Author: Roel Concepcion

Literary citizen. L.A. native. Writer and explorer.

Categories
Notes

Career Change

Santa Barbara Coast

I quit exacty a year ago. I said to myself, “This can’t be your life.” So I quit.

I told my wife “Let’s move back to L.A. I’ll take care of the kid, and in between,

I’ll follow what I’ve always wanted to follow – be a writer full time.”

So I quit.

“See you later, Baltimore. It’s back home I go.”

Now it’s been a year since. This time last year I was preparing for a cross-country trip, from the Mid-Atlantic to the West Coast.

And now I’m good.

My friends always ask:

“Hey, man, are you good?” I’m good. More good than ever.

I feel like I did my time in those cubicles, sitting in front of those computer screens, slouching low on those conference room chairs, e-mail after e-mail after e-mail.

I feel like I’m finally doing me – and so – I’m good.

My next step is to completely unplug from the unnecessary and focus on the necessary — to wean myself off of social media. I need a sabbatical. I just feel nasty when I engage nowadays. Posting photos, tweeting. It’s just too much out there. I no longer want to contribute. I want to get out of the conversation and find my voice again. There’s so much noise that I started to miss the silence.

I’m not ghosting. I’m simply on sabbatacial. No judgement served either. I can’t wait to get back into the mix.

These days, I prefer the comfort of my personal blog. This right here, a blog about me and my relationships with the world, especially with the citizens of L.A., my hometown, the freeways, the streets, the playgrounds, the sights, and the sounds. My kid, my wife, and my dogs.

I quit and now I’m good.

Categories
L.A. Notes

L.A. on Light

Cap back. Sunset on low.

Dippin’ down the block.

The kid enjoys his long drives around the neighborhood.

Got me pushing him around in his mini-me car, battling the uneven sidewalks, the rolling stops, dogs, territorial birds, overall non-gangsta shit in former gangsta lands. I’d rather stay in, take him — and his whip — out some other time, but I just can’t say no — so we drive on and on and on and on.

When the L.A. sun is out, that quiet whisper of a gleam, that light that lands so gently on the body, feels like it welcomes more than it brightens, all spirits heighten. In the land of fame and spotlight, the L.A. sun is prime resident. Everyone else abides.

“But ‘L.A. sun?'” she said. “There’s only one sun, fool. The SUN.”

“No, no. The L.A. sun is the L.A. sun.”

That late-afternoon light, that “cotton candy sky.”

(See: An article in The New Yorker about the glow of L.A. by Lawrence Weschler).

Categories
L.A. Music

Explicit Lyrics Obscured

Accidentally pressed ‘Play’ on a clean version of DAMN the other day.

And — damn — that shit still sound so good.

Left it on.

Made it look sexy.

Categories
L.A. Notes

L.A. Corner On The Cob

Also known as elote.

Classified as goddamned street food.

Found with a strong sense of exploration and don’t-give-a-fuck-ness.

Eaten under the L.A. sun.

Made of hard work, resilience, and flair — with a dash of L.A. smog.

The recipe according to Chef Roy Choi:

Corn (shucked)
Vegetable oil
Butter (softened)
Salt
Mayonnaise
Cotjia cheese
Cayenne
Lime

See: L.A. Son by Roy Choi
Categories
Music

Twice a Day, A.M. P.M.

We looked around and felt as if the world had never revolved but it did.

We looked around and thought that the people had never evolved, and they did.

This is about yesterday’s day off.

A 420 message from Little Dragon:

Categories
L.A. Music

I Feel Like ScHoolboy Q

Like Russell Westbrook.

Like James Harden.

Like DeMar DeRozan.

Like Kung Fu Kenny.

10-4. No Switching Sides.

Like Pioneer Chicken.

Straight from the Library Tower.

The RTD transfer.

And Rakaa Iriscience.

The 405.

The 10.

The 710.

562.

213.

310.

Categories
Sports Work

Muhammad Ali x Under Armour

Ali vs. Foreman

Under Armour wanted to take a unique approach and celebrate Muhammad Ali’s training philosophy.

My team felt that if we were going to succeed, we needed to challenge perceptions, so we took his famous quotes and remix them to fit social media in 2015.

MY ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

  • Creative Director

TITLE:

TYPE:

  • Original content.
  • Social media focused, short-format videos.

BRIEF:

  • Activating an athlete — who is no longer active.
  • Build awareness for the Muhammad Ali and Under Armour partnership.

TREATMENT:

  • Celebrate Ali’s training philosophy.
  • Leverage iconic Ali training video content.
  • Infuse modern twist into content to attract new audience in social media platforms.

FINAL CREATIVE:

Categories
Sports Work

Charged By Belief Video Series

Curry One Under Armour

“Inspired by Golden State Warriors two-time MVP point guard, Stephen Curry, Under Armour’s five-part video series goes into the heart of the greater Bay Area

to highlight individuals and artists, whose own drive and ambition has transformed The City with their will.”

MY ROLE IN THE PROJECT:

  • Creative Director.
  • Executive Producer.

TITLE:

  • Charged By Belief

TYPE:

  • Original content.
  • Long format video series.

BRIEF:

  • Provide supplemental content for the launch of Curry One signature shoe.
  • Ensure content ladders up to overall Curry One campaign tagline of Charged By Belief.

TREATMENT:

  • Leverage Charged By Belief campaign positioning and uses its structural elements — belief, will, and pursuit of greatness — to highlight the people from the greater Bay Area and #DUBNATION, providing a lens that coincides with the drop of the Curry One signature shoe.
  • Each episode will profile and feature thought leaders from the Bay Area who are bold, confident, and coming from the underdog spirit.
  • The co-star of each episode will be the Curry One signature shoe.

PRODUCTION PARTNER:

FINAL CREATIVE: