WATCH IT HERE: bit.ly/immigrantmade
Comedian Gastor Almonte has appeared on Comedy Central, VICE and PBS. His debut album and special, Immigrant Made, is a heartfelt collection of comedic stories that highlight the plight of his upbringing by a Dominican family. The aim here was to visually represent the immigrant experience in America - specifically in the notorious East New York section of Brooklyn. Drawing from the ubiquitous presence of bodegas and the decorative flags hung in many of them as a symbol of the "melting pot", we worked with noted portrait photographer Chad Griffith to create a sense of warmth and acceptance for the album cover and promotional shots.
For the video portion of the special, we dressed the set with as much NYC bodega iconography we could cram into the small space. We commissioned AMA Event Designs to put it together. Essentially, performing in the round, we dressed each wall in the room with street signs, bodega flags, a domino table, milk crates and even a bodega-cat. We shot with 4 cameras for the purpose of giving his vivid storytelling even more dimensionality with the occasional split-screen edits. Interstitial segments were shot to punctuate each story as well.
WATCH IT HERE: bit.ly/immigrantmade