SocialRec.

When I first heard of the Tom Sachs/Nike Craft weartester program back in December, I was stoked. Getting the chance to wear test the Mars Yard 2.5 was going to be something great to experience. Tom Sachs (I world renowned artist and big in the sneaker world) and Nike were allowing footwear enthusiast to wear the Mars Yard 2.5 and track the wear of the shoe.

Wear testers are encouraged to wear them all day, everyday, anywhere you go. On grass, dirt, concrete, sand etc., all types of elements. Then the users would track all of that and see how the shoe holds up, tracking any weak points, strong points, and user feedback. The program seems really amazing, but only has 150 spots. Check out the video below for the details on the program:

Since I thought I was a a sneakerhead, I had a good chance of getting into the program. I shot and recorded my video as soon as I heard about the program. I made sure to talk about the topic of why I want to join and met all the requirements to get noticed. The final video I made wasn’t great although it received a decent amount of views.

When the selection for phase 1 came out, I didn’t get selected. While I was upset, maybe it was a good thing because the program requires a lot of discipline, time, and effort somethings I just don’t have the time for. Being I have a full-time job, and three kids, I can’t wear sneakers to work. When I get home, I do play with my kids quite a bit, however that can vary depending on the weather, how I am feeling, or how they’re feeling.

When I got word that phase 2 would roll out during the month of April, I tried to make some more videos, hoping to have a better chance of selection. When I showed my wife the clips I had in mind, she wasn’t impressed; she basically went on to say the videos were trash and that nobody was going to watch them. She decided to help me make the best video and we got to work.

While I wasn’t selected for phase 2 as well, I did get a like from the creator himself, Tom Sachs, and that at least let me know the video was good. My family and I had a blast creating the scenes for the clip and that’s what it was really about. People get to see the person I am as a father, husband, and athlete who is on the move a lot, and who loves his family. While I wasn’t selected, there is still a lot of work that can be done.

Here is the complication of videos, along with the final product I submitted:

I hope you enjoyed these clips as much as I did making them. There will definitely be more chances for me to leave my mark in the sneaker media industry, and with great work comes more work for me to get that opportunity. At the end of the day, it’s all about my family and the memories I get to make with them that made this all worth it.