SNEAKER BROKER

Breakdown: We shot this documentary in 2017 when the hype over Yeezys was absolutely out of control. The Kanye fronted brand dropped pairs that would sell out nearly instantly due to backdoor-ing, bots and resellers. At the time, sneaker resellers were somewhat of a pariah of the culture; their occupation was taboo and they largely flew under the radar. Yuanrun Zheng, better known in his circles as “23Penny” or “Z,” is the Sneaker Broker. He has a personal sneaker collection of over 500 pairs, but, for him, sneakers are just business. Z took us on an unprecedented look into the world of resellers and was one of the first documented resellers to go on camera and embrace his villain role in the culture. The film received a Vimeo Staff Pick, circulated culture sites and landed on ESPN’s top 10 stories of the week. Shot in part on KODAK 16mm film. 

Director: Benjamin Skipworth

Producers: Benjamin Skipworth

DP: Hayden Mason

Editor: Owen Jackson