Salida

Joining us today is an independent filmmaker whose raw creativity is reshaping how we look at low-budget cinema.

John Russo first made waves in the indie scene with his feature film The Photographers, a project shot entirely on location on Salida, Colorado, on a shoestring budget of just $12,000.

Defying the traditional gatekeepers of the industry, Russo proved that the field of vision matters far more than corporate backing.

successfully landing the project onto major streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, Tubi, and Vudu.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, we've had friends from, like, Pueblo County area and even El Paso County look at jobs here because they're always like, oh, living in Salida is the dream.

And then...

They feel like, based on how expensive it is to live here, that the pay is not commensurate to the cost of living.

So we wish we didn't have to, but we understand that it is something we needed to do and will probably need to continue to do.

Especially at the cost of living, and as you said, that continues to rise here.

So you all are undertaking a big expansion at the Salida Hospital that includes, correct me if I'm wrong on any of this, a wound care center, expanded oncology and infusion services, cardiac rehabilitation, and additional rehabilitation and clinic space.

Yes.

Yeah.

Um, so, uh, I wanted to get, we, last week we chatted about, um, how, uh, Salida is, yeah, Salida, Salida, right? Potato, potato.

Um, how that town name is pronounced.

I wanted to get into how another town name is pronounced, um, that people seem to argue about all the time.

Yeah, so, so I had, had already before, before then, and, and sort of reading ahead about carburetors at elevation, um, thought I was prepared for what I needed to do.

Um, and I, um, I towed most of the way out there, towed from Kansas city to Salida, Colorado, and then decided to drive up over Monarch pass and the rest of the way into Uray.

And, you know, if you've ever driven from Salida up Monarch Pass, it's a 10 minute drive.

Maybe it probably took me an hour.

It was the worst and best experience of my life.

Brother-in-law Ambrose and Shelby Costello of Moline.

and nieces and nephews Robert, wife Anya Sothman Pless of Washington, D.C., Monica and David Grant Pless of Salida, Colorado, and Mark Dietz of Lander, Wyoming.

The family invites friends to share stories and condolences at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.

And now we'll turn to the opinion section.

In April 2018, they made the move that would change everything.

A house in the Maysville area near Salida in Chaffey County, Colorado.

The kind of place where people know each other's trucks.

Suzanne loved the mountains.

That access would later become relevant for reasons that wouldn't surface for years.

At the time, it was a side business with access to drugs most people would never hear about.

The family's move to Colorado put them in a mountain home in a rural area outside Salida.

Barry worked for Dieslin Structures, a local construction company.