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MY ISSUE WITH NIKES “MAKE IT COUNT” VIDEO
I’m sorry to interrupt your daily grind of hard work. I just saw this video and I felt compelled to say something.
This everything that is wrong with big brands going viral. Brands who want to attach themselves to a romantic idea of white 20 somethings throwing caution to the wind and setting on a no-holds-barred adventure, PLEASE STOP.
Being a film producer and running a Digital Agency, I am challenged every day to create ideas and activations that resonate with an audience and at the same time TELL A STORY.
The problem with this video and so many like it, is that THERE IS NO STORY. Out of the 1000 comments on this video, 90% negative and I agree with every one of them. The 10% positive ones are people who probably get inspired by anything they see with a swoosh on it.
My issues are extremely personal being that I traveled across Asia 3 times overland between 1999-2002, self funded from selling carpets being a cafe barista. An idea to make documentaries on the fly came from my best friend who was studying film at NYU. He gave me the knowledge I would need to go on to tell these stories thru the video medium.This was years before social sharing and the over saturated of social-traveling where people spend more time on the device telling their followers how good of a time they are having without actually spending time without their devices.
My motivation came from within. I was an underdog with big dreams and the ambition to follow them, which are finally paying off 10 years later as I am so blessed I am still able to travel the world and capture the beauty and tragedy with my camera.
You think we are actually supposed to believe Nike sanctioned a film from you and gave you carte blanch on the creative? Or are you saying you pitched them an idea to get the budget and then abandoned your idea for an abbreviated ‘amazing race’? Then Nike paid for your music licensing, and you said “Fuck Nike” without really saying “Fuck Nike”. Then used Nikes name in the video.
And Nike, whats the deal here? Hiring someone to do this for you to indemnify yourself at the risk exploitative accusations, yet winning praise for yourselves from someone who supposedly backlashed you?
Your story isn’t a story Nike & Casey. Its a poorly engineered illusion. There is so much beauty and culture and tragedy in the world and I didn’t see any of it in your film. I didn’t see a true experience or an EARNED experience. I saw a bullshit montage of uncultured, spoiled filmmaker who was paid by Nike to create an illusion. What was missing? YOUR motivation. WHY did you say “Fuck it, I’m gonna do what I want!”. WHY did you pick the places you picked? WHY did the fuel band guide the way? You are making WHAT count?
Did you struggle during your trip? Did you have a good time in those places you were in for theoretically 24 hours? Did you fuck those girls on the beach?
And you are a piece of SHIT for that squiggly line comment. You ASSHOLE. I Traveled to Syria and Pakistan and Afghanistan and other Muslim countries where I had the balls to tell people I was Jewish, taking an independent stab at diplomacy because the ignorance of the world sickened my stomach. You fucking ignorant asshole, making that squiggly line comment. I studied Arabic for a year at Harvard and got A’s so I could read that “squiggly shit”, travel to the places they spoke it and garner some damn global good-will with other cultures who supposedly “Hate America” but actually DONT, until they see stupid spoiled white American’s saying shit like that. I hope you are well received in Qatar next time you rent a car.
And in Bangkok or where ever you were for 3 minutes, you had a “Terrible Taxi driver?”. Really? I know Taxi drivers. They work their asses off for pennies. They piss in bottles so they don’t have to turn their meter off to make those pennies. I’m sure he really sucked though because you were in an important rush to get to that mountain top with your Nike Fuel band so you could get that awesome photo of you, high and mighty, living the dream, on that mountain top, Makin it count and stuff.
And don’t even get me started on the bad airplane food. All the Starving people in the world feel so sorry for you. They probably wouldn’t eat it either. Its nothing compared to the 4 star delights you are used to which they serve in first class to South Africa when you buy a $22,000 plane ticket to go surprise your girl friend at the risk of being shot in the Beverly Hills of Cape Town.
This film got me nowhere near motivated to be anything like the subject in this piece of shit film. And YES, I could do way better with less money and I have climbed higher mountains and soared to aimless heights without your fuel band as well.
It really sucks because I have seen other cool projects that Casey has worked on and I know he is talented. I like the idea of Make It Count. But don’t exploit the beautiful world as a running track that you spit on at different intervals of your lap to win a “take a dump” in each country you visit contest.
I love it when people are inspired to do something, and if this video inspires people to finally do something they have been itching to do but were afraid, power to them.
This film is a one-note pony.
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Social Media!
Social Media is the newest form of Social Media. Its everywhere, Its unavoidable, you love it, you hate it, you social media it. Let me ask you a question, ready, ok! Social Media? Ha! Stumped you didn’t I. The point is, Social Media is everything in our lives, Its what we need to survive as humans, (except in Africa, where you definitely need clean water and to live in an area not patrolled by Islamic militants, just kidding, you still need social media to survive in Africa!) See, this just proves my point. Every day there are thousands of articles about social media written by social media experts who majored in social media at the University of Social Media in SocialMediastan, in that rectum of a city, socialmediaville. Listen to them! Read every article! You will fall to the back of the pack if you don’t! Things change every minute in the world of social media. Shit! Something just changed, where were you? Missed that article on tech crunch, huh? Thought an afternoon bike ride was more important? Well it wasn’t, Social Media will improve your life. Social Media, buy one today.
This posting was posted using social media.
