Better Archangel Pictures is pleased to share this behind-the-scenes visual montage from the production of The Red Note and La Nota Roja podcasts on location in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, courtesy of Imperative Entertainment. The video captures writer/director Craig Whitney, lead producer Estefanía Bonilla Hernandez, and members of the production crew at work during the recording of the ten-episode series.

The Red Note and its Spanish-language counterpart, La Nota Roja, premiered on September 22, 2020, making history as the first podcast produced simultaneously in both English and Spanish. Produced by Imperative Entertainment and hosted by investigative journalist and activist Lydia Cacho, the series examines the 30-year history of the femicides in Ciudad Juárez through the voices of investigators, activists, journalists, and the families of the victims.

The production was carried out by a Mexico-based creative team that conducted interviews and fieldwork on the ground in Juárez, sometimes under dangerous conditions. In the opening minutes of the first episode, listeners can hear the moment a shooting broke out near the crew during an interview at the Instituto Municipal de las Mujeres, just days into recording.

In the months following its debut, the series achieved remarkable global reach. The Red Note and La Nota Roja reached #1 on Apple’s True Crime or Spotify’s Society & Culture podcast charts in several countries, and the top 40 on Apple True Crime in dozens more.

The podcasts’ bilingual format opened the series to audiences across Latin America, Europe, Africa, and the United States, drawing attention from listeners encountering the story of the Juárez femicides for the first time alongside those for whom it has been a lived reality for decades.

The podcasts were named one of the best podcasts of 2020 by publications including Mexico’s Le Chat Magazine, the German website Podcasts en Español, and the Paraguayan newspaper La Nación. In 2021, La Nota Roja was nominated for Best Spanish Podcast at the iHeart Podcast Awards, recognizing its reception within Spanish-speaking markets worldwide.

Watch this behind the scenes look at the making of The Red Note and La Nota Roja: