Around the time of the 2022 Winter Olympics, a previous member of USC figure skating referred me to an instagram post that was calling for a figure skater to do a small commercial for a streetwear clothing brand. My friend said she immediately thought of me when she head that the skating would be happening in a bear costume. Many skaters shy away from costumes that can possibly throw off your balance (and maybe I should have too), but I was enthusiastic anyway.

The commercial advertised a line of rhinestoned grateful dead attire. Frankly, this chaotic mix of elements was exactly the kind of thing that I find interesting. The filming process was relatively tame, I filled out a few forms, and we agreed to meet at a skating rink after all the main sessions had ended. I am surprised they were able to reserve the rink at such a time, but one of the people in the film crew played on the hockey team and was close with the person who zambonis the ice. Through this project I found out how much film is a series of unlikely events that somehow all come together through the power of social networks. I respect this about the film industry.


Following the video shoot, we also took several photos to use in instagram posts. I left the experience thinking about how grateful I am to live in Los Angeles.

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