Shooting Channing in Portland, OR how I learned to love the Blazers
By Count Blogula on May 19 Filed In Austin, Texas, Events, Sweet Consumers, Sweet Leaf Dogs, Sweet Leaf Tea Company News, Uncategorized 3 Comments
I was pretty excited when I was asked to travel to Portland, Oregon for a photo shoot with the Portland Trail Blazers’ Channing Frye. Channing was a star center and power forward for the University of Arizona before being selected 8th overall in the 2005 NBA draft. Portland and Phoenix are both big emerging markets for Sweet Leaf, so Channing is a perfect fit for our very first sports endorsement. Plus, the C. Frye Foundation is dedicated teaching youth about healthy lifestyles – and we’ve got a soft spot for kids here at SLT.
Welcome to the Sweet Leaf Tea Family
I had always wanted to see Portland. Everyone told me how much it was like Austin and how well I would fit in. My whole trip lasted about 24 hours, but it was long enough to see that they were right. The city is split by the Willamette River. Folks kayak, fish, walk their dogs, and run around it just like Town Lake. It divides Downtown on the west side from a South-Austin-esuqe sprawl of shorter commercial and residential buildings on the east side. The biggest difference in my eyes was narrower streets – proof of a long-forgotten time before 4-lane traffic in every direction. It felt like an older version of Austin, founded and grown up a few decades ahead of schedule. I even stayed in a hotel that I can only describe as Portland’s version of the Driskill.
I checked in, cleaned up, and met with the photographer for lunch to discuss what we wanted to get out of the shoot. The deli was totally stocked with Sweet Leaf Tea and my cashier was from Austin (she noticed my SLT polo). On the walk back toward the hotel, we stopped at “The Rip City Uprise,” a rally celebrating the Blazers making the playoffs. It was pretty cool to see a whole city come out to support their team. I’ve known some sports fanatics, but this was a zoo in a public square smack in the middle of downtown. It was an insane mix of yuppies, angry hobos, high school kids from the ‘burbs, and townies. We caught a glimpse of Channing and the team through the voracious crowd and left to get ready for the shoot.
When we got to Channing’s place, we were greeted with a huge smile and a quick tour. His apartment was pretty impressive. It wasn’t gaudy, you could just instantly tell what kind of guy he was. Tasteful paintings and family photos on shelves and walls were accented by remote control cars and Guitar Hero controllers under coffee tables. Channing’s two bulldogs (<– click for video) are like Abbot and Costello. Lilly is tall, athletic and obedient. Milton is like an over-stuffed sausage. To him, words like “sit” and “stay” must sound like “drool” and “play” (but in a completely adorable way).
Milton and Lilly Playing with their New Favorite Toy
Sharing the Spotlight
Instead of trying to describe Channing’s amazing view, I’ll just say, “Downtown, river, crane nests, foothills, island, two volcanoes,” and refer you to the picture. Wow! Speaking of pictures, it’s worth mentioning that we got some excellent help from our friends at Evrim Icoz Photography.
Channing Holding a Triple-Double on his Balcony
The most impressive part about the shoot was the man himself. Channing is absolutely one of the nicest, most humble and genuine people I’ve ever met. Not at all what I expected when I imagined meeting an NBA player. In between shots, I introduced Channing to the Double-Clap (<– click for video demonstration). I’m hoping he’ll use it before / during / after games and that it will catch on among players and fans… we’ll see. We got some great shots that day. It was a meeting that began with a handshake and ended with a big hug. In fact, with a wingspan around 7 feet, I’m certain it was measurably the biggest hug I’ve ever gotten.
After the shoot, the photographer and his assistant took me downtown for beers and to a place called Voodoo Donuts. I tried a Bacon Maple Donut that Anthony Bourdain featured on “No Reservations.” Truly the sort of thing you need to try once.
The Legendary Bacon Maple Donut
Even though it was short lived, it was a pretty great trip – one more reason to love my job. You had better believe I’ll be back to Portland, and you can bet I’ll stay a bit longer next time.
I call this standee mock-up "Lil' Channing" - full size version coming soon
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