Former Navy SEAL and Human Intelligence 'Chameleon' Takes on Hollywood to Expose Organ Harvesting
8.28.23 | Featuring Remi Adeleke on Season 3 Episode 43 of 'The Imagination' Podcast
Dear Reader,
Just about a year ago to the day, Remi Adeleke came onto my radar when I heard about his new short film called, “The Unexpected’, that was to be released Sept 2022 on YouTube and featured a story based off true events involving organ harvesting and human trafficking. This obviously piqued my interest as it’s very seldom that you see someone in film or any sector of the entertainment industry willing to talk about these ‘taboo’ and ‘controversial’ topics (and we all know why, of course).
Around the time we were going to interview Remi, the film release date was close, and Remi so kindly gave us a link to a pre-screening event for the film so we could talk about it on the podcast.
I was so thrilled to see ‘The Unexpected’ and to see how Remi would present this controversial topic and sensitive information and let me tell you - it did NOT disappoint! In fact - I was blown away…
TRUE BACKSTORY OF ‘THE UNEXPECTED’ (taken from Remi’s YouTube channel): CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO REMI'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL
On August 3rd, 2014 a modern genocide was carried out when a large number of evil men invaded the northern tip of a country, massacred the males and abducted the women and girls of a minority group. Most of the females were trafficked locally and internationally for sex, forced marriage, labor and a few for their organs. While there wasn’t much reporting on these horrible events the UN would eventually acknowledge the massacre, abductions and enslavement as a modern genocide and the US Congress would later follow with the same sentiment. For those unaware of 8/3/14, this film uncovers what happened to some of the women and girls at the hands of traffickers. This is their story and though it may have been buried, let us never forget these women and children from here on out. And may we keep fighting to end slavery permanently!
CLICK TO WATCH 'THE UNEXPECTED' FILM
Without giving too much away, I do want to say that this film (just over 32 minutes in length) is absolutely phenomenal. Not only is it the perfect combination of education and entertainment, but Remi gets the finite details RIGHT. Where most films that focus on human trafficking of any kind push the ‘Taken’ type narrative (the sudden, aggressive, random, single violent kidnapping and hostage situation that is absolutely NOT how human trafficking actually looks the vast majority of the time), Remi’s film was a refreshingly authentic look into how organ harvesting and human trafficking function as an orchestrated, covert, global network.
The traffickers in his film are true to life (wealthy, resourceful, connected) and there was intelligent thoughtfulness put into every detail. Remi did his research and brought the reality of organ harvesting into a film unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
**Fun fact - Remi couldn’t get any producers to look at his film, so he actually funded the film from his own savings and flew out to Kansas City to bring the screenplay to life with the help of a friend!
Here’s a TikTok I created from a clip of our podcast explaining a little bit about ‘The Unexpected’ from Remi:
Follow me on TikTok: CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ME!
Meeting Remi was like a breath of fresh air - he is one of the hardest working humans you will ever meet, yet he’s also one of the most humble, kind, and optimistic people as well. Once you understand his back story, it really puts into perspective why Remi is the person he is today…
*Remi and his adorable family
*Being a badass
*And back to work!
If you haven’t heard Remi’s testimony, I highly suggest checking out his memoir, “Transformed: A Navy SEAL’s Unlikely Journey from the Throne of Africa, to the Streets of the Bronx, to Defying All Odds”
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 'TRANSFORMED'
We also go into Remi’s testimony on the first podcast he did with Bridget, Becky (from the ‘Save Our Children Podcast’ and my business partners with Stand by Survivors LLC).
A short testimony teaser:
“A true riches to rags - and rags to riches story, Remi calls his life the TRUE ‘Coming to America’ story. Born into African Royalty in a small country in Western Africa, his picture-perfect life took a devastating turn after circumstances surrounding the death of his beloved father forced his family to uproot to America - which began a new life filled with adversity and struggles. After years of running the streets out in The Bronx, NY, Remi knew he needed a change and enlisted in the US Navy in 2002 and began his inspirational and transformational journey from Streets to SEALs where he worked in human intelligence...”
S2E51 | "Remi Adeleke - 'The Unexpected' Global Networks of Organ Harvesting and Human Trafficking"
Remi recently came on the podcast again for a second time where we caught-up about the ‘unexpected’ impact of ‘The Unexpected’ after its release last year, the plans for the short film to become a full-length film, and about his newest project and second book and short film release for “Chameleon”, which is a fictional story loosely based on his own experiences in human intelligence as a Navy SEAL.
CLICK TO WATCH FULL INTERVIEW ON YOUTUBE
In Remi’s own words on ‘Chameleon’:
“It’s a fictional extension of my memoir, ‘Transformed’. All the things that I couldn’t talk about in ‘Transformed’, I fictionalized and created this fictional world with fictional characters and fictional events in order to be able to tell more of my story, but in a fictional way.”
BOOK SYNOPSIS FROM AMAZON:
“When a mysterious former South African commando, Lucas Van Groot, begins taking wealthy hostages all over the world, it appears at first to be a typical ransom gambit. However, it soon becomes clear that his “Hostage Inc.” venture is manipulating worldwide stock markets and threatening global economic collapse
Enter Black Box, the CIA’s elite, secret special operations branch—so surreptitious that not even the Director of CIA is fully privy to the unit’s activities. Black Box is composed of highly skilled agents who perform with precision:
Chameleons who can transform into myriad characters,
Ghosts who are specialists in stealth and surveillance,
Wind operatives who are transportation experts, and
Aberration agents whose specialty is deep cover for years.
Kali Kent, a Nigerian born and Bronxite Chameleon in the Black Box program, leads the hunt for Van Groot. Tracking this ringleader and his cadre of international criminals, the team discovers the South African mastermind is after a much larger prize and the race is on to prevent a worldwide tragedy.
Along the way, Kali will have to face the demons from his childhood and reflect on his emotional path that made him the Chameleon that he is today.
On Amazon: PURCHASE 'CHAMELEON' HERE
Remi also recently turned ‘Chameleon’ into a YouTube short film that will blow you away as well - go check it out:
WATCH 'CHAMELEON' SHORT FILM ON YOUTUBE
Don’t sleep on Remi Adeleke, ya’ll. He is someone you’ll want to pay attention to as he continues to push his film career to new heights, shedding a light on dark topics that deserve our attention in an entertaining and authentic way. It’s rare to see creators who are willing to risk speaking up for survivors and victims of human trafficking and I commend Remi for his courage to be a voice for the voiceless.
We need to rally around and support creatives and artists who aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of what’s ‘mainstream’ in order to be the lone ‘Chameleon’ who’s willing to make a difference. I commend Remi for his work and hope you’ll support him on his journey.
Thank you for sticking by me, Dear Reader, and for supporting all the amazing guests who give me the honor of interviewing them. I couldn’t do this without YOU!
And lets tie this up with a closing thought from Remi’s Instagram that I think is a perfect message that describes who he is a person and serves as an important reminder for all of us:
Thank you for all your unwavering love and support - I love you all with all my heart!
Love,
Emma Katherine
Excellent article!!!
I watched “unexpected” and found it to be superbly done. The movie was chilling and the fact it is based on a true story is amazing.
I felt the evil from the traffickers so strongly and the fear of the woman they killed to harvest her organs. The traffickers are truly depraved. What an impact this movie had on me. As a survivor of mind control and SRA I know evil but this is mind boggling.