himself proud of, but a major fight scene in the film is memorable for him. It gave him a “Matrix” feeling, which was quite enjoyable. This film was the first feature that he’s made, even though he has many other projects on his resume. But, “Vegas Traffic” has already become the work he’s most proud of, mainly due to the content exposure. He had some advice for future filmmakers, when asked what he could contribute to them. He suggested making sure that you positively know you can shoot your piece; write something you can shoot and make the moment worth it. People are spending time watching your film. Go with your heart and soul, make every scene count and make sure you have a trifecta team for support. You’re going to need it. After this project Charafi Entertainment plans on working on a horror movie and a live-action Jetsons film, so we will have to revisit him in the future to keep up. Our final thoughts and statements will come from Trenton Brisco, who is the film’s producer. Trenton has a very memorable personality. From the very beginning, you would sense the raw passion that he has for tackling the dilemma of child sex trafficking, and human trafficking in general. So, when Joseph Charafi approached him with the idea for the film, it didn’t take a whole long time to convince him to move forward. Trenton had previously seen a movie that had some remnants of child trafficking, but he remembers leaving inspired to do something about it himself. The opportunity came in the form of his involvement with “Vegas Traffic”. Trenton had worked in charity, and in films, so the obvious solution to help raise awareness and funds, was to make a film based on the subject. He is also a single father of a little girl, so the human awareness emotion is part of his fire to help combat and bring more attention to the subject of child sex trafficking. Trenton used to run a foster home in Las Vegas, and he interacted with a lot of troubled youth. He had 42 kids come through his home, in seven years being a single foster parent. He brought the information to my attention to make the understanding that a lot of foster kids end up being child/human trafficked. Traffickers know who’s going in and out of the system and who has run away; that’s how they end up attracting children, with a false sense of caring and promised security from whatever they were running from. By the time the kid figures out the bad intentions, they’re already trapped. Trenton explained that these traffickers even have a plan to retain a former child being trafficked, now adult, to stay under the traffickers control. He feels extremely close to this film project and the attached charity, “Stop the Traffic “, so once again, you can sense the passion he has for advocating for those who are being abused. He has even written a TV pilot called “Fractured Turnstile”, that is about foster kids and even more so, about his life in the system. He said that no one really understands foster care until you’re in it. He wanted to use his experience as a former athlete and coach to try and help the 42 kids that came through his personal home during that seven-year period, by using sports. However, none were able to stay on the teams, except for one. Mainly because, if the kids ever had to face any adversity or were confronted, scolded by the coach; instead of taking it as a lesson to learn, they choose to take flight. Trenton went on to explain that the behavior bleeds over into future personal relationships like having girlfriends or jobs or any situation that may call for accountability for something, when things aren’t perfect. When an argument or problem arises, they dump the girlfriend because she gets mad at them, quit the job and such. The term for it is Reactive Detachment Disorder. This is a result, most times, of being groomed by a trafficker, previously. The traffickers groom them to have the kids to initially voluntarily join them. Trenton wants parents, adults in general, other children, teachers; they all need to know how this can happen to someone you know. Again, we must be made aware that Trenton truly has a focused determination when it comes to making a change. When he was 15, he had an idea for “Brisco Town”, where troubled kids could live there, work there and have things like BMX racing, MMA training, campgrounds, an animal shelter and a baseball field. Trenton’s passion for advocacy on this subject was so strong that I ended up going off course from my list of questions that were directly geared towards the film. But you can’t be mad at that because hopefully his passion and seeing the performances in the film will inspire you to get more information to help. Now, to bring it back into the films focus, Trenton informed me that he also wore a few hats in the production. He was the casting director for the film, worked on some sound, along with doing a little 1st AD work. As mentioned prior by Joseph, Trenton was invaluable with his experience in scheduling. Those not in the film industry might not understand the scheduling logistics of trying to ensure that over 200 people involved with the film, cast and crew, end up being where they need to be, when they need to be there and making sure they have the right mentality, regarding having the proper attitude on set. He was also a big factor in helping to evolve the film on set and make creative changes and pivots. As for marketing, the goal is to continue spreading awareness of the movie, via premieres in various cities. While at the same time have charities from those cities to join them to help raise awareness about child sex trafficking, while also raising funds to combat the problem. As for his advice to a future film producer…you can do more than you think. When you do run into scenarios, simply try asking for help and lead with your passion. You never know what you can achieve to get assistance in making your film. Because in the end, it’s all about making your film. Also, get insurance to make people feel comfortable while on the production. Follow your heart and just be you because people want to be around people they can relate to. Follow your passion and don’t stop. Don’t just talk about it…get it done. Ultimately, it's not all about you, it’s about something bigger, the whole crew. Keep the stress as low as possible. Then, go make another film! If you’re a film fan you need to see “Vegas Traffic”. If you’re interested in independent filmmaking yourself, then you need to see “Vegas Traffic” If you’re concerned about the problem of child sex trafficking, you need to see “Vegas Traffic” and then take action to get involved. If you haven’t already picked up on this fact, everyone involved has their own passion for combatting the problem. “Vegas Traffic” is intended to give a realistic visual entertainment experience that gets your blood pumping, along with delivering lifesaving information to combat the sad case of child/human trafficking. This is the first step in making a difference. Make plans to see this film! (@vegastrafficthemovie)