The film was intended to explore the history of his great-grandfather, John Jurko (Ioan Jurka), a Romanian immigrant who ran a bootlegging operation during Prohibition and established a resort and ballroom that hosted big jazz bands.

[5] Before completing the documentary, Jurko moved to Los Angeles in 2012, where he worked in the camera department of various independent films, including Bone Tomahawk,[6] Stevie D,[7] and Some Kind of Hate.

[10] On July 26th, 2022, as Rhino Man neared completion, Anton Mzimba, the lead ranger featured in the documentary and a friend of Jurko's, was murdered at his home in South Africa.

Jurko, along with Lindenberg and others, was invited to the 2022 United for Wildlife Global Summit in London, where he met Prince William and spoke about Mzimba's death and the Rhino Man project.

[12] The developing collaboration led to a world premiere at a private screening hosted by United for Wildlife, attended by Prince William of Wales and Duchess Sophie of Edinburgh.