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INFLUENCERS by R+I Creative

December 09, 2010   Posted by Mike
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INFLUENCERS is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion and entertainment.

The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.

Written and Directed by Paul Rojanathara and Davis Johnson, the film is a Polaroid snapshot of New York influential creatives (advertising, design, fashion and entertainment) who are shaping today's pop culture.
"Influencers" belongs to the new generation of short films, webdocs, which combine the documentary style and the online experience.

[Scroll down to the full length film to skip the trailer]


DIRECTORS' NOTE

INFLUENCERS focuses on what is commonly referred to as "Lifestyle Culture or Influential Young Adults Market" in the areas of music, fashion, and entertainment.
The documentary does not pretend to offer an analysis of what is influence under all its forms (economic, political, environmental...).

What prompted us to put together this crossover project (film + online experience) was to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach.
Obviously, trends are never the product of one individual but rather the result of factors that involve various people...

We therefore set out to meet some of these industry insiders and pioneers
who, despite working in the background, literally define mainstream culture.

We asked them to share their views on:
How to define influence? What makes someone influent? What is the link between trends and influence? Are there places/events conducive to creative pollination?
They spontaneously shared their professional and personal experiences.

In the background, the documentary also explores an entire ecosystem of DIY (Do It Yourself) minded individuals whose passion is transforming Pop Culture.
Their creations have produced powerful independent media that became the main news source for many readers and creatives entrepreneurs around the world.
WHY NYC?
Influence is not specific to NYC, but if you had to pick one single city in the world to illustrate how trends propagate, New York is definitely the city that first comes to mind so it was an obvious choice for us.
In addition, it is the most cosmopolitan city in the world and it is the one that has best integrated the various cultures and talents coming from all over the globe.

We hope this short doc will resonate with the D.I.Y generation to which we belong.

EMOTION-LADEN SOUNDTRACK
We opted for a group of new artists whose immersive & soulful music seemed to translate how we felt emotionally vis-à-vis this project.
Influence being an abstract notion, we were able to translate it artistically using British sculptor Anthony Gromley's statues as inspiration.

- Paul Rojanathara & Davis Johnson



IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

ROB STONE   
JON COHEN
JOSH PESKOWITZ
SKY GELLATLY
DEIRDRE MALONEY
JEFF STAPLE
DAMON CREPIN-BURR
DAO-YI CHOW
DAVID GENSLER

20101209_InfluencersROB.jpgRob STONE: Rob is the Co-CEO of Cornerstone, a creative lifestyle marketing agency pioneer in branded content (Converse, Nike, Pepsi...).
He is also the Co-founder of The FADER Magazine, which is the definitive voice of emerging music and the lifestyle that surrounds it.
Through in-depth reporting and a distinct street sensibility, The FADER aggressively covers the most dynamic breadth of music and style emanating from the fringes of the mainstream to the heart of the underground.


20101209_InfluencersJON.jpgJon COHEN: Jon is the Co-CEO of Cornerstone, a creative lifestyle marketing agency pioneer in branded content (Converse, Nike, Pepsi...).
He is also the Co-founder of The FADER Magazine, which is the definitive voice of emerging music and the lifestyle that surrounds it.
Through in-depth reporting and a distinct street sensibility, The FADER aggressively covers the most dynamic breadth of music and style emanating from the fringes of the mainstream to the heart of the underground.


20101209_InfluencersJOSH.jpgJosh PESKOWITZ: Josh is a fashion editor, writer, stylist and consultant. According to filmmaker Jake Davis, not only is Josh Peskowitz one of the best dressed men he knows, but he is also one of the most articulate when it comes to style.
Davis puts him in a small group of men that lead the pack in New York City. "Whether he is breaking down the difference between fashion and style or what makes something classic, Peskowitz is always insightful."



20101209_InfluencersSKYG.jpgSky GELLATLY: Sky is a marketing strategist, journalist and artist manager based in New York City.
He is the Director of Strategy for the marketing and PR agency EPIPHANY, the Director of Marketing for the world-famous sneaker store Flight Club.
He is also the Manager for DJ Neil Armstrong (Jay-Z's DJ) and 13thWitness.
Prior to his current duties, Sky served as an editor for Details Magazine, Complex Magazine and MTV.com. He has also contributed to GQ Magazine, Nylon Magazine, New York Magazine, and URB.

20101209_Influencers_DEIDRE.jpgDeirdre MALONEY: Deirdre is the Co-founder of BPMW Agency.
BPMW offers sales and public relations services to some of the world's most sought after brands.
The agency is the producer of "Capsule", the trade show for international progressive design for men and women that takes place in New York, Paris and Las Vegas. BPMW also produces Compass, the new directional shoe show in NYC that spotlights the world's coolest footwear brands, from independent dress shoe designers to the big box sneaker labels.

20101209_InfluencersJEFF.jpgJeff STAPLE (C. Ng): Jeff Staple is the founder and the Creative Director of Staple Design (Reed Space, Nike, LVMH, Levi's, Sony, Kia Soul, Oakley...) since 1997. He is also the owner of the Reed Space shops, which can be found in New York and Tokyo.
Jeff is one of the most influential people in street culture today.





20101209_Influencers_DAMON.jpgDamon CREPIN-BURR: Damon is the Creative Director at FullSIX NY.
He is also a contributing author of TheTrendWatch.com on strategies, marketing concepts and creations survey.






20101209_InfluencersDAOYI.jpgDao-Yi CHOW: Dao is the Creative Director and Co-founder of Public School, the finely tailored menswear fashion brand. His natural sense of style and innovative talent has established him as a pioneer in an array of creative arenas.
Previously the Creative Director for Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' Sean John line, he was responsible for getting the brand nominated for the CFDA's Best Menswear Designer award for four consecutive years, eventually taking home the coveted title in 2004.



20101209_InfluencersDAVID.jpgDavid GENSLER: David is a strategist, designer, creative director and publisher based in New York City. He is also the Co-Founder of The Keystone Design Union (The KDU) a Creative Strategic Consultancy.
During these last years, Gensler has helped grow creative businesses and build powerful brands such as Hennessy, Diesel, Reebok...




FILMMAKERS

Written and Directed by PAUL ROJANATHARA & DAVIS JOHNSON
Produced by R+I FILM
An Original Concept by R+I CREATIVE

RELEASE DATE: October 27, 2010
RUNNING TIME: 13 minutes
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.influencersfilm.com
FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/influencersfilm

For info on the music selection for INFLUENCERS see the Facebook page.

IN DEPTH SERIES

The "Influencers In-depth series" is a video content platform planned in parallel of the documentary to provide an in-depth understanding on the topics mentioned in the film.
The mini-series will feature advertising, fashion and entertainment mavens sharing their experiences and thoughts on how to find that constant balance between passion, art and business.


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