If I can bring help to even one person to understand what’s happening, to see the signs, to know how to act, that’s enough,” said Nick Nanton, Emmy Award-Winning Director. “Even if it’s just one parent, one teacher, one community member who can make a difference, that’s why this film has to be made.
That conviction became the driving force behind Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic, a documentary meant not only to expose the crisis of human trafficking in the United States, but to also equip individuals and communities with the knowledge they need to protect children before it’s too late.
When filmmaker Nick Nanton initially discussed the documentary with Our Rescue, the team knew it would be unlike any other project. The goal was to capture the real uncomfortable truth: trafficking isn’t just occurring overseas or in a Hollywood script. It’s happening right here, and it’s hiding in plain sight.
Nick had traveled the world documenting human trafficking in countries such as Haiti, Colombia, and Thailand. Each time he returned home, neighbors and friends would express surprise at the scale of the issue abroad.
I found myself saying over and over, ‘No, you don’t understand. It’s happening right here.’ That’s when I knew I had to make a film about trafficking in America, Nick said.
Bringing the Issue Home
From the beginning, the team approached this documentary differently. Together, Nick and Our Rescue wanted to tell the story of the people on the frontlines: law enforcement, survivor advocates, and child protection experts. “I didn’t want to sensationalize anything,” Nick explained. “I also didn’t want to sanitize anything.”
Nick traveled across the country, observing operations in real time. He watched police officers log into undercover accounts, track predators, and gather digital evidence. He felt the heartbreak of cases where the abuse was clear, but the evidence wasn’t enough to act. Children remained at risk. Families remained unaware. The frustration, urgency, and stakes of this work were relentless.
“When you see the heartbreak of when there isn’t enough evidence to act, you realize how much is at stake,” Nick recounted.
He witnessed firsthand how predators operate in plain sight. A teenager sits on her phone in her bedroom, thinking she’s just chatting. Her parents, completely unaware of the manipulation happening just upstairs. Nick saw the digital traps that isolate children from friends and family and the devastating consequences when the abuse becomes irreversible.
“It’s happening right here. Not just the poorest neighborhoods. Not just somewhere else. It can happen to any child, in any community,” he emphasized.
Eliminating Blind Spots
Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic is meant to equip viewers to act and to give parents a framework for having real conversations with their kids.
“I didn’t want parents to freak out, but I wanted them to know what to look for,” Nick explained. “Not every kid is going to get targeted, but what if we had these conversations ahead of time?”
The reality is the digital world is the new white van.
Nick realized that even at home, he had been shielding his own children from hard truths. “I need to tell my kids that I expect them to make mistakes, because I still make mistakes,” he said. “And when you make those mistakes, I want you to know you’ve got us—your parents—who want the best for you. Life has consequences, but we can walk through it together.”
“A small conversation can be a game changer. It could be the difference between a child getting help or not.”
Even in the darkest moments, Nick saw the impact that knowledge and awareness could have. Calling out this evil matters—because without understanding what’s happening, people can’t act to stop it. And it’s not a fight one person or one agency can tackle alone.
Taking Action – Together
Creating this documentary showcased the incredible power of collaboration. Officers coordinated across jurisdictions with non-profit partners. Advocates supported survivors. Communities educated parents. “This isn’t a competition,” Nick says. “We save lives when everyone uses their skills together.”
And the impact on audiences across the country is already reinforcing this.
As one viewer put it, “The only way we’re ever going to fight all this evil is together. Police can’t do it by themselves. We all have to band together and just go after this stuff with every fiber of our being. Otherwise, evil triumphs.”
The documentary captures moments that most people never see here in America: small, everyday decisions predators exploit, the quiet digital manipulation, and the tireless work of those protecting children. It shows the stakes, the frustration, and the hope that comes when communities, law enforcement, and advocates work together and unite.
Watch Our Rescue’s latest documentary Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic. Talk about it. Share the resources. Take the first step. Because protecting children isn’t someone else’s job—it’s ours.
And at Our Rescue, we’re in this work every day. You can help us by exploring our resources to take action now and join the fight against sex trafficking and child exploitation today.
