NYorkers

Celia Rowlson-Hall

moonshot — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:37:45 +0000

Celia’s a dancing machine! There has been a common thread in some of Celia’s best known work where she will do double-duty as both the star and the director, performing her own brand of energetic, tongue-in-cheek, and visceral choreography. We caught up with her during a commercial shoot for Aritzia, for which she was doing just that. In the Vimeo community, she gained popularity and recognition for her shorts “Prom Night” and “Audition.” Both of these pieces are excellent examples of her quirky sense of humor, as well as her affinity for letting scenes play out in long takes. Celia’s unique style has even caught the attention of some very popular TV shows…Check out the Aritzia video here http://us.aritzia.com/Straight-To-Video%3A-Celia-Rowlson-Hall/ea9-straight-to-video,default,pg.html.

Suse

moonshot — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:28:06 +0000

Being a cat in New York is a pretty simple life. Sleep, eat, lick yourself, chase the occasional mouse or cockroach…not to mention taking in the view from an apartment window. They got it made in the shade.

Quoc “Q” Pham

moonshot — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:43:27 +0000

This is not your mama’s sound system! Coming from a DJ/event producing background, as well as having a love of Jamaican bass music, Q has always had an ear for sound quality. That being said, despite advances in technology, most modern venues still don’t cut it. Systems might sound distorted, they might sound murky, or they might be just plain unpleasant. It was for that reason, as well as a reverence for the history of Jamaican sound system culture, that Q decided to build his custom “Tower of Sound” right here in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Rather than mashing the full sound spectrum into just bass and treble, Q’s system splits up the audio spectrum into 5 levels. What this allows for is unparalleled quality and clarity for every element from basslines to cymbals and everything in between. And I guarantee that you’ve never felt bass like this before!

Check their site for events so that you can hear for yourself:

http://www.facebook.com/dubstuy

William MacLeod

moonshot — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:30:57 +0000

William is neither homeless nor deranged. He works as a real estate agent and walks around in a suit, which is perhaps why he turns so many heads every time he enters Washington Square Park and is immediately covered in pigeons. He knows the birds, they know him, and every day during his work breaks he stops by to visit them. For the average passerby, fraternizing with pigeons is often seen as an activity reserved for the dirty or the insane. Being that William is neither of the two, the next most logical explanation is that he simply loves animals.

Tricky Henry

moonshot — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:56:54 +0000

In New York City, when not in a Broadway theater, magic often comes in the form of street and subway performance. As a kid growing up in Harlem, Tricky Henry got his start in magic by hustling on the streets of Harlem and Washington Heights. He would make bets with random pedestrians that he could perform such feats as eating lightbulbs and then producing them, unbroken, from his ass. His love for being the center of attention and shocking his audience lead him down the path to become a professional magician. Now, he spends his days manning the magic shop at Abracadabra on 21st street, as well as giving hired performances. As he explained to us, “I think I have the best job in the world. I get to perform tricks all day. You can’t beat that.”

Blackie Pagano

moonshot — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:24:26 +0000

“They turn music into fire and then back into music.” This quote from the late Lux Interior of The Cramps is one of the driving forces behind Blackie Pagano’s occupation. For over 20 years, Blackie has spent his days repairing and restoring vintage vacuum tube amplifiers. Unlike many other areas of electronic design, audio (music especially) has been holding onto the past. The allure of vacuum tubes, an invention from the early 1900s, is their warmth and their mesmerizing glow. While modern technology is capable of replicating the sound of vacuum tubes, there’s no replacing their look or their character. This is where Blackie comes in. Clients from all levels of recognition and walks of life have gone to Blackie to have their vintage amplifiers repaired. Though friends will drop by the shop from time to time, focus is crucial when dealing with potentially lethal voltages.

Joe Dator

moonshot — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:53:05 +0000

Making a living at writing and drawing editorial cartoons is no easy task. Imagine having to sit at your desk and crank out punchlines that you think people will like. Then, imagine having to pick and choose from those punchlines and create accompanying drawings. Then, imagine having to submit them every week with no guarantee that they will be printed and that you will be paid. This is the life of the editorial cartoonist, and stressful as it can be, when a cartoon gets landed in a magazine as prestigious as The New Yorker, the reward is great.

We met with Joe Dator in his neighborhood of Astoria, Queens on a Monday, the day before his pitch meetings. Fueled by coffee and adrenaline, he cranked out tons of sketches and concepts to show to The New Yorker on the following Tuesday. Check out his website to see some of his cartoons that have been featured in the New Yorker magazine:

http://www.joedator.com

Joanne Nosuchinsky

moonshot — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:21:44 +0000

Believe it or not, not every pageant queen starts as a toddler-in-a-tiara. For Joanne, the beauty pageant scene didn’t enter her life until adulthood. In January of 2013, she was crowned Miss New York USA after having entered the pageant as Miss Hell’s Kitchen. We caught up with her on location at The Carlton Hotel as she was doing a photo shoot in anticipation of June’s Miss USA pageant.

Dmitriy Salita

moonshot — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:44:48 +0000

Dmitriy Salita, aka “Star of David,” is a Ukrainian-born Jewish-American professional boxer. He is currently one of the top fighters in the world. We caught up with him training at a real old-school gym under a parking garage in Brooklyn, called the Starrett City Boxing Club.

Check out his website for fight updates:

http://www.dsalita.com/

Matt Baldassano

moonshot — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 22:10:28 +0000

Matt Baldassano is one of a very small group of New York City wine makers. Using techniques taught to him by his grandfather, Matt and some carefully selected friends make wine out of his Lower East Side apartment. The grapes are shipped in and the rest of the job is taken care of by hand here in NYC. For more info check out www.villagewineryclub.com