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Long Beach: Work in Progress teaser video by Ben Clark

The first of three videos based on last month’s Long Beach: Work in Progress conference that I helped assemble has recently been uploaded. Longtime Giant Robot mag readers will be familiar with many faces that are included: Joe Escalante from The Vandals, Chhom Nimol and Zac Holtzman from Dengue Fever, pro skater Chad Tim Tim, W+K’s John Jay, Staple Design’s jeffstaple. I hope you also know Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L., Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold… Hardcore GR fans will also be familiar with the work of videographer, Ben Clark, my good friend and go-to photographer who shot portraits for many of my key articles: Stephen Chow, Richard Mulder, Boris, P.K. 14. I was really stoked that he got the gig and think his video captures the spirit of the event as well as the vibe of Long Beach. Check out the link on Imprint’s Vimeo page. If you dig it, please share and come back for more on the next couple of Tuesdays. Clockwise from top left: Ben Clark and me, Joe Escalante (The Vandals) and Jack Grisham (T.S.O.L.), Chhom Nimol and Zac Holtzman (Dengue Fever), Jonathan Gold (The Los Angeles Times).
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chad tim tim · chhom nimol · dengue fever · edward killingsworth · Food · imprint · imprint culture lab · jack grisham · jeffstaple · joe escalante · jonathan gold · justin reynolds · long beach · long beach work in progress · martin wong · Music · MW · News · paul kwon · ricki bedenbaugh · ricki the dude · skateboarding · the vandals · tsol · zac holtzman ·

Long Beach: Work in Progress really happened

Holy crap! Long Beach: Work in Progress really happened. The scenario seemed too good to be true: Come up with panels to illustrate and demonstrate the underrated heritage and upside of a city that I’ve been digging since I was a teenager. Crashing culture, colliding communities, and the power of subcultures–I’m all over that. Above you can see Long Beach skaters/activists Chad Tim Tim, Justin Reynolds, Paul Kwon, Dallas Rockvam, and Levi Brown with Pulitzer Prize winning food writer Jonathan Gold. The event took place in the historic Edison Theatre, which was built in 1917 as the Nippon Pool Room and went through phases as a sporting goods store, foot clinic, and beauty salon. Most recently it was home to CSULB’s theatre troupe but has been shuttered for five years until it was opened by the city just for Friday’s event. Keynote speaker John Jay (W+K Garage) spoke on the the creative crisis–how the need for creativity is at an all-time high in business, the arts, and society in general. His manifesto was followed by authors Cara Mullio and Jennifer Volland’s very cool study on local Case Study House architect Edward Killingsworth. (Yes, I bought a copy of their brand-new Hennessey+Ingalls book on Killingsworth and had them sign it.) Jonathan Gold’s seemingly stream-of-consciousness-yet-completely-in-control ruminations on things he likes to eat in Long Beach (framed by recollections of sailors at The Pike, a roller-coaster decapitation, and bad metal shows at Fender’s) was so good it almost made me cry, and was followed by an otherworldly panel on Long Beach music moderated by my friend and member of The Vandals Joe Escalante. Somehow, he was able to balance the early hardcore punk stories of his longtime colleague Jack Grisham from T.S.O.L. with peeks into Little Cambodia via Dengue Fever’s Zac Holtzman and Chhom Nimol (who played an acoustic preview of a brand new song). Is that a mash-up of subcultures or what. The final panel was about the importance of skateboarding to Long Beach culture and its future with Justin, Chad, Ricki The Dude Bedenbaugh, and Paul. Of course, it ripped and generated a ton of responses. The long day was capped by a round table discussion handled by jeffstaple and words from District 2 Councilperson Suja Lowenthal. Very legit to get seals of approval from a king of street culture and a city respresentative. And so awesome to witness my worlds colliding right in front of my eyes, with Jack and Joe (above, left) from years of going to punk shows to Tanya, Julia, and Renzei (above, right) from my current efforts to help the team build Long Beach (and everywhere else) through culture labs and backers in business. Keep an eye out for more photos and even a video to be leaked in the near future… But until then I think the message of Long Beach: Work in Progress can be applied to anyone’s hometown. Look for what’s cool about it, and then seek to understand, grow, mix, and share...
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cara mullio · chad tim tim · chhom nimol · dengue fever · edward killingsworth · imprint culture lab · jack grisham · jeffstaple · jennifer volland · joe escalante · john jay · jonathan gold · justin reynolds · long beach work in progress · martin wong · Music · MW · News · paul kwon · ricki bedenbaugh · ricki the dude · the vandals · tsol · zac holtzman ·

Long Beach: Work in Progress (April 26, 2013)

I don’t talk about my day job here very often, but I think that a lot of you will appreciate this. Imprint Culture Lab is a company that showcases up-and-coming, under-the-radar, and imported ideas. Eric Nakamura actually helped kickstart the earliest ones, bringing in high-powered friends from the worlds of streetwear, tech, otaku, and craft. I’ve been helping out with the newest one, which takes place in the home base of Imprint and its sister company interTrend.

The topic was born when the founder of Imprint/CEO of interTrend Julia Huang (above, right) told me that her companies were moving from a high rise to the second oldest building in Downtown Long Beach. I created a job for myself documenting its renovation, digging into the building’s sordid past as a psychic temple, researching the local history, and showcasing the community’s energy and upside in a blog. While sitting in on a meeting to choose a direction for the next Imprint, Long Beach seemed like a perfect choice to me. With the company investing and placing roots in the neighborhood, it was time to give back and grow it.

Long Beach: Work in Progress, which takes place next Friday, will have four panels. Authors Cara Mullio and Jennifer M. Volland will talk about their new book for Hennesy+Ingalls on Case Study House architect Edward A. Killingsworth. On the subject of music, Joe Escalante from The Vandals (above, left) and Jack from T.S.O.L. will represent Long Beach’s first generation hardcore punk subculture and Chhom Nimol and Zac Holtzman will talk about their relationship Long Beach’s Little Cambodia.

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