South James

Shayan Asgharnia photographed the cover of Alton Brown's upcoming book "Food for Thought"- out Feb 4th! https://lnkd.in/eq3Wt9TA

'tis the season for holiday baking! Head on over to AARP's The Ethel to view some festive new work and check out 4 delicious recipes to bring to the party this year. Photographer: Rachel Vanni Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne Prop Stylist: Olga Grigorenko / South James Prop Assistant: Emily Crist Photo Director: Caitlin Peters DeFlaviis Studio: Simple Studio

Have you ever had a challenge in your life that seemed insurmountable from the start? Something that tested you. Pushed you. Made you think about quitting. But something that you were so passionate about you had no choice but to keep going. Through the process you were refined. You grew. You came out the other side a new person. I’m guessing most of you have. It’s a story woven into the fabric of humanity. It’s also in part, the story of making my first passion project as a director…Born To Fight. I could write a book on this project, but for now, what I can tell you is that over a year ago, Denali, the star of this film approached me about working together again, years after I first photographed her for a lookbook. At the time she had reached out, I had made the commitment to take the next step into becoming a filmmaker. I had been dabbling in video for years but hadn’t really taken a big enough step into becoming a director. It felt like the right time, so I started brainstorming a concept for a commercial. Denali is an incredible person and athlete so there was no shortage of inspiration for the original concept of this story. Once a concept was in place, I was fortunate enough to link up with cinematographer Eric Teti and we began to figure out how to bring it to life. After weeks of planning, we received some news that would drastically change our course. Denali was expecting a baby. As happy as I was for Denali, my immediate thought was that our project was done. Eric saw potential in the new development and urged me to rethink what it could be. So, I did. That’s when this story became more authentic and powerful than I could have ever imagined. With a new vision I traveled to NYC with a group of talented individuals to create my first spec commercial. On a mostly self-funded, shoe-string budget and powered by the kindness and hard work of our team, we made something I am truly proud of. It was a remarkable learning experience for me as a new director and I am so thankful to all the people who helped make it so special. Born To Fight is an ode to the strong women and mothers of this world who are so frequently doubted, overlooked and held to a different standard. We see you. We celebrate your strength, your sacrifice and your resilience. However, I hope it is also inspiration to anyone from any gender, race and walk of life who has ever felt unseen, marginalized or defeated…to never give up. Echoing words I heard last week during a speech given by another strong woman…Keep fighting. Sometimes the fight takes a while. Talent: Denali Pontvianne Producer: Carleen Martin Director: Shawn Hubbard  Director’s Rep: Art Department / Melody Brynner DP: Eric Teti  DP’s Rep: South James AC: Donald Eggert  Gaffer: Alexandra Brown Grip:  Max Garstak Sound: David Scaringe HMU / Wardrobe Stylist:  Wilfree Vasquez Torres PA: Jack Otto  Editor: Kevin Tadge Color:  Kath Raisch / Company 3 Copywriter: Devon Alessi Voiceover:  Victoria Lynn Carroll

Check out Jay Kolsch's latest work for The North Face, shot road tripping around Iceland this April for for their new shoe launch. See the whole mailer here: https://lnkd.in/eAGcrWqU Subscribe to our emails here:  https://lnkd.in/euiQfBJ8