Watch: An Evening with Vincent Martell, Director and Writer of Finesse and Founder of VAM Studios
Imagery of Vincent Martell. Collage by Doriana Diaz.
Watch our conversation with Vincent Martell, director and writer of FINESSE and founder of VAM Studio, for our Black Trans Thought and Histories Series.
On Thursday, September 8th, Black Women Radicals hosted the first event in our Black Trans Thought and Histories Series, curated by Naomi Simmons-Thorne and emerald faith, which was an evening with Vincent Martell, writer and director of the series, FINESSE and founder of VAM Studio! During the conversation, we showed snippets of Martell’s series, FINESSE. An original series directed and written by Martell, FINESSE is a 5-episode series centered around a chosen family of three roommates who depend on one another to get through the world as black artists and sex workers in Chicago.
Starring Jaren Merrell (Shea Couleé), Jeez Loueez, and Vincent Martell, FINESSE is a colorful sexual adventure centered around the hustle of a chosen family of black artists and sex workers. In FINESSE, we see black queer people in control of their bodies. It’s a world that acknowledges that the abundance of black queer intimacy can and will be used as a revolutionary tool in storytelling.
About Vincent Martell: Vincent Martell (they/them/he/him) is a Chicago-bred filmmaker and hustler whose work centers around nuanced POC and LGBTQIA+ narratives on screen. Founder of inclusive production company VAM STUDIO-home to a diverse team of POC and Queer filmmakers in Chicago, NY, and LA. VAM STUDIO is an award-winning collective and company behind some of the most disruptive narratives and branded content in media today. Vincent's work has been profiled in Vogue, Rolling Stone, New York Times, Tribune, Out Magazine, Pitchfork, Paper Magazine, Advocate, and NPR. He has also directed award-winning original content for global brands like Apple, Red Bull, and Grindr.
Vincent was also named Dr. Marten's first global filmmaker of the year. Martell has given lectures on inclusion and independent filmmaking at Stanford University, DePaul, NYU, Northwestern University, and the School of the Art Institute. Their debut narrative Damaged Goods premiered in 2019 with nominations for Best Indie Series from the Streamy Awards, The Queerties, and the Webby Awards in 2020. Finesse, the highly anticipated narrative based on Vincent’s life is set to premiere this Summer.
Watch FINESSE on Youtube here.
Make sure to follow FINESSE on Instagram and Twitter.
For more information about VAM STUDIO, please visit: https://vamstudio.net