A Boy Battles to Be a Man in Skinny Pelembe's Raw 'Don't Be Another' Video

Jai Moseley directs a raw and vulnerable video for artist Skinny Pelembe’s single ‘Don’t Be Another’, capturing the essence of an individual’s life in Stratford, California. 

Jai’s intrinsic direction delves into the character, Hilario’s, experiences as he depicts a boy on the cusp of being a man. Through an array of different scenes, we see Hilario grappling with responsibilities and the constraints of his environment, leading him to resort to his familiar coping mechanisms. Jai’s poignant storytelling represents the struggles faced by many in the town due to the lack of opportunities. 

Jai said of the project, “When I listened to Doya’s (Skinny Pelembe) track for the first time, I was really gripped by this very specific tale of human imperfection. It had this strong feeling for an unquenchable thirst for a better life. I knew instantly, the video would have to be one where the experience and feeling for a complicated life, overruled all else. 

"The choice of subject matter, comes from the meshing of this, with a story it reminded of, that I had read through the discovery of photographer Matt Black’s work. The story was of a field worker named Hilario Guzman, who had crossed the border into the US with his family. One day, after working in the fields, picking 250 trays of grapes over 10 hours (and making only $50), he crashed his truck drunk into an alfalfa field. It was said, in Hilario’s culture, when you die in the fields your soul gets stuck there. 

"Hilario’s story felt like a poignant commentary that echoed the dilemma’s of our track. With this in mind, we headed up to the farming towns of the Central Valley, to find an organisation we could consult and make this story in partnership with. 

"Immense gratitude needs to be expressed for Re-establishing Stratford, a charity dedicated to empowering and re-establishing the once prosperous community of Stratford, CA. To the two founders, Ramon Chavez and Robert Isquierdo. To Robert’s parents, John and Gloria Nimmons, the town of Stratford, CA, and Kevin Clark @ Screens. 

"Thank you all so much."