My parents always joke that they “ordered out” when it came to having children. It’s our shorthand for adoption and a reminder that my story began long before I could remember it.

My name is Jake Buckingham. I’m a writer, producer, director, photographer and filmmaker, and for more than two decades I’ve dedicated my life to telling meaningful, human stories. Stories about resilience, identity, community, and transformation. Yet for all the stories I’ve helped bring to life, there has always been one I wasn’t ready to tell: my own.

I was born in the Philippines and adopted in July of 1987. My birth mother, Victoriana Nadal, made the extraordinarily difficult and courageous decision to surrender me at birth. I spent the first five months of my life in an orphanage before making my journey to the United States, Nebraska to be exact, where I was welcomed into a loving, hard-working family in South Omaha. My adoptive parents, unable to have biological children, chose adoption and raised me with sacrifice, faith, and determination. They worked full-time jobs, stretched every dollar, and gave me opportunities they never had themselves.

Growing up, I was introverted and introspective. Art became my refuge. Singing, drawing, and writing were the ways I learned to understand myself and the world around me. Storytelling wasn’t just something I enjoyed. It became how I survived, processed, and connected.

My dream was to work in television news at the national level. I pursued broadcast journalism and in 2005, I began my career at WOWT-TV, the NBC affiliate in Omaha, working across production, photography, graphics, and editing. In 2010, that dream took me to New York City, where I completed my college internship at ABC News, working on the production and editorial teams for 20/20 and Primetime Thursday. I had reached every professional goal I once thought defined success.

But success has a way of evolving.

After years in television, I transitioned into a role telling brand stories for nonprofit organizations, businesses and government agencies. I worked as a writer, director, and filmmaker, helping others share stories that matter. For more than a decade, I’ve had the privilege of telling deeply human stories rooted in purpose and impact.

Now, I’m finally telling the one story I carried quietly for most of my life.

This is the story of my search for my birth family. It is shaped by unanswered questions, fear of the unknown, and a longing to understand where I come from and the woman who gave me life. I grew up knowing nothing about my biological family, yet always knowing they existed somewhere in the world. This journey is deeply personal, emotional, and unfinished, but it is mine.

By sharing it, I hope to create space for others navigating questions of identity, belonging, adoption, and origin. Stories like these deserve to be seen, heard, and held with care.

I invite you to join me on MY GREATEST JOURNEY: SEARCHING FOR MY BIRTH FAMILY.