Create Your Own Wave 🌊
Paolo Abeabe joins our 25C lineup
blog.twenty-eight // I don’t want to get too cocky. But I think we’re onto something.
I’m writing to you from the Powder Blue studio here in Chicago. We’re officially three days into our first week with working Wi-Fi and real desks. The prior week—which involved conducting interviews by a) propping my phone against my water bottle; b) recording over data; and c) placing that mobile contraption on the window sill—really makes one appreciate working Wi-Fi.
Nevertheless, we’ve been rolling this week. I wrote about our housewarming last blog and mentioned how it was the first of many regular gatherings to come, starting with an afternoon coffee and co-working session this Friday. We opened up just six slots for that session; we figured there would only be so much anticipation for now, and we currently only have so many chairs regardless.
Well, we underestimated by a tad, and forty-three people RSVP’d.
Again, I don’t want to make any early assumptions, and it’s not like the thing took off took off. But I really do think creatives everywhere are yearning for somewhere to go and people to share their work with. Not just one-off spaces, either; people are craving regular “watering holes.” Here in Chicago—the third-biggest city in the country—there's a lot of talented people, and a real lack of pre-existing infrastructure.
This topic certainly popped up in the latest installment in our “Twenty-Five Calls” series, where Shua chats with the incredibly talented Paolo Abeabe.* Read on for their conversation. And whether you’re based in Chicago or beyond, we can’t wait to host you at one of our gatherings in the near future.
— NGL
P.S. Last blog, we talked with Gohar Khan about speaking at the White House—and leveraging our voices to implement change. You can read more here.
Paolo Abeabe is a cinematic storyteller and creator based in London, England. His camera can’t help but capture the beauty in everyday moments—with a particular affinity for fashion and travel.
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Shua Buhangin: Hey Paolo! What were some of your biggest wins in 2024?
Paolo Abeabe: I think my main win for sure was quitting my nine-to-five to do this full-time. That's always been the biggest dream for me.
As for what comes after that, I never thought that it'd be possible to even plan things out that well. Honestly, just doing that alone…yeah, that was one win of several.
SB: I mean, you can run through more if you want.
PA: Another win that was actually kind of a long-term goal was the Uniqlo collab—being an ambassador for them.
Dude, I was rocking Uniqlo, trying to get something going for, like, ten years. It’s crazy. I was on holiday in the Philippines and that came through. When I found out, I locked in.
SB: Yeah, I really loved your video where you pull the zipper of the jacket, and you transport to somewhere warm. It's such a perfect way of showing, not telling.
PA: Thank you!
SB: What are some of the things that you're looking forward to in 2025—some things you might want to lean into this year?
PA: I think finally planning out what I want to do. A lot of last year was riding the wave—and it was a very big wave. Like, big enough for me to kind of ride into the tail end of the year.
Now I want to start making my own waves, if that makes sense. I was riding what was kind of just given to me. So obviously, I was more reactive in the work that I was doing.
Whereas this year, I want to be more proactive and try to plan things. I want to host community events because I seem to be going to those everywhere but London. I really want to form some sort of the community that we have in the States with creators here in the U.K.
And yeah, I want to just experiment with YouTube and try to be like you.
SB: Dude, I'm trying to be like you. The freaking space helmet video…that was insane man.
PA: Props, props, props. That's the thing—I’ve learned so much from others like Bibi-Jane and Megan Tan. They use a lot of props in their videos, and I was like, f**k it. I lowkey might just return the helmet once I'm done with it, but for now, I'm gonna hold onto it.
But yeah, props help inspire you so much. It kind of fleshes out the ideas a little bit more.
SB: Something for me is that I feel like I need more structure in my day-to-day. I can waste a lot of time just drifting—thinking about ideas instead of just getting outside with my camera and doing something.
PA: For sure. I mean, you having a studio alone is probably gonna be a massive factor in all of that. Because you're gonna have to go outside to go film.
SB: Yeah. We're also planning to do more community stuff, along with a launch party in March.
PA: Tell me when in March. I'll have to come through to Chicago.
SB: I'll keep you updated!
PA: At this point, I might as well just stay in the U.S. for, like, two months. I'm excited for you. It's like a physical thing that you're building.
SB: It's been crazy. Ever since 368's been a thing, I always wanted something like that to be in Chicago. There's so much artist history here, yet artists don't talk to each other like they do in New York City, and the community is a little more dispersed. You have to go find it here.
I've thrown a couple of events in Chicago. Seeing people in their first-to-third year of creating content with other people that do what they do, all in the same room…that alone made the event for them. And I was like, there needs to be more of this.
PA: That goes a long way for a lot of people. These sparks in people's journeys are amazing.
SB: What video are you working on today?
PA: Well, I was trying to make a video about trying to be a morning person—so trying to become the person you want to be. Ironically enough, it was hard for me to get up and film it because I'm not a morning person.
I was supposed to go out to the park. I missed out on one of the last few frosty mornings. It’s just wet grass now—there’s none of that icy frost look. But I’ll figure something out.
SB: Hope that video goes well.
PA: I'll probably catch you on Discord later today. Just like, you know, every day.
Thanks for reading! Shoot us a reply, comment, or DM if anything resonated with you in particular—we respond to them all.
* If you're new here, you can learn more about the why behind this series here.
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