Dear Juxtapoz,

I work for Google and Google is a company known for its generous benefits, free lunch, stocks, beef jerky, massages, YouTube, etc.....   A good company that does good for the people that make it it amazing. Out of all of these niceties their is one single benefit that I find of imperial value. People. Its the brilliant people that have sought out my attention. Many of these are simple emails "hey I'm a director who just made a film......" or "hey Jeben, so and so told me you can help with videos....." and then their are the other requests that come in, looking for gainful employment, the bulk are of this type, and I really do try to find a place, if their is a place to be found. In most cases these folks don't fit any job at Google, or better than that, Google does not fit them.

So no new job, But their work is so stunning, its undeniable. I become entrenched in it. So the conversation moves on from the intro to the exploration of what they do, how they do it, and the biggie; why? ......Ah people.

The exceptional ones that catch my eye and imagination are the artists and fringers that are poised on the bleeding edge of experimentation with design, media and the human force powering the two in concert.  Their work comes in any form, video, installation, classical, unclassifiable, biology, robotics, anthopology, data visualization, ....... anything. With this in mind I have a few that are just to good to keep to myself. 

Steph Kese and Erin Pollock - Steph reached out to me not so long ago, we had a mutual friend who sees unconnected dots and did some connecting. I think I remember her looking for a job, but now I'm so grateful the economy tanked and Google jobs were turned to dust. Steph has moved to Alaska and gone farther with her work than any task I could have found for her. Faces, and the space they occupy in our memories and in the transient moments. Fragile, distinct, storytelling, ephemeral, and coming and going. This is powerful work. 

http://www.keseypollock.com/wax.html

Peter Ruprecht  - I met Peter in New York. He was working with Marc Ecko at the time. I was out there doing a big YouTube event with SoulJahBoyTellem and we ended up talking that night. He barely mentioned his photography, it was a discovery I made later as I Googled him. We talked and did some little things on YouTube. But it was his work that has staying power for me. In some ways if I were to be a photographer I would want to do work like him. Maybe someday he will let me intern.

Recently he went to Burning Man - and from their he has put together the only documentation of what Burning Man is that has EVER made me even remotely feel like a bit of the Playa was still under my fingertips. You can watch it here. And don't shortchange yourself with just that - go to his site and see for yourself. It speaks.

Okay - that's enough for today. Best,    Jeben