29.4.09

Easy Conversation... Levi Maestro




We thought we'd do things a little different this times.

All I can say is Levi Maestro, is mos-definitely a name you should remember



Briefly introduce yourself, who is Levi Maestro?
I am a child of God and I'm a creator.

What inspires you?
God, day dreaming, GOD, magazines, photography, food and beautiful girls -they definitely inspire me.

Name 3 things you'd like to achieve before you turn 25?
Be known by 25 million people.
Travel to 25 different countries.
Enjoy my 25th birthday that's on the 25th of the month

What's playing on you ipod these days?
Lots of instrumentals and BJ The Chicago kid, a dope artist I'm working with him.


more

It's good being Levi Maestro these days, for this 22 year-old wunderkind, every door seem to be opening - wide. After moving to LA, 3 years to pursue his dream, this down-to-earth fella has been keep himself busy, shooting, editing, and skating. In the last little He's teamed up with clients such Nike and he's slowly but surely mastering the craft of story telling. After graduating from high school, Levi took a year off, during which he dedicated himself to skateboard, but "I knew there was always something more..." he adds. He always knew he would never to go to college and wanted to prepare a future for himself, so he packed up his stuff and moved to California to learn film making. A DIY type of guy, with no formal training in film or video, he decided to jump in to learn the ins and outs of the moving images business. He got himself an internship with Grammy winner David Meyers, "an amazing video director" whose ability "to tell a story in such a short time" is what had seduced Maestro.

"My first is love music- with a preference for classic R'n'B, . Al Green is probably my all -time favorite musician, but I also like The Killers, Kanye*, Kid Cudi, and BJ."he says. His passion for music is at the core of his interest in directing music videos. Aside from Meyers some of the other directors whose work he admires include Paul Hunter, Diane Martel . Films? "I don't really watch movies but there are a few directors that I really like because, I feel that are able to tell stories. He really admires the work of Gabriel Muccino (The Pursuit of Happiness + Seven Pounds) and Peter Whitman (The Darjeeling Unlimited); also he loved Steven Spielberg's The Terminal.

Maestro knows, his online show, is his newest and most successful project to date; each episode takes you on a new adventure with yours truly, his guests - and his partner in crime MJ.
So far the guests have included legendary photographer Estevan Oriol and singer Anthony Hamilton, and some of his less-famous friends. " These are all people that I know and I worked hard to build each of this relationship". He met Hamilton at a Sushi spot he used to work at the first year he moved here; two years later their path crossed again and the two eventually hit the road together last year during Hamilton's 6 weeks tour.
With this particular project his goal is to start building his own platform and establish his voice, his style as a director, Mission accomplished, ever since the show was launched a few months ago, it's been the talk-of- the blogosphere. And what does he have to say about people's response? "I'm amazed by the positive support" he says enthusiastically.

What's next for the Maestro ? "There are a lot of things opening up, I have a lot of ideas, and I'm just gonna see which ones are gonna work.
"I want to travel around the whole country and abroad. The UK, France and, Canada are on my list. I'm totally about discovering things I don't know...
I'm definitely interested in commercials and maybe turn the show into a TV show.
I wanna keep growing, everyday! "

*Mr West music is kinda like the unofficial soundtrack to Maestro Knows!

For more info check out the his website+ show + blog

ps: Kudos to Levi, for granting us one of your first Canadian interviews...

SE

April Showers

28.4.09

The return of the Musze




Song: Pretty wings
Artist: Maxwell
Director:Philip Andelman

This was definitely worth the wait !

26.4.09

Le Regulier



Our good friends at Africa is the future are launching their newest tee "Le Regulier" and to mark the event they're inviting you to "Temporary Work/Shop", a photography exhibit and multi-media installation featuring works by Nicolas Premier and Brice Torres aka Kirikoo Des.

The event which is set for May 7, is taking place at L.U.V, an innovative art space in the heart of Paris.


What? Temporary Work/Shop
Where? L.U.V (68 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau)
When? Thursday, May 7 from 6:30pm to 11:00pm

24.4.09

Moving images



Peep this new video by one of my favorite rapper, Kery James.

Song: Je représente
Artist: Kery James
Director:Leila Sy

ps: this video was entirely made with still photographs.

23.4.09

It runs in the family




Minimalist, much more classical and a little pricier, that's how we could describe H&M sister- brand COS (Collection of style).
COS, launched in 2007, recently opened its first Parisian store with men, women and children apparel + accessories. 
With COS, the Swedish group is obviously targeting a  different group of consumer from the ever-so-present H&M's and I'm  curious to see how quickly Parisians will adopt the style.



Abstract-o-meter

22.4.09

Earth Day Should Be Everyday

From living green to saving the Earth, one day at a time, these books give readers an eco edge.

You don't have to take my word for it...


21.4.09

DesignBox



Hitting stores in June, this eco friendly box designed for Veuve Clicquot is better than being recyclable it is reusable.

Green properties:
+ paper exclusively from trees approved by the Forest Stewardship Council
+ micro-grooving helps reduce the amount of packaging and potential waste


16.4.09

La grande Braderie de mode québécoise



Quoi
? 50 designers de mode québécois réputés écouleront échantillons et surplus d’inventaire à 50 % et plus.

? 350 St-Paul Est et 325 de la Commune Est, Vieux-Montréal

Quand
? 16 au 19 avril 2009
10h à 21h jeudi et vendredi – 10h à 17h samedi et dimanche

It's Chic-onomics

theOutnet is an online fashion outlet and Net-a-porter's budget conscious cousin. It is designer fashion meeting fast sales.

I am loving the Flash Sales section which features three ways to shop deals.







Going Going Gone:
watch the price drop as the clock ticks
72 Hours Pop-Up Sale: a group of items edited by brand or by theme and are only on sale for a limited time
GiveAway: the best things in life are... free!

Boogie Man's attire


From his soon-to-be-released clothing line, Mos Def (yes, he's everywhere) teamed up with UNDRCRWN and Adidas.
Here's the first born of the much anticipate collaboration, clearly inspired by Dead Prez 2004's RGB album cover.

14.4.09

Spring is here




House & Home


Canadian House and Home recently launched Maison et Demeure, the French Canadian version. This is all great but I have noticed that they often recycle images of interiors and profiles from older English versions. So which do I read?

Plus, this spread only features local haunts from the island of Montreal. It would have been nice to broaden their horizons and include other places from around the province.

Here are some of the places mentioned.

"The new Schwartz's take- out counter for a snack, Mona Moore for shoes, Les Créateurs for clothes, Celadon for home decor, Arthur Quentin for bedding, Moutarde on Bernard for furniture and fabrics, and De Poitiers for antiques and exceptional chandeliers."
- MAXINE MENDELSSOHN

11.4.09

Mo' money, mo' problems


The Zimbabwean outdoor campaign brings awareness to the country's situation, namely its world record inflation. Read more...

PS: This ad was created with real money (Z$100 trillion dollar note)

9.4.09

Green vs Brown























After PepsiCo launched their all natural drink Pepsi Raw in the UK last year, their good friends at Coca - Cola had to come up with something green too ... Sprite Green.

So what do you think? I gotta admit I kinda like the Green one better!

Judge a book its cover



Iron me on
by Mike Perry

May 28, 2010




S_X X _ _ _ X _HEX C_ _Y

Fill in the Blank





8.4.09

Walk, don't run

Thriller is coming to broadway.

From 13 minutes to 3 hours, is this necessary? Read more...

5.4.09

British Invasion


TOPSHOP has finally made its way across the Atlantic pond to NYC. This unique British chain, which prides itself on trendless clothing and unfashionable accessories, even boasts a hair salon and tailoring service. Now if we could just have Miss Selfridge and Bershka close by...