TOM BIRD. Kinda like TOM FORD. His work may not smell as good. Looks good though. And he smells nice. More info here ︎︎︎
TOM BIRD. Kinda like TOM FORD. His work may not smell as good. Looks good though. And he smells nice. More info here ︎︎︎
Channel 4
I Was There When...
2017
Commercial work

A series about how key moments in history can change music culture forever. Ep 1 uncovers how the demolition of disco gave birth to house.

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I Was There When... is a docu-series format spearheaded by head of Pi Studios, Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock. Unfortunately, the full series was never commissioned, but the pilot episode was a dream project to be a part of.

I Was There When House Was Born’ explores how a baseball half-time show in Chicago in which thousands of disco records were destroyed lit the fuse for the birth of a new genre. The incident – now referred to as Disco Demolition – morphed into a racial provocation that forced the (predominantly black) disco scene into the shadows, where it stewed and mutated into a new sound that would soon take the world by storm.

My role in the project was as a researcher and writer, helping map out the narrative arc by sourcing info, plugging gaps and recommending interview subjects.

We hosted a screening at FC Hyena in Amsterdam, where house legend Jesse Saunders came all the way from Chi-town for the party ... and boy can he still party.

Click here to watch Episode 1 on All4.


Creative Studio  ︎︎︎  Pi Studios
Commissioner  ︎︎︎  Channel 4
Series Creator  ︎︎︎  Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock
Executive Producer  ︎︎︎  Ravi Amaratunga Hitchcock
Production Company  ︎︎︎  All Day Every Day
Director  ︎︎︎  Jake Sumner
Producer  ︎︎︎  Lucy Sumner
Art Direction ︎︎︎  Nessim Higson, Jack Samels (Pi Studios)
Researcher  ︎︎︎  Tom Bird (Pi Studios)

Mark
Wednesday May 11 2022
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