HAND BOOK: The Beginning of Politics is a visual study of politics and politicians—a detailed look at the gestures and intimate retail maneuvers performed by the many candidates who competed to be president of the United States during the 2020 election cycle.
In every presidential election, the candidates and campaigns will declare their race to be “the most important election of our lifetime.” But in 2020, that declaration rang true. Joe Biden, the Democratic Party nominee, defeated Donald Trump, the Republican incumbent, on November 7th, 2019. On January 6th, 2020, the Capitol building was overrun by a mob of pro-Trump supporters, illustrating a valuable point: Elections have consequences.
The images and reporting in this book don’t tell that story; instead, I’ve tried to document the intimate connection between the candidates and voters. As part of the traveling press pool, I watched as candidates waved, shook and held hands, hugged, embraced, clapped, clapped back, pointed, posed, pushed, and pulled their way through a chaotic Democratic primary and into the general, where the field finally winnowed but the deadly pandemic rendered in-person retail politics impossible.
Photographed in key battleground states, covering 14 different campaigns, the candidates appear bathed in party colors - blue and red lights - or stark black and white, as if they have already been relegated to history. With a focus on gesture, the immediacy is amplified by cropped, close-up views, where these ambitious, immensely powerful people - appointed to negotiate domestic and international conflict - are framed as limp hands or floating heads: men and women, auditioning for the highest office in the land.
Together with original reporting, HAND BOOK attempts to illustrate the historic shape of the race through detail - an existential battle, with dangerous consequences. To capture those tiny, intimate moments that inform the selection process. That win or lose elections. This book is made of those moments. That is the beginning of politics.
~ Jamie-James Medina, 2021
HAND BOOK: The Beginning of Politics is a visual study of politics and politicians—a detailed look at the gestures and intimate retail maneuvers performed by the many candidates who competed to be president of the United States during the 2020 election cycle.
In every presidential election, the candidates and campaigns will declare their race to be “the most important election of our lifetime.” But in 2020, that declaration rang true. Joe Biden, the Democratic Party nominee, defeated Donald Trump, the Republican incumbent, on November 7th, 2019. On January 6th, 2020, the Capitol building was overrun by a mob of pro-Trump supporters, illustrating a valuable point: Elections have consequences.
The images and reporting in this book don’t tell that story; instead, I’ve tried to document the intimate connection between the candidates and voters. As part of the traveling press pool, I watched as candidates waved, shook and held hands, hugged, embraced, clapped, clapped back, pointed, posed, pushed, and pulled their way through a chaotic Democratic primary and into the general, where the field finally winnowed but the deadly pandemic rendered in-person retail politics impossible.
Photographed in key battleground states, covering 14 different campaigns, the candidates appear bathed in party colors - blue and red lights - or stark black and white, as if they have already been relegated to history. With a focus on gesture, the immediacy is amplified by cropped, close-up views, where these ambitious, immensely powerful people - appointed to negotiate domestic and international conflict - are framed as limp hands or floating heads: men and women, auditioning for the highest office in the land.
Together with original reporting, HAND BOOK attempts to illustrate the historic shape of the race through detail - an existential battle, with dangerous consequences. To capture those tiny, intimate moments that inform the selection process. That win or lose elections. This book is made of those moments. That is the beginning of politics.
~ Jamie-James Medina, 2021
HAND BOOK: The Beginning of Politics is a visual study of politics and politicians—a detailed look at the gestures and intimate retail maneuvers performed by the many candidates who competed to be president of the United States during the 2020 election cycle.
In every presidential election, the candidates and campaigns will declare their race to be “the most important election of our lifetime.” But in 2020, that declaration rang true. Joe Biden, the Democratic Party nominee, defeated Donald Trump, the Republican incumbent, on November 7th, 2019. On January 6th, 2020, the Capitol building was overrun by a mob of pro-Trump supporters, illustrating a valuable point: Elections have consequences.
The images and reporting in this book don’t tell that story; instead, I’ve tried to document the intimate connection between the candidates and voters. As part of the traveling press pool, I watched as candidates waved, shook and held hands, hugged, embraced, clapped, clapped back, pointed, posed, pushed, and pulled their way through a chaotic Democratic primary and into the general, where the field finally winnowed but the deadly pandemic rendered in-person retail politics impossible.
Photographed in key battleground states, covering 14 different campaigns, the candidates appear bathed in party colors - blue and red lights - or stark black and white, as if they have already been relegated to history. With a focus on gesture, the immediacy is amplified by cropped, close-up views, where these ambitious, immensely powerful people - appointed to negotiate domestic and international conflict - are framed as limp hands or floating heads: men and women, auditioning for the highest office in the land.
Together with original reporting, HAND BOOK attempts to illustrate the historic shape of the race through detail - an existential battle, with dangerous consequences. To capture those tiny, intimate moments that inform the selection process. That win or lose elections. This book is made of those moments. That is the beginning of politics.
~ Jamie-James Medina, 2021
The Opportunity: For more than three decades, Sprite has championed hip-hop's music, culture and community. In 2021, with the world in lockdown and live music on hold, Sprite and Wieden+Kennedy approached Tool of North America to produce a virtual summer concert series, Live from the Label, and showcase the genre’s hottest headliners and emerging artists during uncertain times.
The Approach: As director, I was brought on to create three virtual events, featuring exclusive livestream performances from some of today’s most popular hip-hop artists, including Atlanta-based rapper Latto, multi-platinum artist Saweetie and Grammy-nominated star Jack Harlow. Each headliner was paired with an up-and-coming opening act, offering mentorship and industry opportunities. Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins, the writer and cultural commentator, was drafted to host the series and guide us through Sprite’s dedication to youth culture.
The Experience: In Sprite’s hometown of Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA, we drew on each headliner's origin story, taking them back to perform at one of the venue’s where they got their start. Broadcasting live, I directed exclusive musical performances, animated features, scripted interviews and video profiles and produced over three hours of original content. Taking note of the rising popularity of QR codes and Tool’s original live streaming software, we imagined new ways for the audience to activate and engage with the brand, the artists and one another, from using chat and polling features to sending customized Sprite brand emojis, and create the most exciting and authentic digital music experience.
The Opportunity: For more than three decades, Sprite has championed hip-hop's music, culture and community. In 2021, with the world in lockdown and live music on hold, Sprite and Wieden+Kennedy approached Tool of North America to produce a virtual summer concert series, Live from the Label, and showcase the genre’s hottest headliners and emerging artists during uncertain times.
The Approach: As director, I was brought on to create three virtual events, featuring exclusive livestream performances from some of today’s most popular hip-hop artists, including Atlanta-based rapper Latto, multi-platinum artist Saweetie and Grammy-nominated star Jack Harlow. Each headliner was paired with an up-and-coming opening act, offering mentorship and industry opportunities. Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins, the writer and cultural commentator, was drafted to host the series and guide us through Sprite’s dedication to youth culture.
The Experience: In Sprite’s hometown of Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA, we drew on each headliner's origin story, taking them back to perform at one of the venue’s where they got their start. Broadcasting live, I directed exclusive musical performances, animated features, scripted interviews and video profiles and produced over three hours of original content. Taking note of the rising popularity of QR codes and Tool’s original live streaming software, we imagined new ways for the audience to activate and engage with the brand, the artists and one another, from using chat and polling features to sending customized Sprite brand emojis, and create the most exciting and authentic digital music experience.
The Opportunity: For more than three decades, Sprite has championed hip-hop's music, culture and community. In 2021, with the world in lockdown and live music on hold, Sprite and Wieden+Kennedy approached Tool of North America to produce a virtual summer concert series, Live from the Label, and showcase the genre’s hottest headliners and emerging artists during uncertain times.
The Approach: As director, I was brought on to create three virtual events, featuring exclusive livestream performances from some of today’s most popular hip-hop artists, including Atlanta-based rapper Latto, multi-platinum artist Saweetie and Grammy-nominated star Jack Harlow. Each headliner was paired with an up-and-coming opening act, offering mentorship and industry opportunities. Brandon 'Jinx' Jenkins, the writer and cultural commentator, was drafted to host the series and guide us through Sprite’s dedication to youth culture.
The Experience: In Sprite’s hometown of Atlanta, GA and Los Angeles, CA, we drew on each headliner's origin story, taking them back to perform at one of the venue’s where they got their start. Broadcasting live, I directed exclusive musical performances, animated features, scripted interviews and video profiles and produced over three hours of original content. Taking note of the rising popularity of QR codes and Tool’s original live streaming software, we imagined new ways for the audience to activate and engage with the brand, the artists and one another, from using chat and polling features to sending customized Sprite brand emojis, and create the most exciting and authentic digital music experience.
In March of 2014, The xx took up residency at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City for 25 live performances, designed to test the perceptions of intimacy and scale. Across 10 days, each 50-minute event started with the band and a crowd of only 45 spectators installed together in a small, sunken white square. The band and the audience faced each other as the ceiling rose and eventually fell away, revealing the 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall in full — a vast, shapeless space, illustrated by smoke and projected light.
As musicians, The xx were always known for their quiet intrigue and nuanced emotional songwriting, but in their hands, the Armory became a voyeuristic, dreamlike space and helped redefine their music and their relationship to the audience that surrounds them.
Documenting the band throughout, it was not uncommon to see audience members adjust their emotions with the environment, as with the music: surprise into heartbreak into euphoria. On one night, Alan Cumming, the actor, during a break from playing the Emcee in Cabaret, lunged around the stage’s perimeter, tracing the band’s steps. Or Kim Kardashian West, stacked high in heels, removing her shoes and resting on the floor, inches away from the band members. But in every show, I watched as The xx and their audience worked together to create a deeply personal shared live experience.
This performance of Shelter attempts to capture that space and the transfer of energy that took place in it and and was released as part of the ‘Young then’ Archive - an online resource that will archive the entire history, and future, of the Young label.
Looking back, Romy Madley Croft stated, “This show is still one of the most incredible experiences we’ve had as a band, it felt like being on stage at a theatre, rather than a gig and the audience was as much part of the show as we were, we never knew what would happen! The intimacy was intense and beautiful, it was uncomfortable at times but I think that’s what made it even more magic. There were times I looked up and caught eyes with some of my musical heroes, only meters away, I did my best to remain calm and not show how fast my heart was beating! When we’ve met people who were at that show, even if we are strangers I feel like we are forever connected by that moment in New York.”
In March of 2014, The xx took up residency at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City for 25 live performances, designed to test the perceptions of intimacy and scale. Across 10 days, each 50-minute event started with the band and a crowd of only 45 spectators installed together in a small, sunken white square. The band and the audience faced each other as the ceiling rose and eventually fell away, revealing the 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall in full — a vast, shapeless space, illustrated by smoke and projected light.
As musicians, The xx were always known for their quiet intrigue and nuanced emotional songwriting, but in their hands, the Armory became a voyeuristic, dreamlike space and helped redefine their music and their relationship to the audience that surrounds them.
Documenting the band throughout, it was not uncommon to see audience members adjust their emotions with the environment, as with the music: surprise into heartbreak into euphoria. On one night, Alan Cumming, the actor, during a break from playing the Emcee in Cabaret, lunged around the stage’s perimeter, tracing the band’s steps. Or Kim Kardashian West, stacked high in heels, removing her shoes and resting on the floor, inches away from the band members. But in every show, I watched as The xx and their audience worked together to create a deeply personal shared live experience.
This performance of Shelter attempts to capture that space and the transfer of energy that took place in it and and was released as part of the ‘Young then’ Archive - an online resource that will archive the entire history, and future, of the Young label.
Looking back, Romy Madley Croft stated, “This show is still one of the most incredible experiences we’ve had as a band, it felt like being on stage at a theatre, rather than a gig and the audience was as much part of the show as we were, we never knew what would happen! The intimacy was intense and beautiful, it was uncomfortable at times but I think that’s what made it even more magic. There were times I looked up and caught eyes with some of my musical heroes, only meters away, I did my best to remain calm and not show how fast my heart was beating! When we’ve met people who were at that show, even if we are strangers I feel like we are forever connected by that moment in New York.”
In March of 2014, The xx took up residency at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City for 25 live performances, designed to test the perceptions of intimacy and scale. Across 10 days, each 50-minute event started with the band and a crowd of only 45 spectators installed together in a small, sunken white square. The band and the audience faced each other as the ceiling rose and eventually fell away, revealing the 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall in full — a vast, shapeless space, illustrated by smoke and projected light.
As musicians, The xx were always known for their quiet intrigue and nuanced emotional songwriting, but in their hands, the Armory became a voyeuristic, dreamlike space and helped redefine their music and their relationship to the audience that surrounds them.
Documenting the band throughout, it was not uncommon to see audience members adjust their emotions with the environment, as with the music: surprise into heartbreak into euphoria. On one night, Alan Cumming, the actor, during a break from playing the Emcee in Cabaret, lunged around the stage’s perimeter, tracing the band’s steps. Or Kim Kardashian West, stacked high in heels, removing her shoes and resting on the floor, inches away from the band members. But in every show, I watched as The xx and their audience worked together to create a deeply personal shared live experience.
This performance of Shelter attempts to capture that space and the transfer of energy that took place in it and and was released as part of the ‘Young then’ Archive - an online resource that will archive the entire history, and future, of the Young label.
Looking back, Romy Madley Croft stated, “This show is still one of the most incredible experiences we’ve had as a band, it felt like being on stage at a theatre, rather than a gig and the audience was as much part of the show as we were, we never knew what would happen! The intimacy was intense and beautiful, it was uncomfortable at times but I think that’s what made it even more magic. There were times I looked up and caught eyes with some of my musical heroes, only meters away, I did my best to remain calm and not show how fast my heart was beating! When we’ve met people who were at that show, even if we are strangers I feel like we are forever connected by that moment in New York.”
In 2020, due the pandemic, the Los Angeles Opera were forced to cancel their entire 2020/21 season and, instead, commissioned composers and filmmakers to collaborate on a series of short-films. Death is one of those films - a collaboration with Nadia Hallgren, the director of Becoming, the Emmy nominated Michelle Obama documentary on Netflix, and Tyshawn Sorey, the composer and MacArthur "Genius Grant” Fellow - and brings to life a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, America's preeminent Black poet during the early 20th century.
Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, on June 27, 1872, the son of two former slaves. His short and miraculous life ended at age 33, after a painful battle with tuberculosis. In that time, he wrote a dozen books of poetry, four collections of short stories, five novels, and a play, providing both a history and a celebration of Black life at the turn of the century. But it was “dialect” poems - employing the form and cadence of Black speech - that made him famous and when placed alongside his works of "literary” English, exposed the duality of the Black experience. Decades later, his work would inspire a new generation of Black writers, most notably Maya Angelou, who borrowed a line from Dunbar’s poem, Sympathy, for the title of her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
Our film evokes death - the end of life, through Dunbar's poem of the same name. Published in 1903, the original text details its speaker’s seeming dread of each new day. Even as night feels like a daunting wilderness of “tangled deeps,” the speaker is haunted again by each new daybreak - a heart-wrenching realization. Matched with and inspired by Sorey's beautiful and transcendent score, a setting for piano and mezzo-soprano, the film works to capture the poem’s spirit and propel it further: sorrow, in the ascendant.
As Dunbar lay dying in his study on Feb. 9, 1906, he read 23rd Psalm aloud to his mother. His final words were “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
In 2020, due the pandemic, the Los Angeles Opera were forced to cancel their entire 2020/21 season and, instead, commissioned composers and filmmakers to collaborate on a series of short-films. Death is one of those films - a collaboration with Nadia Hallgren, the director of Becoming, the Emmy nominated Michelle Obama documentary on Netflix, and Tyshawn Sorey, the composer and MacArthur "Genius Grant” Fellow - and brings to life a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, America's preeminent Black poet during the early 20th century.
Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, on June 27, 1872, the son of two former slaves. His short and miraculous life ended at age 33, after a painful battle with tuberculosis. In that time, he wrote a dozen books of poetry, four collections of short stories, five novels, and a play, providing both a history and a celebration of Black life at the turn of the century. But it was “dialect” poems - employing the form and cadence of Black speech - that made him famous and when placed alongside his works of "literary” English, exposed the duality of the Black experience. Decades later, his work would inspire a new generation of Black writers, most notably Maya Angelou, who borrowed a line from Dunbar’s poem, Sympathy, for the title of her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
Our film evokes death - the end of life, through Dunbar's poem of the same name. Published in 1903, the original text details its speaker’s seeming dread of each new day. Even as night feels like a daunting wilderness of “tangled deeps,” the speaker is haunted again by each new daybreak - a heart-wrenching realization. Matched with and inspired by Sorey's beautiful and transcendent score, a setting for piano and mezzo-soprano, the film works to capture the poem’s spirit and propel it further: sorrow, in the ascendant.
As Dunbar lay dying in his study on Feb. 9, 1906, he read 23rd Psalm aloud to his mother. His final words were “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
In 2020, due the pandemic, the Los Angeles Opera were forced to cancel their entire 2020/21 season and, instead, commissioned composers and filmmakers to collaborate on a series of short-films. Death is one of those films - a collaboration with Nadia Hallgren, the director of Becoming, the Emmy nominated Michelle Obama documentary on Netflix, and Tyshawn Sorey, the composer and MacArthur "Genius Grant” Fellow - and brings to life a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, America's preeminent Black poet during the early 20th century.
Dunbar was born in Dayton, Ohio, on June 27, 1872, the son of two former slaves. His short and miraculous life ended at age 33, after a painful battle with tuberculosis. In that time, he wrote a dozen books of poetry, four collections of short stories, five novels, and a play, providing both a history and a celebration of Black life at the turn of the century. But it was “dialect” poems - employing the form and cadence of Black speech - that made him famous and when placed alongside his works of "literary” English, exposed the duality of the Black experience. Decades later, his work would inspire a new generation of Black writers, most notably Maya Angelou, who borrowed a line from Dunbar’s poem, Sympathy, for the title of her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
Our film evokes death - the end of life, through Dunbar's poem of the same name. Published in 1903, the original text details its speaker’s seeming dread of each new day. Even as night feels like a daunting wilderness of “tangled deeps,” the speaker is haunted again by each new daybreak - a heart-wrenching realization. Matched with and inspired by Sorey's beautiful and transcendent score, a setting for piano and mezzo-soprano, the film works to capture the poem’s spirit and propel it further: sorrow, in the ascendant.
As Dunbar lay dying in his study on Feb. 9, 1906, he read 23rd Psalm aloud to his mother. His final words were “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”
Working alongside musician and cultural innovator FKA twigs as part of her STUDIO1 creative agency, we built an international campaign to launch NikeWomen’s SP17 Zonal Strength Tights. FKA twigs developed the creative concept, cast, directed and performed in the campaign, with STUDIO1 handling all messaging and campaign strategy. Nike’s bold partnership with FKA twigs and STUDIO1 worked to define the true nature of modern movement and introduced a new brand voice and sign-off: Believe In More.
Working alongside musician and cultural innovator FKA twigs as part of her STUDIO1 creative agency, we built an international campaign to launch NikeWomen’s SP17 Zonal Strength Tights. FKA twigs developed the creative concept, cast, directed and performed in the campaign, with STUDIO1 handling all messaging and campaign strategy. Nike’s bold partnership with FKA twigs and STUDIO1 worked to define the true nature of modern movement and introduced a new brand voice and sign-off: Believe In More.
Working alongside musician and cultural innovator FKA twigs as part of her STUDIO1 creative agency, we built an international campaign to launch NikeWomen’s SP17 Zonal Strength Tights. FKA twigs developed the creative concept, cast, directed and performed in the campaign, with STUDIO1 handling all messaging and campaign strategy. Nike’s bold partnership with FKA twigs and STUDIO1 worked to define the true nature of modern movement and introduced a new brand voice and sign-off: Believe In More.
Working alongside production company m ss ng p eces, we worked hard to build an interactive and immersive music video experience that celebrated YouTube’s platform as a home for innovative 360-deegree VR content. Starring Adwoa Aboah, the resulting experience brought to life Sampha’s haunting and intimate ballad, (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano, while upending the viewer’s perspective and placement in the scene.
Working alongside production company m ss ng p eces, we worked hard to build an interactive and immersive music video experience that celebrated YouTube’s platform as a home for innovative 360-deegree VR content. Starring Adwoa Aboah, the resulting experience brought to life Sampha’s haunting and intimate ballad, (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano, while upending the viewer’s perspective and placement in the scene.
Working alongside production company m ss ng p eces, we worked hard to build an interactive and immersive music video experience that celebrated YouTube’s platform as a home for innovative 360-deegree VR content. Starring Adwoa Aboah, the resulting experience brought to life Sampha’s haunting and intimate ballad, (No One Knows Me) Like The Piano, while upending the viewer’s perspective and placement in the scene.
Inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders and his monumental 2016 presidential run, I collaborated with artist and creative enigma JIM JOE, to design a campaign poster that felt honest and important. Partnering with BitTorrent, we made the image available as a free download in hi-res, giving the public full access to print, publish and distribute the images as they see fit.
Inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders and his monumental 2016 presidential run, I collaborated with artist and creative enigma JIM JOE, to design a campaign poster that felt honest and important. Partnering with BitTorrent, we made the image available as a free download in hi-res, giving the public full access to print, publish and distribute the images as they see fit.
Inspired by Senator Bernie Sanders and his monumental 2016 presidential run, I collaborated with artist and creative enigma JIM JOE, to design a campaign poster that felt honest and important. Partnering with BitTorrent, we made the image available as a free download in hi-res, giving the public full access to print, publish and distribute the images as they see fit.
The Tourist works as an independent publishing house and newsprint publication, with a creative focus on music and travel. Delivering original photoessays and long-form journalism, the first issues featured The xx on tour across 4 different continents, as part of an ongoing collaboration, with sponsorship from VANS and Urban Outfitters. Other issues have profiled underground PUNK scenes and TEENAGERS, with exclusive coverage of Justin Bieber during one of his early tours through local malls in Europe and America.
The Tourist works as an independent publishing house and newsprint publication, with a creative focus on music and travel. Delivering original photoessays and long-form journalism, the first issues featured The xx on tour across 4 different continents, as part of an ongoing collaboration, with sponsorship from VANS and Urban Outfitters. Other issues have profiled underground PUNK scenes and TEENAGERS, with exclusive coverage of Justin Bieber during one of his early tours through local malls in Europe and America.
The Tourist works as an independent publishing house and newsprint publication, with a creative focus on music and travel. Delivering original photoessays and long-form journalism, the first issues featured The xx on tour across 4 different continents, as part of an ongoing collaboration, with sponsorship from VANS and Urban Outfitters. Other issues have profiled underground PUNK scenes and TEENAGERS, with exclusive coverage of Justin Bieber during one of his early tours through local malls in Europe and America.
Hot Charity exists as a Bronx-based record label, a subsidiary of the UK’s XL Recordings. With a focus on character-based artists and creativity, between 2012 and 2015, we were lucky enough to sign, develop, record and market the careers of artists such as RATKING, Willis Earl Beal & Single Mothers.
Hot Charity exists as a Bronx-based record label, a subsidiary of the UK’s XL Recordings. With a focus on character-based artists and creativity, between 2012 and 2015, we were lucky enough to sign, develop, record and market the careers of artists such as RATKING, Willis Earl Beal & Single Mothers.
Hot Charity exists as a Bronx-based record label, a subsidiary of the UK’s XL Recordings. With a focus on character-based artists and creativity, between 2012 and 2015, we were lucky enough to sign, develop, record and market the careers of artists such as RATKING, Willis Earl Beal & Single Mothers.
