Hi, I’m Marguerite Cravatt, and I am an independent producer who grew up on the Gulf Coast, and I can hardly believe such a vital part of the entire Southern community has been so horribly impacted - maybe destroyed. My small team - my producing partner, Paula Major, our cameraman, Tony Caiola, and I went to the Gulf Cost to see for ourselves what was going on, and what people in the south had to say about it.

We collected video footage from the epicenter - Venice, as well as Grand Isle, New Orleans, the French Quarter, and we toured the swamps and the marshes of Louisiana. We drove the coastline of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and we saw oil, oil, and more oil. Hundreds of miles of beaches destroyed.

On the 4th of July, the beaches were deserted. Business was dead. The day the oil arrived in Pensacola, a boat captain committed suicide. People are very angry, depressed, or frozen with fear. For some, this is the apocalypse.

Throughout our travels a frightening picture emerged. It is obvious that the corporate culture of BP is one of deceit. What they say is not what they do. There is most definitely a BP propaganda machine in place. They need it. They have bought up the internet so that when you research the spill, you will most likely be taken to a BP site. They have a definite procedure to how they block out media, and you will see how they do it to us over and over again. In one incident, a local on-duty Police Officer tried to protect the interest of BP and prohibit us from filming a sick worker being taken way in an ambulance.

As far as I know, this is still America, and we are allowed the freedom of speech and opinion, so with that in mind, I would like to share my humble opinion: BP owns the southern region of the United States. Our government is not in control of the oil crisis, and if they are, they are not upholding the rights of citizens or the laws of the Constitution. BP money has bought silence and support. Why would any good American help keep the silence? Because these contractors and workers are desperate for an income, they are afraid of getting fired for not cooperating, and they have to survive.

We are not out to get BP or anyone else. At first our intention was to collect footage for a documentary and share clips with our followers by posting to youtube. However, after witnessing what i saw, and after experiencing what I experienced, I believe the situation is so urgent, so on-going, and so widespread that the best medium for this material is a realty show because, seriously, it doesn’t get any more real than this.

Funding and sponsorship is not yet completed, but we are currently in production. Events happened so quickly that we decided to shoot first. If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this work, we are open to appropriate affiliations.

Marguerite Cravatt - Bio

Marguerite Cravatt began her career as an assistant to the owners of the prestigious finishing and modeling school Mayo-Hill in Houston, Texas and by the second year, she became their first Talent Agent. The agency is still alive and doing well.

After Texas, she moved to Los Angeles and opened her own casting agency - casting over 200 feature films, Movies of the Week, and commercials. She worked for many of the majors such as Walt Disney, Aaron Spelling, Lorimar, CBS, MGM, and others.

After several years of casting success, she went back to college and earned a BA in Film Production and a MA in writing. She also became certified in cognitive, self image psychology. She wrote a novel Beyond Ordinary Sex which is available in bookstores now. She was invited to be an adjunct professor at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) and the University of West Florida. At ELAC she was the master of ceremonies at several fundraising events that hosted Antonio Villaraigosa, now mayor of Los Angeles. Currently Marguerite is working as an independent producer.

Email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .