From film industry to farms: Using video to expose animal abuse

December 27, 2023 Updated: January 23, 2024

From the Spanish film industry to the factory farming industry, Animal Equality’s International Video Manager opens up about his journey to animal protection.

I’m Sixto. For the past 12 years, I’ve been watching every single video released by our global organization.

If one of our investigation videos inspired you to make more compassionate choices… well, it was made by my team, so thank you!

Before dedicating myself to animal protection, I spent many years in Spain’s top film and television companies. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t my long-term path.

I wanted to put all my passion and effort into something that could truly make a difference.

And that’s how I came to Animal Equality.

For the past 12 years, I’ve witnessed every conceivable way humans can make animals suffer.

But there’s one thing that stuck with me from the first time I set foot on a farm.

Picture this: you’re outside an industrial farm, surrounded by open fields, feeling the calm of the outdoors. You breathe in the air. If it’s nighttime, it’s cold. You look at the sky, see the stars, and say, “Wow, this planet is beautiful.”

Suddenly, you take one step. You enter the farm and leave the open world behind you. In a second, you are in the most terrible place you could ever imagine.

Nothing can compare to witnessing what they do to animals.

And all those animals are just one fence away from experiencing life.

Life is fleeting, but animals will never experience the beauty and calm we feel when we step outdoors. It makes me reflect on how privileged we are and how few privileges we extend to animals.

Not a single one. And that makes me angry.

But my anger fuels action.

That’s why each time I shoot or edit a video, I try to find an image that can spark change in someone.

Sometimes, a single detail can change everything. It could be the eye of an animal, a blurred background, a different angle…

Certain animals always stay with me, whether it’s a fish languishing on the market floor in Vietnam, a dog on a farm in China, or a particular chicken.

I’ve told them, “I know your life has been miserable, and I’m going to bring you justice. Your image will save many lives.”

We keep hope alive as long as we keep showing the world what is done to animals.

Let it be crystal clear to the industry and animal abusers: when we see what they do to animals, we will pay it back twentyfold.

When I’m editing a video that captures animal abuse, I say to myself, “You’re going to jail for what you just did to this animal. You thought no one was watching you.”

Several abusers have faced convictions because of our video footage. We wanted to stop them from repeating the abuse, and it worked.

We’re making strides. We’re changing animal laws from the European Parliament to the Congress of Mexico.

People have approached me and said, “I went plant-based because of your videos.” It fills me with pride and strength to know that we are a voice that speaks for animals who can’t defend themselves.