BOK-Newspaper-Spring25

Snap to it: Bok Photo + Video

From capturing life’s special moments to bringing a creative vision to life, Bok’s talented photo and video professionals can make it happen!

1. Matt Ober

Matt is a documentary filmmaker and the weekday friendly face at the Bok info desk. Available for video editing and directing commissions! matthewober.com / @matt_name

2. Madlab Entertainment

Madlab specializes in independent film education, media production, and experiential events. madlabpost.com / @madlabpost

3. Colin Lenton

Colin Lenton specializes in commercial portrait and lifestyle photography, primarily serving clients in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. colinlenton.com / @colinmlenton

4. Steve Boyle

Steve is a commercial and editorial photographer specializing in sports, portraits, and corporate photography. steveboyle.com / @steveboylephoto

5. Days Away Creative

Days Away Creative is a full-service wedding photography studio dedicated to creating exceptional experiences for couples. daysawaycreative.com / @daysawaycreative

6. Matt Stanley

Matt specializes in commercial, lifestyle, and portrait photography. mattstanleyphoto.com / @stanleyphoto

7. Ugly Art

Ugly Art, led by film and advertising director Elijah Crawford, is an exhibitionist collective known for pushing creative boundaries. uglyartsfilms@gmail.com @elijahcrawfordd

The building is home to a collection of flexible spaces, each ideal for a variety of creative endeavors. Use our unique spaces to turn your photography ideas into reality and elevate your vision. Book your shoot @ Bok!

8. Merryweather Films

Merryweather Films crafts candid, cinematic wedding and event films that beautifully capture every moment.

merryweatherfilms.com / @merryweatherfilms

9. Astrobus Media

Astrobus Media produces event videos, documentaries, livestreams and brand videos. astrobusmedia.com / @astrobusmedia

10. Lightbox Film Center

Lightbox is Philadelphia’s premier exhibitor of film and moving image art. lightboxfilmcenter.org / @lightboxfilmcenter

11. BlackStar Projects

BlackStar produces programs that uplift the work of Black, Brown and Indigenous visual artists—including the annual BlackStar Film Festival (July 31-August 3). blackstarfest.org / @blackstarfest

12. Sweetwater Portraits

Sweetwater is known for natural, artistic wedding photography and Super 8 films. sweetwaterportraits.com / @sweetwaterportraits

13. Mangrove Media

Mangrove Media produces documentaries that explore climate change, science, and other unconventional topics. mangrovemedia.com / @mangrovevideo

14. Knox

Knox is a creative director and filmmaker who creates edgy hyper-stylized worlds to get lost in with his creative agency “.out/put.” knoxtripleseven@gmail.com / @knox.777

15. StevieChris

StevieChris is a visual creative specializing in commercial and editorial photography, directing, and creative direction. He’s also recently launched a new apparel brand. steviechris.com / @steviechrisphoto wearphilthy.com / @wearphilthy

Engage spaces immediately

Activate spaces early with installations, pilot programs, or pop-ups.

Celebrate easy wins

Invite the public in

Talk to your neighbors—it’s important to create deeper connections with your community and build trust early on.

Build from the outside-in

Let people see your progress early and often—visibility creates momentum.

Create the tenant you want

Get scrappy to create the business or activity you want to see, even if it’s temporary.

Take advantage of what’s already working.

One old school, millions of possibilities— how we built the community you see today.

The value of a “big

binder”

Do your research, stay organized, and keep all the essential details in one place.

It’s

always

Consider adjacencies

What tenants and uses work well together?

Always consider sounds and smells when Tetris-ing tenants together.

a work in progress

Embrace that no project is ever “done,” and changing circumstances mean you have to react creatively.

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time! Work to complete viability for a small piece of the puzzle, and bring the project to life incrementally and strategically.

Community is everything

Bok is about people first. The strongest projects are built with and for the community.

Tool Time with YUNS Hardware

We chatted with owner Kelly Wright about setting up shop in the WKSHP and the importance of doing it yourself.

What is YUNS all about?

YUNS is a hardware store for beginners. Our goal is to build a strong relationship between people and everyday tools in hopes that the more they can do for themselves, the more they can improve the world around them. In providing a welcoming and simple-to-navigate collection of quality tools, YUNS aims to help people overcome their intimidation or disinterest in the world of hardware and DIY.

What inspired you to start your business?

I’m from a rural town and my dad is a farmer. He taught me how to use tools, drive tractors, and harvest food so that I could feel a strong sense of self-reliance and use those things to aid those around me. Our local hardware store was a resource that not only supplied the stuff

Then

&

we needed, but where the community could be together and of service to one another. I knew a long time ago that if I could, I wanted to somehow build that kind of place.

What do you like about being in the community at Bok?

After being an exclusively online shop for a few years, I wanted to test out a physical space. The Bok team found me the right space to accommodate my specific needs and goals—something I never thought could happen. The building hosts this incredible cross-section of Philadelphia—people with wildly different backgrounds, disciplines, life

Now: Bok’s first tenant, Lobo Mau

Brother-sister textile design duo Nicole and Jordan Haddad on growing their business and reflecting on their decade in the Bok community.

What is Lobo Mau all about?

Nicole Haddad: Lobo Mau means ‘Big, Bad, Wolf’ in Portuguese—I wanted my clothing to be bold and have a masculine edge. When Jordan and I joined forces we made sustainability a key pillar of the business. We make comfortable, fun, easy, everyday clothing that has soul, while also offering an alternative to fast fashion.

How did you first discover Bok?

NH: A friend alerted me that studio spaces were opening up. We took a tour and the Scout team told us about their plans for the building, including “We are thinking of making a bar on the roof, but we aren’t sure yet.” By the time the tour was over I was sold. These smart, young women had a dream for the building, and I believed in them. We were the first tenant to move in; we had a little studio where the Wellness Center is now.

How has your business evolved over the years?

NH: A year after moving into the 1st floor, we built our dream studio on the 5th floor where we began to produce larger quantities of merchandise

stories, ages, talents, and interests. Yet we’re all in it together and try to build each other up and support one another every day. It really has changed my life being here.

What’s new at YUNS this spring?

Look out for more gardening and outdoor-related things, as well as my ongoing obsession with tools from Japan. Also, we are hosting our first DIY classes in partnership with our friends Matriarchy Build—all welcome and free admission!

helloyuns.com / @hello.yuns

and host our showroom (open Saturdays from 11:00am-5:00pm). Eventually we moved all our sewing operations to a factory in Chinatown. Having the studio space and the printing facility helped us push our business to the next level.

Why is this type of community important?

Jordan Haddad: The synergy that happens here is powerful; I can’t tell you how many ideas and collaborations stemmed from impromptu drinks at Bok Bar or a tenant mixer down the hall. I even met my wife, Lisle, here in 2017—we just welcomed our first child. I don’t think any of it was coincidence; rather a testament to how community grows and builds in a place like this.

What’s new for Lobo Mau this spring?

JH: Aside from our new collection and zerowaste home decor and graphic tee collabs, we’re really looking forward to hosting more education-based community events in our studio this year—a space we now share with Tuft The World, who offer workshops of their own, too. Being with our community and customers brings us so much joy, we couldn’t imagine having our brand without that.

lobomau.com / @lobomauclothing

What’s Next

Bok Bar Opening Day

Thursday, April 10

Everyone’s favorite seasonal rooftop bar is back—come celebrate 10 years of skyline selfies and sweet rooftop hangs! This season Bok Bar has a full menu of cocktails, wine, craft beers, and zero-proof options. Stay tuned for their rotating month-long chef residencies and robust calendar of events and activities all summer long. Join the Bok Bar crew on opening day from 5:00pm-10:00pm for drinks and bites.

Spring Open Studios

Friday, May 2

Join us for Bok’s signature biannual building-wide event! From 5:00pm-9:00pm, all nine floors will come alive for you to explore. Many of the 200 talented artists and small businesses will open their doors, offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their creative processes. You’re invited to shop, learn, and engage with our vibrant tenant community during this free, family-friendly night. Enjoy delicious food and drinks available for purchase as you wander, and cap off the night with a skyline view at Bok Bar.

B[L]OK Party

Sunday, June 29

It’s not summer in the city without our annual B[L]OK Party! Each year we invite friends, families, and neighbors to join in on this South Philly-inspired celebration. Eat, dance, sip, and shop alongside Bok creatives and pals all afternoon, right on the 800 block of Mifflin.