This is where you’ll find a living archive of my projects, the work I’ve done with clients, and chonicles of my adventures as I change the world.
I’m a Miami-based photographer + brand strategist focused on defying the odds and telling the dopest stories for clients who are interested in doing the same.
I believe stories are the vehicles that move culture forward and there’s nothing more important today than strengthening cultural integrity across the arts, urban environments, fashion, and hospitality.
Curiosity: What stories are being told right now worth paying attention to? Category: Current Events
The stories that interest me most are inherently unique and connected to greater cultural narratives. Here's what caught my attention this week:
1. Karol G Just Bought Herself a Decade
The Colombian powerhouse landing the Coachella headline spot moves past representation and locks her in as the dominant female voice in her genre until she’s dethroned. Karol G has the Grammy, the Billboard crown, an undeniable album in Mañana Será Bonito, grossing over $300 million with 2.3 million attendees at her latest tour, and now she's the first Latina to own a Coachella main stage. Every brand trying to reach Gen Z and millennial Latinos just got their answer for the rest of the decade for partnerships. Smart money will be able to see this coming and start building relationships now, not after everyone else figures it out and she’s already locked in for major categories.
The play here isn't music, it's cultural real estate.
2. Marvel and DC Are Finally Reading The Room
Twenty years of leaving money on the table, and someone finally did the math. Deadpool and Batman crossing over is two media giants realizing their audiences overlap more than they compete. In competition, sometimes you win more by expanding the pie than fighting over slices. Diehard comic fans are going to buy both issues. Casual fans who wouldn't touch a regular Batman comic might grab this because of the novelty. Fans of each character’s film franchises will be excited for the crossover. New revenue streams, expanded audience, everybody wins. Simple business, if you're not too proud to see it.
3. Vacheron Constantin Plays the Century Game
6,293 components. Seven years to build. Fifteen expert disciplines. Vacheron has created a mythology that could adorn any room. Along with a double-sided translation of the masterpiece, you can adorn your wrist with. The La Quête du Temps' astronomical clock will be on view at the Louvre Museum in Paris from September 17th to November 12th as part of an exhibition featuring eleven horological masterpieces from Antiquity.
Everyone thinks luxury is about price point, which is why that part of the industry is struggling right now. Luxury is about impossibility. Most people can eventually afford expensive. Nobody can replicate what took 270 years of institutional knowledge to create. That watch isn't telling time; it's telling a story about mastery that nobody else can tell.
Don't compete on what everyone else can do. Build something so specific to your history and your world that imitation becomes impossible. Vacheron Constantin has been doing that for almost three centuries; let that sink in.
4. Gosha's Making a Bold Chess Move
Six years ago, Gosha had to shut everything down. Career over, brand toxic, full of accusations, allegations, and associations that are polarizing at the very least. According to a BOF exclusive, he's back with the most honest strategy I've seen in fashion: "I'm starting over and I'm telling you exactly how."
Most people would try to pretend nothing happened, launch big, make noise, and lead with celebrity endorsements. Gosha's doing the opposite: basics first, build slowly, connect with supporters in person, and reintroduce his world from the ground up. As far as fashion goes, that’s a healthy rehabilitation strategy.
The market respects authenticity, even if they don’t like the person. Especially when it comes with humility. Whether or not it works, he’s attempting to earn back his credibility one step at a time.
5. McDonald's France Scores Another One for the Brand
McDonald's teaming up with Kappa for football streetwear as part of their Ligue 1 partnership creates perfect cultural arbitrage.
France lives football. McDonald's has one of the largest fan bases in the world. Kappa makes the gear that many recognize and identify with cool. Put it all together, and you're creating opportunities to carry the positive sentiments of the arch far beyond the lot. Again, we see the McDonald’s billion-dollar “fan” insight at work.
If you’re still asking, "Does this make sense?" when coming up with creative concepts, you’re missing the moment. What you should be asking is, "Does this help facilitate the honest flow of culture?" Different question, different results.
6. Doja Cat's Mystery Campaign Is Pure Genius
Fashion's biggest names: Paloma, Anok, Imaan, Alek, all suddenly posting vintage-style campaigns that look like classic beauty ads but feel like something else entirely. Nobody's officially saying it's for Doja's new single "Gorgeous," but we can’t ignore the breadcrumbs. Multiple album cover teasers, breakout single in “Jealous,” with a VMA performance that had people feeling like they were in the golden age of MTV, she’s been relentless for her upcoming album “Vie.”
This is how you build anticipation in 2025. You don't announce, just start creating a world. Let people piece it together. Make them detectives in your rollout. Leave them ways to interact with you in unexpected places. The longer Doja Cat goes without acknowledging the “Gorgeous” moment, the deeper the buy-in from fans and the cooler it becomes when they get the payoff.
7. Rihanna Breaks the Internet (Again)
6.5 million impressions. Google searches spiking. All because Rihanna graced the cover of Homme Girls Vol. 14, shot by Gabriel Moses. This woman has been the "it" factor for over a decade, and somehow she's still undervalued as a culture-moving asset.
My hot take is that people still misunderstand just how unique her influence is. Every shoot becomes a cultural moment because she understands that fashion imagery isn't about clothes themselves, it's about creating desire for a world that people want to be a part of. Her innate understanding of that is more valuable than you can write a check for.
8. Conde Nast Wants to Cash In on the Creator Economy
BOF reports that Conde Nast is launching a marketplace where creators can sell the products they actually recommend. This feels late. For years, publishers have watched influencers build trust with their audiences, then monetize that trust through affiliate links that send revenue everywhere except back to the platforms that gave them credibility.
This was an inevitable move. The creator economy was always going to consolidate around platforms that could handle the full transaction. Conde Nast is positioning itself as the middleman between influence and purchase. That's a percentage of every sale, forever. The only challenge I see is the sentiment of the day shifting closer to independence and ownership of experiences for those with real influence. And if they don’t buy in, even if you get the users, what will it matter?
9. Burger King Plays Reverse Psychology
Burger King UK gets Gordon Ramsay to promote their $15 wagyu burger, celebrating British Wagyu beef with a campaign literally called "Not Made by Gordon." The man who built his brand on perfectionism is now selling you on someone else's product by admitting he didn't make it.
That's counterintuitive marketing that actually works because it's honest. Instead of pretending Ramsay created the recipe, they're using his reputation to validate someone else's work. It's a celebrity endorsement without the fake ownership claims. You get all the perks without any of the backlash that comes with unrealistic promises. Brilliant.
10. The Atlantic Plays The Long Game
Free access to every public high school in America. Complete archive, current content, everything, this is an investment into the infrastructure of a functioning democracy in a time where we need it most.
High schoolers become college students, members of the workforce, or entrepreneurs. Then professionals. Then, decision-makers who remember where they first read quality journalism. The Atlantic just bought loyalty from people who haven't even entered the workforce yet. Not only that, but are helping to build a relationship as a trusted news source in an era where misinformation is largely unchecked.
Most media companies are fighting over today's subscribers. These guys are betting on tomorrow’s.
The Real Play From My POV
Every one of these stories has the same DNA: they're betting on the future instead of optimizing for the present. Karol G is building a decade-long cultural capital. Marvel and DC are expanding their market. Vacheron Constantin creates impossible luxury. Gosha is building credibility brick by brick. McDonald's facilitates culture instead of just buying it. The Atlantic is investing in audiences that don't exist yet.
The opportunities are always in what everyone else thinks is too risky, too weird, or too patient.
What do you think? Let me know your thoughts here.
And if you're feeling this, share it with someone who needs to read it.
More coming soon.
(And if you play commander and want to talk shop, I’m here for it.)