Matt
Date
Time
Place
Slug
April 11, 2025
8:00am
Long Branch, New Jersey
“Black Rainbow”
Building Up.
A Body in Motion Stays in Motion.
Sound Mind. Sound Body. Growing up, exercise had always naturally engraved into my life. Through sports, dancing, commuting through the city, expressing myself through movement was like breathing. However, as I’ve grown and gained more responsibilities, the ease and commitment to exercise at times has been forgotten. Although, there are certain people, certain moments that inspire you to get back to celebrating and moving the body. On one early spring morning, someone I’ve never met before reminded me of this: trainer, athlete, gentlemen…Matt Asante.
To Know A Slugger is to Be a Slugger.
I don’t know how many of you agree, but how you feel post-work out is holy. I woke up one day at 5am and went to my local gym. The quietness, the darkness, waking up that early gave me a sense of peace that I could not achieve in the middle of the day. I left the gym with so much clarity and energy and love that the rest of my morning felt heavenly.
I made my way to the ferry terminal to head into the city, and as I was waiting for the boat to arrive, I saw someone of great stature. He looked determined, intentional, yet very calm. He standing there in exercise clothes, looking straightforward, focused. In a split second, I can tell that someone is a Slugger, so I decided to go up to him and introduce myself. His name was Matt and he was a trainer at the Equinox in Lower Manhattan. I explained to him a little bit about our company, and showed him some of our advertisements. I asked if you he was interested in being in an ad. He told funny enough people had been telling him he should model. We agreed this would be a great opportunity to try it out.
We exchanged contacts, and within a couple of hours we had plans to shoot a video on a beach in New Jersey. Slugs move slowly. Yes. But sometimes the best things move quickly, especially with reciprocated energy. His Slug Story would be about a workout on a beach, early morning, fitting his cones, his agility ladder and other exercise equipment that he could take and and work out with.
Shoutouts at the Beach.
We met at Long Branch Beach, NJ. It was a brisk April morning, but not a cloud in the sky. We began to talk about our upbringings in NYC, and I found out he was an athlete and went to boarding school in New Hampshire. Funny enough, we had a mutual connection at his school (S/o my man Chip Dawe). Such a small world. This was as effortless as a shoot as a shoot could be. We bumped the new Brent Faiyaz album on repeat. It just so happened that the Slug string antennas that we chose matched the equipment perfectly (S/o The Isaac Vasquez).
Increase Your Chances for Luck.
After the shoot, we went on the boardwalk and got acai bowls and spent the next hour sitting on a bench, watching the ocean talking about life. “This is how Saturday morning should be spent”, Matt said. I couldn’t agree more. I’m incredibly grateful for life as it brings people into your sphere you would have never expected to meet. That’s why I believe it is so important to try new things and put yourself out there. You increase your chances for luck, to be amazed, to be surprised, for incredible things to happen to you. Keep on sluggin’.