 

How to Steal is the feature I’ve been working on for the past couple years. It’s taken many forms including the above teaser but the core of the story of this: two guys who are best friends find themselves at odds when they must decide whether to break their one rule as criminals: never rob a bank.

For more info on the film click here.


This piece by Jon Mooallem pits excellent reporting (i.e. the dogged pursuit of a story) against the backdrop of moral questions with few easy answers, all with a storyteller’s flourish for detail and pace.


I recently had the pleasure of directing a promo for the Ghostface Killah album 12 Reasons to Die. The album is being released in two versions: one produced by Adrian Younge, and another by Apollo Brown — “The Brown Tape” available exclusively on cassette. More than anything, the shoot was an exercise in creating a trap house setting. I even got a vintage boombox out of the deal.
 


One of the frustrating parts of film production is that there are little opportunities for immediate feedback. Often images you shoot aren’t viewable by others until weeks or months after they were created. These images are from the past few months and still very much under wraps.


Years ago, the day after I first held an iPad in my hand, I bought (more) stock in Apple. The iPad itself remains my favorite device to browse the web – there is no experience quite like touching the internet. My mom, once a netbook user, is now on her second iPad. With the exception of the crapware made to “improve” one’s experience browsing with one, I can think of no holes in its armor. Netbooks on the other hand…

There’s a reason great tech becomes central to one’s existence. The best of it stirs the soul, light as a feather.


It’s hard not to be inspired after watching this video about a bed-bound graffiti writer with ALS learning to use eye-tracking software to create new works. Even better, the software is open source. I met with Evan Roth of the Graffiti Research Lab six (6!!!) years ago around when this blog was just finding its water legs and before it was the towering edifice that stands before you today.

The intersection of street culture and technology has always fascinated me. One definition of hip-hop holds that it’s an amorphous blob of culture built on technology and innovation. It’s only right that a fringe continues to explore new forms of expression.


I love these shoes. But after my red plaid shorts died I never had the outfit to support them. And didn’t have the persistence to build one. So off to eBay they went. Not as traumatic as a pet dying, but a little sad nonetheless.


A few months ago my friend Andrew got in touch asking if I was interested in doing a music video for Styles P. I had done an earlier promo for his label and we’ve kept a running dialogue of music videos over the last year or so. Shooting this was my first opportunity to go all the way street and gritty. It was super fun, of course, and the first thing I’ve ever done to air on MTV.

When I was 18 and interning at a production company that did socially-conscious documentaries, I was amazed that my supervisor would listen to DJ Clue mixtapes during off-time. She took the irony in stride and told me that the streets will always be fertile ground for stories. They are.


This summer has been all about the outdoors: biking, skateboarding, the beach, wiffle and basketball. Free running and soccer are two I haven’t tried yet, hopefully there’s enough time left.


Here are some pictures from this year. Two from the past week, one of the designer Ebony White whom I interviewed recently, and another taken on my phone at the Keith Haring exhibit at the BK museum a few months back. I’ve been shooting. But not quite ready to post about that yet.


I hadn’t been to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade in a decade, so it’s nice to see that some things don’t change. Me and the lady rode bikes, got plenty of sun and sipped light beers.

For many guys, the event’s unbridled sexuality is reason enough to attend, but the expressed creativity and exuberance of New Yorkers is a gift for everyone. Costumes ranged from shrimp cocktail to the Sexcamaids marching band – with room for every water-themed pun in between.


About 5 years ago I wrote a post about Black Nerds after having witnessed a couple hilarious interactions between some guys on their way into a McDonalds. It became a small-bore hit on the web. On monday an editor at the NYTimes got in touch, having read some pull-quotes from that piece and the rest as they say is history. Here’s my take on why social media helps one to watch basketball games better, with forays into the societal implications of such.

And if you haven’t been watching the NBA playoffs these past few weeks, well, shame on you.






The horses were nothing short of regal. And there was certainly an elegance, the whiff of pageantry. The seamy side — the “edge” as one of our cohort put it — made the place that much more real. It was a day spent like few others.

And hitting a horse at 57-1 odds didn’t hurt one bit, not at all.

 
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