5 Questions with John Connor Hammond

In two new videos by director John Connor Hammond, he collaborates with musician Dekunle and the writer/comedian Randall Otis in service of biting but laid-back satires on the black and white divide in America. We asked Hammond how the projects began, how the collabs worked, and a recent film he’s loved….

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in film/video making?

I started as a comedic performer in high school, I did lots of improv/theater and made sketches with my friends on YouTube. In college I kept up with it, dual majoring in Design and in Film. Then after college, I was going to really dive into doing the whole comedy thing hardcore. I ended up falling in with some people in the comedy community here in Brooklyn and met so many talented performers. Once I was here in the scene I saw that there was this huge demand for directors and videographers, so instead of performing, I started directing and producing sketches with all these talented people!

2) What was the genesis of each project, and how did you get them rolling?

Randall Otis is a comedian and Dekunle is a musician/comedian, so they're always working things out on stage. At some point, they hit on some material that they really like and they want to make it into a video. They reach out to me with a script or just an idea, we discuss it, make adjustments where needed, talk about the vision and execution, book a date and shoot it! For these types of projects, where I work with my friends, the preparation is very loose because we have established a trust with each other as creatives and collaborators. They trust me as a director do my job and I trust them as writers and performers to do theirs.

3) "No Avocados in the Ghetto" is such a good song. How did you hook up with Dekunle, and how did the collab work? And same question for Randall Otis with "ASMR for White Liberals."

Thank you! I am also a big fan! Dekunle and I originally linked up via YouTube under some very strange circumstances. He reached out to me and said that he had seen one of my videos and would like me to try out for the part of a racist Missippian in an upcoming web series that he had written. The Youtube video that he was referencing was a video that I directed in college and it featured two very large, older men. I thought it was strange that I would read for this part because I wasn't even in the video, but I took the opportunity anyway and showed up for the audition. When I got to there, he answered the door with a very confused look on his face. Turns out he thought he was contacting one of these larger older men in the video from YouTube. After I finished the audition we laughed about the mixup and he told me that he needed someone to shoot and produce the web series - I was fresh out of college, not really working yet, so I said hell yea! Through
the process of making this series, we became great friends and have gone onto to make many things together. That web series actually just came out and can be seen at www.dekunlewantstodie.com!

Randall Otis and I met at a filmmakers collective called CURVE when I first started directing. I was looking to work with new people and Dekunle introduced us. We went on to make a few sketches together and have also become good friends through the process. Randall just got hired as a writer for the Daily Show and it's been absolutely wild/amazing for me to see his career path go from shooting sketches with me in my
apartment to writing on network television. Very happy for him!

4) Can you talk about how you see your role as a director in these two projects. In what ways are you trying to make it your own, or is it mainly about serving the song, or the piece of writing?

Both projects are very different in this way. In ASMR for White Liberals, on set, I'm there to aid Randall. I'm there for him to bounce ideas off of, suggest a different line reading, laugh and give support, etc. In the edit is where I have more control. This video is a parody of ASMR, so I have to be sure that I direct the edit in a way
that looks and feels like true ASMR.

In No Avocados in the Ghetto, the process is still very collaborative, Dekunle is always in my ear sharing ideas but my role is much more hands-on. I'm there with the camera directing Dekunle, in the supermarket, in the car, on the green screen, managing his emotions on screen, where he's standing, how he's moving, bringing in new ideas to enhance the video, directing the motion graphics artist, etc. For me, the song acts as more of a jumping-off point allowing me to take the video anywhere! That's part of the reason I really enjoy working with Dekunle because he's very open to direction from me.

5) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I recently watched Damien Chazelle's, First Man which really surprised me. I hadn't heard much about it and I threw it on while I was on a plane. Chazelle told Neil Armstrong's story so well and made it so much more than just about him being the first man on the moon. He dove into the stress of the first lunar mission process, stress on his family, his mind and body, the sacrifices that himself and all those other astronauts made for our country. He really showed me that Neil Armstrong and all those guys on the first lunar missions were just
absolute bonafide badasses and incredibly intelligent and talented people. I ended that film feeling very patriotic and proud to be an American, which I think for some of us, is a feeling that can be hard to come by these days!

Bonus Question: What’s next for you?

I recently started a production company, called Studio 181 and through that, I am directing some really awesome corporate and commercial video. For example, we've been working with a boutique cannabis grower and distributor out in California!

Dekunle just dropped a 10 song album called "Mother" which can be found on all streaming platforms,
so we'll be putting out a couple more music videos for that. I have a short film on the way and some other very exciting projects! Most importantly, I want to continue working with all these talented people, like Dekunle and Randall, that I have around me and hopefully score some representation as a freelance director and make my way into larger commercial work!

Contact Info:

Website: http://www.johnconnorhammond.com/

IG @johnconnorhammond