A new cinematic docuseries currently in development
THE CONCEPT
The series follows Ricky Seaman, hyper-polyglot and international affairs expert, as he travels the world sharing meals across cultures and borders to explore how people live, what they believe, and what connects them. Each episode combines two complementary experiences:
Ricky uses food as access. Speaking the language and understanding the context, he enters spaces most travelers never reach - kitchens, street stalls, family tables - where conversations move quickly past pleasantries into lived realities. These aren’t curated experiences; they’re unscripted encounters shaped by trust, proximity, and the unpredictability of being an outsider welcomed in. The camera doesn’t observe from a distance, it sits at the table.
Back in New York City, Ricky and director Mark Dearborn unpack the journey the same way they always have: sitting across from each other at a neighborhood bar, drinks in hand, replaying the experience. It's an unfiltered, less formal interview. A conversation between friends trying to make sense of what they witnessed. What did we miss? What did we misunderstand? What assumptions did we bring with us? The journey is reexamined in real time, layering cultural, political, and personal context onto what initially felt intuitive. The meaning of the experience is tested and reshaped through the dialogue.
The result is a new form of travel storytelling: immersive, reflective, and immediate. No luxury gloss. No performative hosting. No distance between audience and experience. Just two friends trying to make sense of the world through conversation, unfolding across borders and continuing long after the journey ends, over a drink at the bar.
WHY NOW
We live in a moment where outrage travels faster than understanding. Entire countries, cultures, and communities are reduced to headlines, while algorithms reward extremes over nuance. Travel content is more visible than ever, yet too often shaped by spectacle and sensationalism rather than perspective.
Off The Table exists now because proximity changes everything. Misunderstanding thrives at a distance. The antidote is simple: sit down, share a meal and talk.
THE PILOT
The Table of Transformation
Story
Just a few years ago, El Salvador was considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world. Today, many hail it as the safest country in the Western Hemisphere.
What happened?
Traveling across the country, Ricky explores one of the most remarkable, and controversial, national transformations in modern history through shared meals with Salvadorans from vastly different walks of life. Along the way, he uncovers deeply personal perspectives on safety, freedom, justice, and human rights.
The journey culminates with President Nayib Bukele, where, over coffee from his family's plantation, Ricky seeks to better understand the philosophy behind the decisions that reshaped an entire nation. Rather than offering easy answers, the episode invites viewers into a nuanced conversation about a country still defining its future.
Episode Overview
Ricky’s journey begins in San Salvador with a neighborhood pupusa maker, where preparing one of the country's most iconic dishes and sharing dinner in their home offers an intimate look at how everyday life has changed. That perspective is paired with a ride-along and meal alongside the National Civil Police, providing firsthand insight into how security is maintained and how those on the front lines have experienced the country's dramatic transformation.
Seeking to better understand the broader story, Ricky sits down with a Salvadoran journalist whose reporting has chronicled the country's evolution and the competing narratives surrounding it. Those conversations naturally lead to the internationally recognized Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where a tour of the facility and a meal with correctional officers offers a rare look inside one of the world's most debated prison systems, exploring the realities and human complexities behind one of the defining pillars of El Salvador's security strategy.
The journey then shifts from politics to culture as Ricky reunites with his friend, renowned chef Alexander Herrera, whose cuisine reflects El Salvador's history, resilience, and evolving identity.
Leaving the capital behind, he travels with Chef Alexander into the mountains of Sonsonate to share a traditional meal with an Indigenous family whose community continues to preserve its ancestral language and traditions, revealing a side of El Salvador whose cultural roots extend far beyond today's headlines.
Finally, after hearing from citizens, police officers, journalists, prison officials, chefs, and Indigenous communities, Ricky arrives at the final table: President Nayib Bukele's family coffee plantation. Over a shared meal and coffee with the president, Ricky brings together the questions raised throughout the journey, seeking to better understand the philosophy, vision, and decisions behind one of the most extraordinary and controversial national transformations of the modern era.
Back in New York, Ricky and director Mark Dearborn reflect on the conversations, the contradictions, and the questions that remain. What emerges is not a verdict, but an invitation to embrace curiosity over certainty, demonstrating how something as simple as sharing a meal can create space for conversations that might otherwise never happen.
DISTRIBUTION AND FUTURE
Off The Table is conceived as a premium, multi-episode documentary series designed for global streaming platforms. The pilot is intended as a proof of concept to position the series for development and distribution with a streaming partner, establishing the tone, format, and narrative scope for the full season. The first season is structured as a multi-episode journey across:
The progression is intentional, creating a rhythm that shifts from dense urban centers to remote landscapes, from open exchange to restricted worlds, each episode exploring a distinct cultural and geopolitical landscape through the lens of food, language, and human connection.
Off The Table is built as a global, scalable series. Each episode stands alone as an immersive story, while collectively forming a broader portrait of a connected world. The format allows the series to move fluidly across geographies and themes, expanding into new regions and cultural contexts over time without losing its distinct voice.
If the campaign surpasses its initial funding goal, all additional support will go directly toward the development and production of future episodes, helping expand the series into new regions, stories, and cultural conversations.
At its core, the series combines cinematic fieldwork with reflective conversation, creating a structure that can evolve across seasons while deepening its perspective with each journey.
THE TEAM
Ricky Seaman is the host and co-creator of Off The Table. He is a hyper-polyglot traveler, documentary filmmaker, and former global affairs analyst with a Master’s degree in International Affairs. He has lived in nine countries, traveled to more than 100, and is working toward visiting every country in the world. Having studied eight languages and speaking several at varying levels of proficiency, he connects directly with communities across cultures and borders. Through language, travel, and documentary storytelling, Ricky has grown a global audience of 25,000 on social media.
Mark Dearborn is the director and co-creator of Off The Table. He is an award-winning producer and director known for cinematic, emotionally resonant storytelling grounded in real human experience. His documentary work spans global contexts, from Syrian refugee camps to grassroots foundations in Haiti’s most underserved districts, always centering dignity, nuance, and lived truth. Through his work, he has conducted in-depth interviews with globally recognized cultural figures, developing a thoughtful, incisive approach to conversation that prioritizes authenticity over performance.
Marco Vitale is the director of photography for Off The Table. He is an award-winning cinematographer whose work is rooted in documentary realism and visual experimentation. With a fearless eye for composition and an instinct for capturing truth in motion, Marco pushes beyond traditional travel cinematography, finding texture, intimacy, and unexpected beauty in people, places, and environments. His visual approach elevates the series into something immersive, dynamic, and distinct within the travel space.
