Yeezys sell out nearly instantly due to backdoor-ing, bots and resellers. Sneaker resellers are somewhat of a pariah of the culture; their occupation is taboo and they largely fly under the radar. Yuanrun Zheng, better known in his circles as “23Penny” or “Z,” is the Sneaker Broker. He has a personal sneaker collection of over 500 pairs, but, for him, sneakers are just business. Z takes us on an unprecedented look into the world of resellers.
(shot in part on Kodak 16mm film**)
Director- Benjamin Skipworth
Cinematographer: Hayden Mason
Editor: Owen Jackson
1st AC: Sam Siske
Original Music By: Ford Heacock
Additional tracks provided by: Miyagi
Sound Designer and Location Sound: Jeremiah Nave
Colorist: Jimmy Cardenas
Transcriptions: Sarah Hood
CAST
Z- Yuanrun Zheng- 23Penny.com
Car Wash- Chase Tucker
Girl On A Ledge- Mandy Renfroe
Unbox Me- Shayla Humphreys
The Ye Projector- Ethan K. Summers
Sneaker Spinner- Stephanie Nicole Longo
ATL Wall Tagger- Ephraim Johnson
Lifestyle footage shot on Kodak 16mm film stock.
Remaining footage shot on an Arri Alexa Mini.
Shot on location in Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN.
What drove us to tell this story? Personifying a “villainous” reseller through Yeezy hype.