Campside Media examines dirty secrets of the Texas borderlands in new investigative podcast series Witnessed

Campside Media, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment, today premiered the investigative podcast series Witnessed: Borderlands, the tall-but-true tale of a charismatic outlaw, an iconic small-town sheriff, and the record-setting drug bust that ensnared them both.

Host Rob D’Amico transports listeners back to the opening salvos of the War on Drugs, when Mexican cartels were first emerging as blood-soaked mega-corporations, the U.S. government was engaging in draconian narcotics crackdowns, and there was so much dirty money swirling across the Rio Grande that even the most incorruptible citizen would be tempted.

The eight-episode series dissects how the interconnected communities of the border really work by diving deep into the complicated lives of the friends and enemies who have lived together there for decades. What emerges is a portrait not just of a corrupt cop and an unapologetic outlaw, but of an utterly unique community in the isolated and beautiful Big Bend region of Texas.

“‘Witnessed: Borderlands’ is a timely series that offers a deep, fascinating, and action-packed look into the history of the War on Drugs, Mexican cartels, and a desolate region full of nonconformists,” said host Rob D’Amico. “Listeners will have the opportunity to truly experience these border communities through the larger-than-life characters covered in the podcast.”

“Witnessed: Borderlands” is produced by Eric Benson and David Waters at Campside Media. Julian Lynch, guitarist of acclaimed indie-rock band Real Estate, created an entire multi-composition original score for the podcast.

Listeners can subscribe to “Witnessed: Borderlands” on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. For more information on “Witnessed: Borderlands” and all other Sony Podcast shows, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.

About Rob D’Amico

Rob D’Amico is a former newspaper reporter and editor who now writes freelance articles for a variety of publications. Two of his past newspaper jobs were in small Texas towns where he regularly went head-to-head with local sheriffs while investigating their misuse of power. He also serves as the communications director for a teachers union, Texas AFT, where he writes about education and politics.

D’Amico began his career poking at a manual typewriter at the University of Texas School of Journalism and worked at The Daily Texan, the college newspaper. After a short stint at the Beeville Bee-Picayune in South Texas, he moved on to the Bay Area and worked for several publications before returning to Texas and writing for the Austin Chronicle and freelance for newspapers and magazines. He is a frequent visitor to the Texas border and has spent time in every major Texas and Mexican city on the frontera. He regularly travels to Mexico, Marfa, and the Big Bend region for outdoor adventures and barroom storytelling.

About Campside Media

Campside is built around a collective of elite long-form magazine journalists with decades of award-winning reporting experience and a proven track record of breaking and shaping big, complex stories. In the past year, three of the founders were among the first print journalists to cross over and create smash hits in the audio space. Now we’ve started a company built around creative people, including best-in-class audio producers, who put storytelling first. Campside was built by narrative journalists, for narrative journalists – and for all the listeners who believe in the power of great storytelling.

About Sony Music Podcasts

Sony Music Podcasts is a division of Sony Music Entertainment, a global leader in audio at the intersection of music, podcasting, entertainment and technology. Through our diverse global partnerships with leading creators and our team of sales, marketing and business development professionals, Sony Music Podcasts uses our core strengths to help the podcast community achieve greater levels of success. In alignment with our creator-first philosophy, we drive impactful storytelling through compelling content everywhere.