New Orleans Style, Breaking Bad and Dad Tennis Shoes: Edward ‘Buck’ Buckles Jr’s Essential List

Edward Buckles Jr is a son of New Orleans. His non-linear path to filmmaking has birthed a brand of visual storytelling – an aesthetically beautiful marriage between fine art and guerilla-style documentation.

Edward’s work calls his audience towards remembrance and to see the beauty in imperfections. The award-winning filmmaker, director, and producer continues to find inspiration in his people and innovative ways to share the stories of Black communities that would otherwise be lost in the passing of time.

His film ‘Katrina Babies’ was shortlisted for a 2023 Academy Award. His production company, House of the Young Ent. is a beacon in the New Orleans’ arts community and a platform for the culture of the city. His debut HBO Original documentary ‘Katrina Babies’, a co-production by TIME Studios, House of the Young Ent., and Creative Control T.V., released in 2022.

He was featured on DOC NYC’s 40 under 40 in 2022 and was awarded the New Orleans Film Society’s Rising Star Award.

Lifestyle

Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
Hometown: New Orleans, Louisiana
Staycation: Peter and Paul Hotel
Vacation: Paris, France
Pet: My family’s dog, a Golden Doodle. She’s mentally a guard dog.
Place of work: I’m mainly stationed in my head but sometimes that takes me all over the world to make films.
Place of workout: Through the streets. I’m a runner.
Good Habit: I love to help people.
Bad Habit: I love to help people.
Mode of transport: 1994 Ford Bronco XLR. Yes, the OJ… and bike if I’m feeling like it.
Bonus travel essential: A disposable camera.

Culture

Artist: Dapper Bruce Davenport
Musician: John Coltrane and Future
Commercials / music video director: Dave Meyers
Film director: Kahlil Joseph
Author: James Baldwin
Photographer: Gordon Parks, Dawoud Bey, Myesha Evon Gardner, Kennedi Carter, and Leo Touchet
Film: ‘City of God’
Series: ‘Breaking Bad’. I’m rewatching now.
Invention: I tried to think of something deep to say here but I have to go with the iPhone.
Commercial: Michael Jordan and Spike Lee - ‘It's gotta be the shoes’ - Air Jordan Commercial 1991
Music video: Kanye West’s ‘Through the Wire’ by Coodie and Chike, Juvenile’s ‘HA’ by Dave Meyers, and Janet Jackon’s ‘Got ‘til It’s Gone’ by Mark Romanek
Video game: Madden 2005, the year the ‘Hit Stick’ came out.
Board game: Cheaters Monopoly
Book: ‘Stokely Speaks’
Podcast: ‘Ghetto Runways’ hosted by Marcus Dane and Alonzo Jackson
Magazine: FACT, Essence (July/August 2024 edition (I shot the covers), and the August 2022 Digital edition of Time Magazine (My film ‘Katrina Babies’ was on the cover :) )
Obsession: FOOD
Bonus culture essential: Going to Secondlines. I’m from New Orleans.

Food and Drink

Breakfast: New Orleans-style Shrimp and Grits and sometimes just a traditional breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, bacon.
Restaurant: BOND ST.
Cheap bite: The chicken melt at Waffle House with cheesy hashbrowns and an orange juice. smh.
Working lunch: Mediterranean food: Chicken Shawarma, rice, and hummus.
Dish: My Jerked Red Snapper Tacos
Snack: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
Guilty pleasure: I still put fries on my burgers like I did when I was 10.
Bar: Bullets Sports Bar
Booze: Last word with Mezcal. Don’t forget the maraschino cherry
Not booze: Guayaki Yerba Mate
Bonus food: Sushi
Bonus beverage: Good Bourbon

Kit

Phone: iPhone
Computer: MacBook
Headphones: Space Gray AirPods Max
Camera: iPhone
Where you document an idea: Notes in my iPhone
Casual Clothing: Dickies workwear
Smart Clothing: Dickies workwear
Footwear: I’m really into dad tennis shoes right now and shoes that have big soles but no backs.
Accessory: Gucci Gold chain that was gifted from my sister Keiera.
Collection: Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga
Home comfort: Pajamas my mama got me for Christmas.
App: Instagram
Website: YouTube
Blog: Creative Control TV, you just had to be there.
Work program: Premiere Pro
Digital work tool: Magic mouse and keyboard
Analogue work tool: light meter
Morning grooming / makeup essential: Rosewater and moisturizer. And a water flosser