Jimmy followed his mother, actress Linda Hendrickson, around the world at a young age filming her documentaries for academia. She developed Archaeology and Ethnology documentaries in such places as Ireland, South Africa, and many other parts of Europe and Mexico. Jimmy followed her shooting these documentaries in a small three person team that consisted of Jimmy, his mother, Linda, and his younger brother, Chris.

It wasn't until later in life that while going through college, he decided that he was unhappy with his current course in education and decided to take a summer in Ensenada, Mexico to learn Spanish and take classes in ethnology. It was then that Jimmy was given the opportunity to make a short documentary with a few other students on the "Mercado Negro" fishing industry. Leading the group of filmmakers from his previous experience, Jimmy completed the documentary, this being his first personal project, and found a new passion.