Lululemon - 8/6&7/20
Probably marking one of my favorite shoots to date, this had to be the most fun. Through my college friend, Shodan, who’s an ambassador for Lululemon, I had the opportunity to co-direct, shoot, and edit this project called ‘Run Outside the Lines’. The concept was created to promote ‘SeaWheeze Virtual’ which took place in lieu of ‘SeaWheeze 2020’. What is SeaWheeze? It’s a half-marathon that occurred in Vancouver, Canada for the last 10 years. But due to COVID-19, it sadly did not take place this year.
“SeaWheeze isn’t your average half marathon. In fact, it may just be the most breathtakingly beautiful and ridiculously fun half marathon in the world. Over 10,000 runners descend on Vancouver to sweat it out over weekend of yoga, running, and one hell of an awesome party. Prepare to harness your powers of positivity, physicality, and mindfulness, all while taking in next-level natural beauty. Crush some goals (and maybe a few brews) and get swept away in a weekend of fun you’ll never forget. From Package Pickup in iconic Coal Harbour to Sunset Festival in Stanley Park (aka the after-party to end all after-parties), SeaWheeze is all about good times and Vancouver vibes.” -Lululemon
So like I said, due to COVID ‘SeaWheeze Virtual’ was the only option for Lululemon to keep the yearly tradition alive.
“It’s all the fun and goal-crushing good times of SeaWheeze, but virtual! In 2019, we introduced the SeaWheeze Virtual Half Marathon and in 2020, we debuted the first-ever SeaWheeze Virtual 10K. You choose your route, your pace, your distance, and even your race day—with over nine days to complete your run (and enjoy all the virtual yoga and exclusive-to-runner sessions), SeaWheeze Virtual really is for everyone, everywhere. Your SeaWheeze Virtual run is timed and tracked by our friends at Strava, where you’ll also find the most fun run crew in the world: the lululemon SeaWheeze Run Club, where you can connect with your fellow SeaWheezers around the world, log your training, and cheer each other on!” -Lululemon
For this project we rounded up Shodan’s closest running buddies and filmed them running in locations around Brooklyn and Manhattan. The concept was to have everyone connected and running in a way to show what running means to them. Shodan wanted to tell a tale of his friends running in the black community and bring a voice to those communities while also showcasing the runners for the great and beautiful humans that they are.
With the help of my buddy Tom who operated Cam-B, shooting for the most part was run and gun. So when we would arrive to a new location with a new runner, we would pretty much figure out on the spot what and how we wanted to shoot. How the runner would interact with their surroundings and community was something we tried to portray a little differently in each location around NYC.
Director/Co-Producer - Stephanie LeBlanc
Co-Producer/Project Lead -Jackie Russel
Runners:
Shodan | Jemaal | Maurice | Akeem | Najua | Judine | Parker | Simone | Alain
Locations:
Teranga | Drip Lounge | Miss Lily’s | Island Bites | Power Moves BK
Gear:
Sony A7iii w/ DJI Ronin-S
Footage was edited in Adobe Premiere
Music: Namasteee - Fasion
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