COMMUNITY + COLLABORATION: PART 4

February 27, 2020 by Lucy Crivelli in community+collaboration

“I’m creating but in a different field. All which are hugely important and I’m constantly inspired to do.”

L: Tell us a little about your background; how & where were you raised, your current role, how you create-

N: I was raised in Palmdale, California within a very active household. My siblings are all bold and strong willed individuals and my parents are the same. Sounds cool, but that lead to endless disagreements amongst all of us. My pops plays a huge role in my life both negatively and positively. One of the many things he’s known for is a builder. He did construction and built homes as a side hustle. Pops would gather the boys in the house and we’ll all go complete whatever job he had for the weekend. I seen how critical it is to believe in yourself and that you can learn to do anything. My mother showed me fearlessness. She pursued whatever idea that came to mind and did the necessary research and study to be qualified for the task. She’s lit. I’ve seen both my parents succeed and fail in front of the family and that taught me so much. My love for music comes from my Pops. I loved how much he loved music. He collects music and makes his own mixtapes of Jazz, soul, and oldies. It’s the most tasteful selection of music ever! The music in the house was one of the ways the boys connected with each other. It meant a lot to me.

L: What inspires you to create?

N: Almost everything inspires me to create music. I’ve been at it for so long that it’s like waking up and brushing my teeth. There’s a day that goes by and you ain’t brushed yo shit, but 99% of the time you do.

Let me flip this! What inspires me not to create music is when my spirit is aware of the need to create in another field of life. For example, creating a specific environment within my home, and creating a fun dynamic within my marriage. Still, I’m creating but in a different field. All which are hugely important and I’m constantly inspired to do.

L: What has been the highlight of your career?

N: The highlight of my career was becoming aware that my gifts are for others and not myself. The more I increased my capability to help others the more popular I became. This gave me a strong purpose for my talent and was a highlight moment for me.

L: Who are the top 3 people you look up to?

N: Top 3 people I look up to are my brother Pj, Dj, and my uncle William. The reason I look up to these guys is that their heart is made of pure gold. Selfless love! They are there for you! People should write a book about these 3 men. I hope to live a life filled with love like these guys.

L: How do you hope to leave your mark, & inspire others?

N: I’m leaving my mark in this world by leaving love’s fingerprints on everything I come into contact with. All living things receive love and I choose to use love as my tool to create and impact the world. Boom! Shabang dadang!

Geza & I met Nate Roots through his now wife Janelle. His energy was so good, no other way to explain it but pure good for the soul energy. I think the most important part of this friendship was all four of us being in each others lives through big breakthrough moments. Nate is not only a full-time friend to all but also an amazing creator. His music inspires both Geza & I! His vibe is always lit, anytime we hear a new beat he created we instantly think of video concepts we can create to go along with his music. His authenticity is his biggest asset. He is 100% himself, and that is something I look up to.

Thank you Nate for being family and constantly supporting us! We’re here for you homie.

You can follow and vibe with Nate here

Community + Collaboration:PART 3

February 06, 2020 by Lucy Crivelli in community+collaboration

“ I also hope to inspire anyone to “decide.” No matter what your dream is, it starts with an unwavering belief that you can succeed and compete amongst the best. Just decide. ”

L: Tell us a little about your background; where you were raised, your current role, how you create:

D: I’m Danny Mcnabb. Born in Zimbabwe, bred in California. I moved to the states in third grade and fell in love with sports and fashion culture. My mom raised me as a single parents and taught me all the foundational elements that have helped me through life, the most important being to always question the way things can be done. I played on travel baseball teams until I was in High School and then dabbled in Water Polo and Soccer in between baseball season. Early on in High School I was also running a T shirt company called Rype clothing, which introduced myself to my entrepreneurial spirit and taught me how to network properly.

After HS I went to Junior College to figure shit out and ended up getting a baseball scholarship to a small school in Oregon. I ended up rooming with a kid named Matt who would become a business partner a few months after we met. During our free time between school and baseball we put our heads together and realized we could flip Nike’s from the Oregon outlet’s, online (eBay), risk free. There was no tax in Oregon either so we were scoring crazy deals and finding some super rare items in the outlets.

We would buy shoes in bulk, list them and if they didn’t sell, we would return them for full refund. This became a full time hustle between baseball and it really helped us learn about business, stack cash and ultimately were able to get college units from the business school for presenting the business plan and all accounting. Flipping sneakers grew my love for the culture that came with and sooner than later I was hooked.

We quickly moved from selling sneakers into the world of marketing, as we realized margins were much higher if we helped brands sell shoes instead. We were in the Portland area, surrounded by all these creative agencies doing big projects for Nike and adidas. After each trying to get a job and being laughed at for lack of experience we realized, we needed to just create our own instead. Shortly there after, we launched a creative agency called Andrew x Paul with all our friends who were creating in the photo and video space, so we could look much bigger than we were and started sending out pitch decks to people who worked for brands. A couple small projects later and a full year from sending the first email, we got our first big reply from Foot Locker. From there we established that we could create sneaker focused content, cheaper and more authentically than the companies they were using- and we haven’t stopped since. Using that work we were able to bring in some other clients and grow the portfolio. During that time I was able to nurture a relationship with an agency called Archrival and figured out a way that I could come on full time as a content producer for them. They blessed me with the opportunity to work from home and still work on my side projects. I’ve been grinding with Archrival since then and it’s been such an incredible experience learning from some really talented creatives. We ended up closing shop on our agency, Andrew x Paul and have each been doing our thing solo now. Still working together when it makes sense.

My roles with Archrival and my side projects always change with client needs, but my true passion is in Creative Directing visual content. This past year I was able to switch gears a focus more on bringing visuals to life and I’ve never been happier. Being able to own the creative direction from start to finish is really where I feel I thrive, and to have brands trust me is something I’m forever grateful for. That said, you will still catch me behind the lens, shooting photos and videos for brands when needed. It’s 2020 - who say’s you can’t do it all?

Screen Shot 2020-02-04 at 5.49.05 PM.PNG

Danny was the Creative Director of the shoots shown above.

L: What inspires you to create?

D: I’m inspired by people. I love seeing what a human can do and how they can completely rethink/innovate something. I’m extremely inspired by South Africa as well. In the past 10 years, they have been able to get their hands on technology and supplies that we take for granted and it has evened the playing fields a bit. We are seeing a whole new level of creative thinking coming from the art community there. They always made things work - now they get the resources to create even greater things. The world is starting to take notice. I’m also inspired by the projects I get to work on, and the pressure of knowing that in the agency world you're only as good as your last idea. I love that pressure, it feels like I’m back playing a sport, and helps me kick into a new gear.

L: What has been the highlight of your career?

D: Footlocker gave me the opportunity to direct a Nike commercial for their Swoosh pack campaign. That was the most trust a brand has put in my hands and it opened a lot of doors for me.

L: Who are the top 3 people you look up to?

D: My Mom, my mentor Jon Reisinger, & Bobby Hundreds.

L: How do you hope to leave your mark, & inspire others?

D: I hope to one day create a video commercial that becomes a staple in our timeline. A piece that blends culture and sport effortlessly with a game-changing message. I also hope to inspire anyone to “decide.” No matter what your dream is, it starts with an unwavering belief that you can succeed and compete amongst the best. Just decide.

One of the main reasons I wanted to highlight Danny is because of his way of showing support for others. In the short amount of time I’ve known Danny he has been an inspiration for Geza & I. He continues to set an example for young creators to support each other and help each other win. I think more than anything, his positivity and talent shines through every project he works on.

Thank you Danny for wanting to be a part of this community of creators!

follow Danny on Instagram

Community + Collaboration: Part 2

January 16, 2020 by Lucy Crivelli in community+collaboration

Welcome to Community + Collaboration. This is a creator’s series to highlight genuine men & women in multiple industries for their work & individuality. We chose to feature people who have inspired us, as well as their own communities. We think these creators deserve more spotlight not only for their work, but the overtime they put into their craft. This is an opportunity for us to show that there is room for growth as a community, & there is room for EVERYONE to win. We hope that “Community + Collaboration” inspires you, we want you to see the struggle, the hustle, and the come up.

“Don’t follow, don’t try to impress, and don’t do anything that doesn’t feel like you.”

My name is Jazmyn Le, everyone calls me Jaz. I was born & raised in Las Vegas and still reside here as a Lead Photographer for ZEN (@zen). I've been in the streetwear industry for 12 years which led me into photography (shooting for about 10 years). I started off shooting plain product photos of t-shirts on tables for blogs then slowly moved my way up to professional online/on model photos, then to product photos for social media, all the way up to directing/shooting editorials which is my current role now.

L: What inspires you to create?

J: When I see something new or out of the ordinary I always put into perspective how I can incorporate something like that into my projects. Whether it's from food, fashion, or art, my eyes are always open to anything and everything that can excite me. If I am able to be the first to open someone's eyes and show them something they've never seen before then I'm satisfied.

L: What has been the highlight of your career?

J: As of right now I think the highlight of my entire career was working for KNYEW ("Keeping New York Everywhere," streetwear boutique created out of Las Vegas). It was really a breakthrough for me. I started here as a shop girl at 18 and left when I was 27. I applied for this job to get me through dental school. While working here I learned a lot about all of the ins and outs of a business. It was like a boot camp to train me for the future. Some days I would work 12-14 hours a day. I went from every role from cleaning the stockroom all the way up to VP of the company. This place taught me people skills, organization, managing, marketing, and everything else in between. I built a lot of important relationships I still take with me today, which I am very grateful for. Working here has molded me into the person I am now. I realized my passion was to stay in the creative industry.

L: Who are the top 3 people you look up to?

J: The first person I look up to is my aunt, who showed me how to be mentally strong and honest. She taught me how to work hard and to be unapologetic about who I am. Being a mother I now really appreciate my mom and realize all the things she has done for me and my brother. It isn't easy especially as a single mother. The last person I look up to would be my previous boss and good friend Crooked. I spent a lot of time with him over at KNYEW, he showed me a different way to look at life, to train my brain to look at all the possibilities and aspects of a situation.

L: How do you hope to leave your mark & inspire others?

J: I hope to leave my mark through my work. I like my work to speak for itself. I hate promoting myself to others and talking about myself to get gigs, etc. Through my work and my art, I want people to see that I am versatile, hardworking, and serious about what I do. I would like to inspire others by showing them that if you stay true to yourself in the end it'll pay off. Right now social media is impacting people; some good, a lot bad. Don't believe everything you see on the internet. Don't follow, don't try to impress, and don't do anything that doesn't feel like you.

I wanted to highlight Jaz because she inspires me to do more with my photography. I know her only through Instagram, I followed her a couple years back and have kept up with the growth of her career. It is rare in the fashion/sneaker industry to have women photographers. She’s pushing the boundaries for female creatives to be looked at and respected. She’s a full-time mom and full-time creative but wears it so well. Her work shows the amount of sacrifice and time she has put into her craft.

Thank you Jaz for being a part of Community + Collaboration!

Follow Jaz on IG here