Bobbito García – legendary Rock Steady Crew Deejay, sports announcer, writer, basketball aficionado and all around culture maven. This summer García is expanding his resume to include the title of director with the documentary Doin’ It In The Park. Though he has made a huge name for himself with such ventures like the street basketball magazine Bounce, serving as a commentator on MSG-TV, ESPNU, CBS Sports and MTV2 the title he is still proudest of is “Boricua.”
He brings his orgullo to everything he does. The proud Nuyorican’s latest effort paired him with photographer Kevin Couliau to document pickup-basketball culture in New York City equipped with only a Canon camera, their bikes and their passion for the sport. On the heels of the film’s digital release on May 1st, ‘LLERO caught up with “Kool Bob Love” to discuss what he learned about his beloved game during the making of the film and the impact Latinos have made in its history here in New York City.
‘LL: Doin’ It In The Park was your first time directing. What did you actually do? What was it like?
BG:I think the question is really what didn’t I do? [Laughs] Kevin and I both produced the film as well and have been managing the screenings. We’ve probably done 35 screenings throughout 5 continents. Mind you, this is an indie film – no big names, no ESPN Films behind it, no Magnolia behind it – this is just two dudes that love basketball. In terms of directing it was cool. I picked out locations, did all the interviews, wrote the script, I narrated the film, took photos and then played ball as well. Part of the story is the community that is so passionate about the sport here outdoors in New York and how it impacts the rest of the world. Another part of the story is me and Kevin’s journey. Kevin and I went to 180 courts in 75 days and 95 of those on our bicycles. So, essentially that was an accomplishment on its own and we documented that as well, it’s kind of a sub-plot.
‘LL: How did you come to work with Kevin Couliau?
BG: Kevin Couliau, who I have known for 10 years, was a photographer first and then got into videography. I knew I couldn’t do a film on my own; I had to partner with someone smarter than me [laughs]. We both have a passion for the game so we collaborated. And this is what we came up with.