When interviewing Juntos Sneakers' Mauricio Laniado, that Ben Affleck's and Matt Damon's
homage to Air Jordans, the movie, "Air" just came out when Mauricio is doing promotions for his Juntos.
Mauricio commented the book, "Shoe Dog" about Nike's Phil Knight, is the basis for him and Elias Becker to start a sneaker company.
Elias Becker, tennis legend Boris Becker's son, has been living in Southern Florida for a good twenty years. This is where Mauricio met his childhood friend and business partner. Elias' godfather is rocker, Lenny Kravitz.
Mauricio noticed that Elias has this knack for color and pattern and textile coordinating. With the usual Gen-X/Millennial thing for upscale streetwear/urbanwear and haute couture sneakers, the two friends figure why not start their own shoe company.
But, it's all about timing and what's important.
This is where Juntos came in. With Millennial/Gen-Z's ecological-thinking, "Why do good while feeling good while looking good?"
When you buy a pair of Juntos sneakers, they make an education backpack filled with crucial school supplies is donated to a student in need through our non-profit partner Style Saves.
Actually, a pair of Juntos sneakers are pretty healthy as they are sustainable.
Juntos upper, sock liner and insole are crafted from single origin Huacaya Alpaca fleece, sourced from the Mazar Wildlife Reserve in the ecuadorian highlands. Hypoallergenic and 20% finer than human hair, they spin our alpaca wool into ultra soft, light, moisture-wicking and temperature regulating hugs for your feet.
Crafted from coconut fiber their insole padding molds seamlessly to the shape of your feet while providing maximum breathability and insulation. Made from 100% non-toxic material.
Their insoles leverage existing waste residue from coconut harvesting.
Their silky soft knit shoe lining is created from Banana Tree fibers harvested in the lowlands of central ecuador. It’s Antimicrobial, strong and absorbent properties make each step a pleasure.
Their sneakers don't stink.
Naturally contouring, durable and springy, their sugarcane midsole features the worlds’ greenest EVA material.
Their flexible toecap and laces lived their former lives as lowley single use plastic, but now help to protect the planet with each step you take.
Again, Mauricio's and Elias' Juntos Sneakers don't stink. They just make the world a better place, while being comfortable, stylish and doing good.
On the evening of Saturday, April 15th, iconic cognac House Rémy Martin teamed up with Amazon Music and popular reggae and hip-hop DJs Donavan’s Yard to host an exclusive Coachella after party. The party was held on Laguna Seca Estates, just minutes from the action of Coachella and featured top tier talent, including PinkPantheress, who treated guests to a surprise performance. The exclusive evening celebrates Rémy Martin and cognac’s long connection to music during one of music’s biggest weekends, Coachella.
Rémy Martin has always championed the connections between music and cognac: two cultures at the center of joyful celebrations that constantly honor their heritage, pass on their savoir-faire, and bring people together to create timeless memories. Through various campaigns and celebrations, Rémy Martin has supported the creativity, passion and dedication to excellence that can be seen through the work of the talented musicians they have teamed up with throughout the years. From their work to launch initiatives like "Ground's Melody," a two-part content series which revealed the parallels between music and Rémy Martin Cognac, and their long-standing partnership with the multi–Grammy award winning musical artist Usher championing Teaming up for Excellence, to most recently the third and final installmentof Rémy Martin VSOP Mixtape Limited Edition, Rémy Martin has been dedicated to celebrating music; a culture rooted in excellence. The program culminates this year during one of music’s biggest milestones, the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
During the exclusive evening’s festivities, guests were treated to a private concert by the group Donavan’s Yard, ahead of their Coachella performance taking place the next day. Guests continued to mingle throughout the night while sipping on the brand’s iconic cocktail, The Rémy Ginger, and custom cocktails, The Marley Marl and The Spinderella, which celebrate a few of the historic Mixtape DJs who are honored in Rémy Martin’s Mixtape Volume 3 campaign. While enjoying the California evening and Rémy Martin cocktails, star-studded guests including Lil Nas X, Damian Lillard, Teyana Taylor, and Flo Milli were also treated to a private performance of the hit song, Boy's a liar Pt. 2 by PinkPantheress, celebrating a new generation of music excellence.
For those who’d like to replicate the Coachella celebrations at home with their own Rémy Martin cocktails, please find the recipe for The Rémy Ginger below.
While the junior high and the high school and college kids had their Spring Break earlier, SPIN's Desert Oasis Pool Party commences Spring Break for adults, in Palm Desert, California.
Cloris Leachman's granddaughter, Anabel Englund, went from singing in front of her grandmother's friends as a kid to headlining SPIN's Desert Oasis Pool Party, singing while DJing as an instrument, an up and coming Gen-Zer.
LA-based SOHMI stepping behind the decks to bring her self-styled minimal pop-tech, as well as dynamic turntablist DJ Ry Toast.
DJ Ry Toast, after DJing earlier, went ahead then floated in the pool, soaking the Vitamin D UV rays.
It's an adult Spring Break, not just in refreshing cocktails concocting by sponsors' tequila bartenders, but having servers serve you lightweight mini,bite-sized chinese chicken salad in phyllo cups then having servers ask you, what drinks you want then serving you thirst-quenching cucumber cocktails poolside, while you're still in the pool. This adult Spring Break is way better quality than underaged Spring Break.
A many French people are proud to say, they don't watch "Emily in Paris."
Lola is one of many. Her motorcycle heist and gang movie, "RODEO," is a real portrayal of everyday average French teens and twenty-something of today, coming from France's colonies, kids of immigrants stuck in working class blues. Joining motorcycle clubs and gangs as substitute families. Stealing dirt bikes and ATVs to support their habit and lifestyle.
Real French women wear Lululemon for the same reason American are Lululemon heads, comfortable leggings.
RODEO may be rough but that's what and why Lola watch Americans to see, watch, and absorb it. Lola is also quick to add, French suburbs ain't American subdivisions. She herself, Lola, grew up in the housing projects that constitute "French suburbs."
She knows her immigrate/first-generation/working class' desire to escape for a better life, by hook by crook.
Julie Ledru as Julia, is the tough as nail tomboy who's the only girl gearhead in a boys' clubs.
She refuses to use their looks and chops off her sexuality to prove she's just as tough and if not, rougher than the boys and the men.
Julie Ledru is a young Michelle Rodríguez.
RODEO is a French indie version of "The Fast & The Furious."
Of course, when Lola went to college, she lived off "The Fast & The Furious" series.
Make money by creating on demand videos to share or message your followers on MYCUT. You can also post free videos for your friends to like or rerun your content. MYCUT has no advertising on the app.
Create, post and be part of the movement of opportunity to earn money. MYCUT puts the power of opportunity in your hands.
Indi Wijay, founder of MyCutTV, has created a solution to the financial pains many content creators and influencers experience in an industry that often fails to reward talent.
Follower counts do not translate into paychecks, and engagement does not pay bills. The pursuit of a career as an influencer is not for the faint of heart, as it often requires a high level of tact and savviness to turn influence into a viable revenue stream.
Recognizing this flaw in the system, Indi Wijay created a solution through the launch of MyCutTV, an app providing value for both influencers and audiences alike.
MyCutTV, also referred to as "MYCUT," is the easiest platform for content creators to receive monetary compensation for their efforts without resorting to pimpin' out their accounts as an advertising campaign.
Audiences also reap the rewards of this revolutionized social media development as they are provided with a heightened viewing experience free from ads, subscriptions, credit card payments, and data sharing.
So how does it work?
MYCUT is all about two things: sharing content and making money.
The platform allows influencers to share their content, and audiences pay to view videos on an OnDemand basis, ranging from $0.99 to $9.99 depending on the video. There are no likes, no comments, and no follower count - it is all about sharing great content and rewarding the creators for their efforts.
"Here is where the magic happens," commented Indi, "when that follower who just paid for the $0.99 OnDemand video shares it with their own followers on MYCUT and those followers watch it, the creator of that video will make more money fast."
This model allows for videos that reach the pinnacle of success (also known as virality) to generate a revenue of hundreds of thousands of dollars within a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Through providing a financial incentive, content creators are further motivated to produce quality material that their audience will not only love but want to share with others.
The real value of MYCUT is found in the shareability of videos, which continuously encourages influencers to produce creative and unique content sure to be shared with the app's growing audience.
Why should influencers switch to this platform?
What many fail to recognize is that curating influence is by no means a walk in the park. In fact, when searching "how to become an influencer" Google offers roughly 213 million results offering advice on the topic. Instagram alone boasts 1 billion active users, and of these, roughly 500,000 are regarded as "Influencers" according to a recent Omnicore report. That accounts for 0.05% of all Instagram users! This shows that though a number of individuals are interested in pursuing a career as an influencer, few are successfully within this inherently competitive industry.
Yet, despite the exclusivity of a career as an influencer, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Patreon, and other platforms do not pay these individuals for the traffic that they drive. If influencers are lucky enough to get brand deals, sometimes they receive financial compensation for marketing the brand on their platform, but more often than not this compensation is in the form of products or experiences. Cash is king, and for this reason, many influential content creators are searching for alternative revenue streams to incentivize their work.
"The democratization of content has created a space where MYCUT can allow creators to maintain creative control of their content, as well as reap the full financial benefits of success" commented Matt Fleckenstein, a multiple Emmy-nominated writer and producer who has over 15 years of experience creating material for massive networks including Nickelodeon, Disney, Netflix, and Apple TV.
With the skill required to create content worthy of recognition on today's social media sharing platforms, it's no wonder that the industry is getting increasingly competitive. For those that remember Vine (circa 2013 to 2017, RIP), the app provided a platform to share incredibly amateur content shot with shifty home camcorders and phone cameras. The content, though highly entertaining, had an incredibly low level of production value yet was still capable of becoming viral. Those days are no longer.
Today, content must be expertly created by individuals or teams that understand lighting, camera angles, editing, and directing. Amateur material will rarely experience the virality it once did. Given the high standards required from these videos, the industry is shifting towards a system that favors financial compensation for the creators of what is becoming increasingly professional content.MYCUT is at the forefront of this transition.
"I'm very excited about using MYCUT," further mentioned Fleckenstein, "it gives me and my company a platform to independently distribute our content, removing the gatekeepers that used to dominate the entertainment landscape."
Eclipsed by the ever evolving Beatles in the Sixties, The Beach Boys are finally getting their due, this Sunday night at 8pm, April 9th, on CBS' "CBS Presents a Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys."
The Beach Boys have always consider themselves, "bridemaids," always nominated but never winning a Grammy. So, they're tickled pink that the Grammys choose pay tribute to them instead, inviting the hottest musicians to cover their iconic hits. British rocker, Luke Spiller (I sat and partyed directly behind him) of The Struts, says it's an honor to be invited to sing their songs, in front of them. Nervous but an honor.
He covered "Surfin' USA" with Pretty Reckless/Gossip Girl, Taylor Momsen, with her singing, "Fun, Fun, Fun."
Weezer covering "Calilfornia Girls" has been in Weezer's stable for years.
Another younger beloved Californian rocker, Beck, performed two Beach Boys' classics.
It'll be interesting to see today's Millennials, such as Charlie Puth covering what is considered his grandparents' music. Proving the Beach Boys are a classic.
Hansen learned their harmonies from the Baby Boomers' Beach Boys.
The Beach Boys are also considered All-American music, country Little Big Town and LeAnn Rimes proved this.
If you all want to fully experienced what this scribe experienced live for a whole night two months ago, come watch it this Sunday night, April 9th at 8pm, on CBS.
Here's the complete playlist for Sunday night:
"Darlin'" – Andy Grammer "Sloop John B" – Beck "Good Vibrations" – Beck and Jim James "In My Room" – Brandi Carlile "God Only Knows" – Brandi Carlile and John Legend "Wouldn't It Be Nice" – Charlie Puth "Do You Wanna Dance" – Fall Out Boy "Do It Again" – Foster the People "Barbara Ann" – Hanson "The Warmth of the Sun" – Norah Jones "Surfer Girl" – Lady A "Sail on Sailor" – John Legend "Help Me Rhonda" – Little Big Town "Surfin' USA / Fun Fun Fun" – Luke Spiller and Taylor Momsen "Don't Worry Baby" – Michael McDonald and Take 6 "I Know There's an Answer" – Mumford & Sons "I Get Around" – My Morning Jacket "Heroes and Villains" – Pentatonix "Caroline No" – LeAnn Rimes "You Still Believe in Me" – St. Vincent "California Girls" – Weezer
