What Really Happened?
History > Historical Figures
History > World History
About the Podcast
“History is a version of past events that people have decided to agree upon," Napoleon Bonaparte once famously said. In other words, there are many sides to every story. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED? chronicles documentarian Andrew Jenks as he examines and contextualizes famous figures and historical events, while discovering untold stories and unraveling newfound narratives. With today’s technology, access to information, the ability to communicate from all parts of the globe, and cross-reference historians, Jenks takes on his own rogue investigations. He does not go down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, nor does the show purport to solve every historical mystery. Instead, Jenks often times throws a wrench in the gears of history, getting either closer to the truth or creating more questions. Season 2 launched Sept '18 and features new episodes, including the backstrokes of Serena Williams, Dave Chappelle, Balloon Boy and more.
About the Host
Andrew Jenks
Often dubbed ‘the voice of his generation’, Andrew Jenks is an award-winning filmmaker that has lived and filmed all over the world. At age 19, Andrew moved into an assisted living facility in order to capture the true essence of this often overlooked community. What started as a simple, low-budget documentary turned into an international hit. ANDREW JENKS, ROOM 335, starring Jenks and a group of elderly facility residents, went on to win top prizes at a number of domestic and international film festivals. The film premiered in theaters and on television around the world. HBO released the film domestically in January 2008 to rave reviews and critical acclaim. At 21-years-old, ESPN financed Andrew’s second film, THE ZEN OF BOBBY V, which tracked Bobby Valentine, an American baseball coach who has become a national icon in Japan. The film premiered at the 2008 TriBeca Film Festival. In 2010, Jenks created MTV’s WORLD OF JENKS, focusing on stories not normally told: from a young homeless woman, to a physically abused football star, to a young adult with Autism. Jenks imbeds wholeheartedly into disparate lives and in the process pioneers a new style of storytelling for the millennial generation. The series launch garnered over 5 million viewers, marking MTV's highest rated series launch ever. Season 2 of WORLD OF JENKS expanded to hour long episodes, as Jenks followed three subjects over the course of a year. Jenks was the face for MTV News’ coverage for the 2012 Presidential Election, traveling the country speaking with Millennials and asking questions to Presidential candidates. More recently, Scholastic Books released Jenks’ first book, “Andrew Jenks; My Adventures as a Young Filmmaker”. His third feature film was also recently announced, “The Untitled Ryan Ferguson Documentary”, which has already began shooting. Jenks has spoken to over 30 colleges, and given lectures to a wide-array of non-profit organizations and companies. 2013 has proven to be a busy year for Andrew. He launched the largest high school film festival in the country, The All American High School Film Festival, at the AMC Theaters in Times Square; made an 8 episode web series for GANT clothing, It's About A Girl; and is currently working on a documentary for ESPN due out soon, a feature documentary for The MAC AIDS Fund due out in September and an untitled feature documentary on Ryan Ferguson.