I hope her words will touch you as they did me.

Joke’s Journal Entry

May I never forget this feeling. May I never lose this moment.

As a storyteller, one of the biggest challenges I encounter on each journey is the one of letting go, of letting that story find a life of its own out in the world.

I’ve not had the privilege of raising a child, but I guess what I feel at those moments is in its own tiny way similar to when parents send their children off to college and find themselves hoping they’ve done their job well enough.

But today everything is still pure with this story. Right now is the moment I live for, the moment when the pieces come together and the sum is greater than its parts.

For two years now my husband and I have nurtured this story called Caged.

It’s been a team effort getting it sold, shot and assembled, yet in some ways it’s all mine, or rather I’m its. From the moment I met the incredible people who live this story every day, they claimed a piece of my heart. It’s theirs. It’s like a little ember, always glowing, and when I pay it some attention it grows and warms my entire heart and soul.

I know I’m blessed, lucky, fortunate–whatever you want to call it–I know this is special.

We’ve had passion for all the stories we’ve told over the years, but this one is different, this one locked me in from the word go, and it is as if it is driving me more than I’m driving it.

So I want to make sure I remember right now. This moment of pride, this moment of completeness, this moment of purity.

Before the critics judge, which they will carefully or quickly, before the audiences decide our fate, which they will with their thumbs on the remote, and before the people at the heart of this story become public figures, which some will do with grace while others stumble.

Before this story takes flight and finds a life of its own, at this moment, it’s still mine.

At this moment, I can protect it, treasure it and love it as it’s supposed to be.

No matter what happens, whether it becomes a hit or ends up being another great story you never saw, may I never forget this feeling, may I never lose this moment.

Joke Fincioen
11/29/11

Caged premieres Monday, January 9th at 10pm/9 central on MTV. Follow Joke and Biagio’s Caged twitter feed at @JNB_MTV_Caged

From the New York Times:

Every town has a scene, a subculture, a place where young people go to escape. In Minden, La., a city of about 13,000 some 30 miles east of Shreveport, it’s mixed martial arts, a sport that attracts young men with hopes of punching and kicking and wrestling their way through their opponents, and hopefully their problems.

Their fights, and their struggles, are captured on “Caged,” which begins on Monday night on MTV and is the latest entry in that channel’s effort to document the lives of young people, often digging and seeking them out in places others don’t.

Full article: The New York Times

The wide variety of compelling backstories have to overlap in a town that makes Friday Night Lights’ fictional Dillon look big…

…While The Ultimate Fighter searches for the next Forrest Griffin, Caged gives you a real-life Tim Riggins.

Read the full review at Sports Illustrated.

Shortly after the Caged trailer hit, we were excited to learn that Tae Kwon Do Champ Sabrina Schmeck was excited about how CAGED could affect the Mixed Martial Arts community.

Sabrina kindly allowed us to reprint some of her email correspondence here:

From Sabrina Schmeck

I saw a promo video for CAGED about two weeks ago and was really impressed.

There is a side — a human struggle — that so many don’t understand or get to see — and I think this show will be an excellent way to really expose mainstream audiences to the struggles and sacrifices that these athletes and their loved ones undergo in the pursuit of excellence/success.

Caged on MTV

Catch the full first episode of CAGED Monday, January 9th at 10pm, 9pm central on MTV.

Named fourth to this week’s MUST LIST, Entertainment Weekly called our new show Caged on MTV  “comic and heart-wrenching” “revalatory” and “fascinating.”

Source: Futon Critic

Skein follows of a group of small-town Louisiana teens who engage in cage fighting to help them cope with the struggles in their lives. The amateur mixed martial arts bouts give the protagonists a sense of accomplishment both inside and outside the ring.

“We’re always looking for subcultures to explore and do a deep dive into their lives,” MTV programming topper David Janollari told Variety when the show was first announced earlier this year. “What I love about the show is that it’s not just about fighting but examining life in every-town America.”

Ten-episode series, which will air 10 p.m. Mondays, is produced by the net’s news and docu division. Joke Fincioen, Biagio Messina, Dave Sirulnick and Amy Bailey exec produce.

Source: Variety