Diving Into the Darkness

Diving Into the Darkness Review

The feature documentary biopic about Jill’s life as an underwater explorer is enjoying a limited run at the beautiful Orpheum theater in Sydney Australia. The initial reviews are very good. Here’s an excerpt with a link to the entire article:

“Perhaps what enlivens the film’s visual flair the most, however, is Baghai’s intimate and sensitive portrayal of Jill Heinerth herself, as well as her relationship with husband Robert McClellan. As Heinerth begins to detail her life-long connection to cave diving, we are quickly swept up in her charm and charisma. Heinerth is also a public speaker, and it really shows as the first-hand accounts of her expeditions leap off the screen with enthusiasm, passion and humour. Like any strong protagonist/audience relationship, we immediately get behind her, with her innate likeability and humanity expertly revealed through long monologues, not only describing the sheer danger of the situations, but also revealing her personal emotional conflicts connected to them as well. Another brilliant creative choice is to shine a particular focus on the most personal thoughts and feelings of her husband, as his love and concern for his partner only enriches the stakes and reaffirms to us just how special Heinerth’s passion for diving really is.

A powerful and magical marriage of real-life adventure and stunning visual imagery, Diving into the Darkness is a breathtaking sensory experience. A celebration of risking the highest of stakes for the most intense of passions, both Nays Baghai and Jill Heinerth bring us into an unknown world, and leave us feeling terrified, thrilled and rewarded.”

The filmmakers are currently in negotiations with several streaming platforms to bring the film to a world-wide audience. Watch this space…

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The AIs are Coming, and I’m Excited

After the credits rolled at the Sydney premiere of Diving Into The Darkness, a documentary about my life, five chairs were placed on stage for a Q&A session like no other. But in truth, there were six of us in that conversation. The sixth participant? “AI Maestro Jill Heinerth,” a digital version of myself!

Above: Jill, Nays, and David Redhill at the first evening premiere in Sydney.

For the past year, a Sydney-based company has been hard at work creating an AI tutor equipped with my life's knowledge—a sort of AI clone, able to answer educational questions with my voice, cadence, and familiar warmth. As the audience settled in, Chad Brown, Chief Product Officer at ULTIMO/Studios, pulled out his iPhone and dialed a number. “Hi Jill, this is Chad Brown,” he said. My voice, or something nearly identical to it, echoed through the speakers at the Orpheum Picture Palace. “Hi Chad. It’s great to hear from you. I’m here to answer questions related to the film and underwater exploration. Let me know how I can help,” the AI replied.

The audience, already familiar with my voice, seemed slightly puzzled. We began asking questions to AI Maestro Jill, starting with simple ones like, “What is your favorite dive site?” But as the session unfolded, it became clear that this AI was more than just a collection of pre-programmed responses. Prof. Sarah Maddison, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of New South Wales, dug deeper into the educational potential of an AI peer. Maestro Jill wasn’t just reciting facts about marine conservation—she was engaging with thoughtful insight. Imagine bringing your AI partner to class, learning alongside it, or getting an answer in perfect Hindi or Finnish. That’s not the future—it’s possible today. AI Maestros will be able to listen and answer in any language.

Zane Kung-Faust, CEO of ULTIMO/Studios, explained how the educational guardrails around AI work. Maestro Jill won’t answer deeply personal questions—she’ll stay in her lane, deflect and encourage people to ask me directly. She’s designed to reach people with profound answers that are far beyond reciting phrases or FAQs. A child too shy to ask questions in class can turn to AI Jill for advice on fear and risk-taking. Someone interested in following my path as an underwater explorer can seek guidance. A kid struggling with bullying might ask how I overcame my own challenges. Maestro Jill can share how I manage stress, confront fear, and pursue an unconventional life.

At this juncture, ULTIMO is focused on “Red Teaming” their Maestros—rigorously testing them to ensure they’re safe from misuse and can’t be taken out of the real Jill’s comfort zone. But on this remarkable preview night, I had a revelation of my own. As I spoke with my AI on stage, I realized this was more than just a technological marvel—this was my legacy. In that moment, I saw a mirror held up to my life’s work, and it moved me deeply. We’re all susceptible to self-doubt, to imposter syndrome, but when you hear your own words reflected back at you with clarity, it can be life-changing.

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Robert’s Earworm

Does it seem like our world is spinning just a little too fast lately? Politics, natural disasters, wars - hardships and challenges of all kinds seem to be taking modern societies down a bumpy dystopian road. Fear not! We always have Youtube videos to transport us back on nostalgic trips to simpler times. Come with me now to the late 90s, when we could look forward to a visit to the local shopping mall.

The New Radicals’ “You Get What You Give” may be the most 90s song ever. Front man Gregg Alexander was bouncing around the music business for several years releasing solo albums that were critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful. He formed New Radicals with L.A. musician friends with whom he was couch surfing and struggling to make a living. His song writing partner and percussionist/keyboardist with New Radicals was Danielle Brisebois - the former child actor best known for her role as young Stephanie Mills in the hit TV series “All In the Family.” After the “lightning in a bottle” success of “You Get What You Give” Alexander disbanded New Radicals claiming that the commercial side of the 90s music business was distasteful and dishonest, and misaligned with his own values. Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois continued to write songs for other performers, winning Golden Globe awards and Oscar nominations for songs they penned for films. Since their disbandment, the group has received numerous offers for a reunion tour or new album, but Alexander has repeatedly turned these down. New Radicals did however reunite for a performance on January 20, 2021 to mark President Joe Biden’s inauguration. They came together again in support of the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, releasing two newly-recorded versions of songs they wrote - "Lost Stars" and "Murder on the Dancefloor".

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And…just as we are finishing this newsletter, (after a day and a half of air travel from Sydney to Ottawa) we received a link to ABC Australia’s podcast episode with Jill. Please give it a listen here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/saturdayextra/diving-into-the-darkness/104436386

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Thanks for being here with us this week. It has been an exciting, and sometimes exhausting week in Australia. Jill is going to drink many beers and take a nap now…Cheers!