Before venturing into broadcast video journalism, I started filming and editing profile videos for several small firms and businesses. My first client was a small boutique real estate and investment firm based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The result – “UB Rising” – filmed in 2011, was widely viewed and shared on social platforms as its release coincided with a brief period of rapid growth during the mining boom in Mongolia. I continued to work with the same clients on numerous projects including profile videos, an awareness campaign video to save Ulaanbaatar’s historic Soviet-era buildings and video reports on mining and infrastructure issues in Mongolia. Thanks to my work with this private firm, I was soon approached by non-profits and other private organisations to film for them and with my growing video portfolio, I was soon able to pitch editorial video stories and documentaries to news agencies.
UB Rising: An Exploration of Contemporary Ulaanbaatar
UB, the acronym by which denizens of Mongolia’s capital city call Ulaanbaatar, is a city on the rise as massive mining investments propel an unprecedented growth that is changing the skyline and pace of Ulaanbaatar at a rapid rate.
Ulaanbaatar is a thriving cosmopolitan city on the verge of massive growth, it is a city filled with contrasts and contradictions. The impeding growth, brought about by a gigantic mining boom, will change dramatically the landscape of the city but most importantly how its citizen’s relate to the outside world and to each other.
This video is an interactive journey through Ulaanbaatar, exploring the various challenges and opportunities being faced on a daily basis by its citizens along with their dreams and aspirations.
International School of Ulaanbaatar: The School on the Steppe
A short docu-profile of the International School of Ulaanbaatar commissioned by the school. Students and staff share what makes ISU a close community and why they love it here.
Exploring Ulaanbaatar’s Urban Heritage
40 Myangat: Saving Ulaanbaatar’s historical buildings from Pearly Jacob on Vimeo.
M.A.D. takes an in-depth look at the historic urban centre of Ulaanbaatar, the social fabric surrounding it and explores some of the recent plans for redevelopment focused on this area. The video examines the life of some of the residents of the 40k and 50k buildings that make up the city’s urban heritage and looks at the impact that any such redevelopment may have. Finally the video seeks to explain what it is that makes the city centre so vibrant and why it must be preserved at all costs for our future generations.
Pearly Jacob 