Chasing the Sun in Abruzzo: How ‘Italy Is a Mitch!’ Blends Sitcom Chaos with High-End Cinema
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Readtime: 7 min
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Eight days, over 2,000 kilometres traversed across regional Italy, a six-person crew, and a single host paired with an opinionated drone. On paper, Italy Is a Mitch! sounds like a recipe for production chaos. In reality, the pilot – shot across the breathtaking terrain of Abruzzo – is a striking exercise in hybrid filmmaking, blending the raw, unscripted spontaneity of a comedy travel show with the polished visual language of high-end cinema.
Brought to life by Italian-born director Nicolò Novek and Man of Many’s own cinematographer Jordan Yankov, the project set out to capture Italy not through the polished lens of a traditional travel documentary, but through the unpredictable encounters of an everyday outsider.
Making the Camera (and Drone) a Character
When preparing for production under tight budgetary and schedule constraints, the typical approach for travel television is to rely on static setups, scenic vistas, and predictable piece-to-camera segments. But Yankov and Novek wanted to avoid the repetitive nature of standard travelogues by embracing contrast.
“As an Italian-American, I’ve grown up seeing first-hand what happens when outsiders experience Italy,” explains director Nicolò Novek. “Capturing Italy’s beauty on screen is the easy part – you lift the camera, hit record, and the country does a lot of the work for you. But a lot of travel shows miss what people actually remember most vividly: the absurd situations you stumble into because you took a wrong turn or only made it to level two on Duolingo. That contrast between this beautiful, cinematic Italy and Mitch trying to navigate his way through it is really where the show lives.”
To pull this off, the crew treated the camera as an active participant rather than a passive observer – mixing sitcom camera behavior with high-end travel visuals – while pairing host Mitch Salm with a somewhat unusual co-star: a drone.
“The drone has a point of view of its own – usually from somewhere far above the clouds,” Novek says. “Like any good friendship, their dynamic changes from moment to moment: sometimes they support each other, sometimes they disagree… It’s a buddy road movie where one of the buddies has propellers.”
“Our relationship is… let’s call it ‘in development’,” jokes host Mitch Salm. “Its ability to fly as high into the air as is legally allowed by Italian airspace regulations is truly impressive, and he always comes back with beautiful footage. Is doing that the same thing as co-hosting the show? This is a debate we continue to have.”
Scrappy, Lean, and Chasing the Sun
With a lean crew of six navigating Abruzzo’s rugged terrain, every team member had to pull double duty. Without heavy lighting packages or large support teams, natural light became the production’s primary visual driver.
“We had a few lights with us, nothing major, and we knew we needed to be able to make natural light work in our favor,” cinematographer Jordan Yankov notes. “We were constantly stopping at random locations that myself or Nico would find beautiful, and a big part of that was that we were constantly chasing the sun.”
To balance narrative storytelling with sweeping environmental imagery, the crew split into two tactical units:
- Main Narrative Unit: Jordan Yankov and director Nicolò Novek focused on tracking Mitch’s main storyline and interactions with locals.
- B-Roll & Aerial Unit: Camera operator Adel and camera assistant Maria operated as a second unit, capturing landscape cutaways, detail shots, and aerial drone sequences.
“Having two crews is difficult, even more when you cannot see what they are actually capturing, so the only time you will be able to review it will be at night,” Yankov recalls. “Thanks to both my teammates, all the footage they captured was brilliant. Without us splitting into those two teams, completing this pilot episode in the given time would’ve been close to impossible.”
Throwing Away the Shot List & Unscripted Chaos
While meticulous pre-production planning provided a framework, the unpredictable nature of regional filming required the team to remain nimble on their feet. Rigid shot lists quickly gave way to spontaneous, on-the-ground opportunities.
“Me and Nicolò had a plan and a shot list for every location, but it was more of a wish/shopping list,” says Yankov. “Every time we would arrive at a location, we would quickly glance over what we said we would do, throw it away, rework it with Mitch, and shoot. This really made the whole process feel alive.”
That alive, unscripted energy often resulted in moments no director could have scripted.
“Dozens of sheep swarmed our film crew one morning, possibly hoping for their fifteen minutes of fame?” Salm recalls of the shoot’s most chaotic moment. “Whatever their intentions, after a few nerve-wracking minutes, the flock suddenly ran away. We got it on camera, including their Italian ‘baas,’ which sound a lot like the English ones.”
Key to navigating these wild moments was a strict pre-scene ritual: a quick five-minute huddle between Yankov, Novek, and Mitch. They would map out the core objectives of a location before rolling immediately. Yankov deliberately kept Mitch in the dark regarding camera movements, allowing for genuine off-guard reactions that heightened the show’s comedic timing.
“I never told Mitch what the camera would do or when to notice it – nothing,” Yankov says. “There were times that it was as if we were speaking telepathically. A big reason why we were able to approach shooting this way was thanks to him.”
Respecting the Land, Craft, and Table
At its core, Italy Is a Mitch! balances comedic mishaps with genuine reverence for local culture. By structuring each episode around three foundational pillars – the land, the craft, and the table – the series highlights regional artisans, local food traditions, and authentic community life.
For Salm, stepping in as host was driven by curiosity and a desire to connect with locals. In turn, regional Italians welcomed the crew with open arms – and plenty of food.
“The Italian people often reward curiosity about their culture with warmth, generosity, and the occasional deep-fried cheeseball,” Salm shares. “We were shooting one introduction in front of a man’s home, and he chased us down afterwards to hand us a pomegranate from his tree as big as a small baby’s head. Hopefully the locals appreciated our approach, which is a balance of asking things like, ‘Is the rock under that tree important or just any old rock?’ and listening as they share their stories.”
“I feel that because we were respectful and in awe of Abruzzo’s beauty, it in return rewarded us with great light, beautiful landscapes, and memories that will last us a lifetime,” Yankov reflects. “This would have never happened if it wasn’t for the whole crew and cast, which battled long days, scorching heat, and freezing winds.”
What’s Next for Italy Is a Mitch!
Produced by 9K Films alongside co-producer Wandrian, Italy Is a Mitch! delivers a fresh, fast-paced format that reimagines global travel television through an unconventional lens. Following its initial preview, the team is bringing the pilot episode to MIPCOM in Cannes (October 12–15) to present the series to international distributors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms.
“I hope they have fun, I hope they experience Abruzzo in all its glory],” says Novek on taking the pilot to Cannes. “And, most importantly, I hope they come aboard the Italy is a Mitch! train – or should I say flight, since we have a drone?”
To follow Mitch’s journey across Italy and see upcoming regional episodes, follow @italy_is_a_mitch on Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.
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