Why Not ? Go For It.

It was a beautiful day as I remember. A late September afternoon in New York City. Air crisp, sun-light, gratitude present. 

Approaching the official launch of Slug, we had the idea that maybe I needed to be in a video. At first I was unsure. This was unfamiliar territory for me. I never wanted to be in a video. I enjoyed capturing the feeling of Slug. It was and is always a dream place and idea I’ve envisioned - a reality we have thought and felt, but never actually saw myself in. We were the authors, not the characters. But as Isaiah and I spoke about it, it just felt right that I had a moment to show how I slug it.

The crew today was an amazing one. It was me, Isaiah, Julia, and Greg. Greg is a coworker of mine, a very determined, strong minded and inspirational person, who happens to be an incredible videographer. Upon my first video with Allegra, he very honestly said “that shit was wack… but let me try to make one”. I loved his directness and his enthusiasm about SLUG so we got a team together and headed out to New York City.

A Day I Like to Live.

The West Village - we had planned for the shoot to be a series of videos and moments, capturing me and my exploration of the city. We parked on a very busy street, but it was an ideal location. The first shot was in front a brownstone building. I had on a green Yankees hat, bright, orange jacket, blue jeans, and my Stan Smiths … and of course my slug. Atop the stairs, we began. Staring at the door, I turned around and bopped down 4 or 5 stairs. I eagerly reached for my slug, fumbled it, and for lack of a better term : fucked up. Cut ! I was a little nervous. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the fact I was acting. Maybe it was the pressure of SLUG launching in the upcoming days. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and realized “Hey, this is supposed to be fun… have some fun”. There it was. One more take, and we got it. Keep it moving !

As we kept shooting, the scenes felt more and more natural. Isaiah’s direction lended me to be more …. Me. We flowed from the stairs to street, street to park. Passing protests in Washington Square Park, stopping at little jewelry stands, poppin’ in wine and flower shops - the sights, sounds, and civilians of the city added to the moment.

The Magic.

After about an hour of gathering many many different takes, the camera batteries were running out and we needed a last shot. We returned to Washington Square Park in search of a person to deliver the last line of the film. We looked over and saw a group of people - very wholesome and very relaxed enjoying the afternoon sunset. The crew and I looked amongst ourselves to see who was going to ask them to be in our film. “I’ll do it”. I went over and kindly told the group of four about our project, our company, and if one of them was gracious enough to be in the finale of our day. There was this one girl. She had long, curly black hair, and a really cool, jean jacket. Her presence was very inviting and she reminded me of my sister. When I asked the question to the group, I looked at her, hoping she would do it. She agreed. YES ! 

She came back over to us and introduced herself as Sarah (which is also the name of my sister lol). We told her the line and in two takes, she delivered. We had a bouquet of flowers still from the shoot and decided maybe it was right that we gifted them to her.

And of course, as the magic always reveals itself in these stories… she was a florist.

“Right” - JB