Artist Equity partnered with Amazon Studios to create a movie that every business owner, content creator, and sneaker head has to see, AIR, Courting a Legend. This riveting film depicts Nike’s journey in building an entire shoe brand around a NBA rookie named Michael Jordan ( I think we may have seen that name before! Haha!). This brand deal alone revolutionized not only the world of sports but also sneaker culture as a whole. Ben Affleck directed the film and did an amazing job of creating what was a 1980's time capsule to really immerse the viewers in the storyline.
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On March 20th, in NYC, Warner Bros. Discovery Theater at Hudson Yards hosted the advanced screening of AIR. Just outside of the theater, you were met with a beautiful foyer that had a basketball “jump shot” activation, a photo-op moment, and not to mention a breathtaking view of the sun setting over the New York Skyline.
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The AIR cast has to be one the of the most star-studded, multi-oscar winning casts to date. This film features Viola Davis, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Julius Tennon, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, Jason Bateman, Matthew Maher, and the list continues. Our queen, Viola Davis, played Deloris Jordan. Although this movie is not a biopic, Michael Jordan requested to have Viola Davis play his mother, Deloris Jordan. Ben Affleck made that happen and Viola showed up and showed out as she always does! When seeing this film, you may think that it's solely about Michael Jordan but we soon learn which “Jordan” really changed the game.
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After the movie finished, the viewers got to sit in on a Q&A with Matt Damon, Viola Davis, her husband Julius Tennon, Matthew Maher, and Ben Affleck. The audience was filled with fellow legendary actors, directors, producers, television personalities as well some familiar faces from our sneaker community, Vashtie, The Notorious KIA, and Marissa Hill. The cast shared stories about the camaraderie they built on set and how Ben Affleck nicknamed them “The Dream Team.” Matt Damon also mentioned the longevity of his and Ben’s friendship (over 30 years) and their newly launched production company, “Artist Equity.”
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When the Q&A ended, everyone got a chance to mix and mingle during a reception hosted in the foyer at the back of the theater with light refreshments.
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Jordan sneakers have remained relevant and highly sought after since their inception. We may not be standing in long lines outside on release day anymore, but we for sure will still participate in raffles on the SNKRS app in hopes to still get some J’s when they drop. An iconic quote from AIR is, “A shoe is just a shoe until someone steps into it,” and we have ALL been stepping into it! The Jordan brand is still flying off the shelves with sales more than 5 billion dollars last year! If that isn't a lasting impact, I don’t know what is!
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Earlier that morning, on Good Morning America, some of the cast were gifted their own “AIR’s,” and for the Advanced screening, Viola styled them so effortlessly!
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This captivating film is a SLAM DUNK, y'all! Make sure you take flight to witness greatness that transcends all generations! AIR is a movie you don't want to miss!
Exclusively in theatres now!
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-- Jackie E.
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Photo credit (Instagram):