'Cool Hunting's' Web Show For Creative Types, Latest Stop: Tokyo

Cool Hunting is already one of my favorite daily reads, a curated intersection of inspiring art, design and culture from around world. And woven throughout the interviews with designers, craftsmen and artists is a regular web video series Cool Hunting Video that brings this all to life. With a history going back to early 2006, just after Apple announced their video iPods in 2005, the series has grown into a standalone show of 150 episodes to date, and business, in its own right.

Its latest episode (above), a three minute look at Nike’s newly opened Tokyo flagship store with architect Masamichi Katayama. Shot in Japanese, with English subtitles, we get an authentic sampling of the sounds and design of the new store without an overtly corporate polish. The episode was in fact sponsored by Nike, which explains some of the access they had, but its captured in Cool Hunting’s discerning style.

Producer Ami Kealoha recently posted a Best of Cool Hunting Video 2009 list, somehow picking the top 5 episodes from the past year. Some creators would say that’s like picking your favorite child, but Kealoha and her team managed to draw favorites, including a portrait of three colorful printmakers in Sao Paulo, Brazil (below). Kelaoha often hires director Greg Mitnick to helm most of the bi-monthly episodes, with Cool Hunting’s EIC Josh Rubin and executive editor Evan Orensten stepping in to produce part of the time.

We asked Kealoha about the series and how they pick what what to feature for their high brow audience. “We use the same criteria that we use for the site—it’s stuff we like, said Kealoha. “Of course, we temper that by considering what does and doesn’t work for video, so the nature of the subject and the kind of access we have to it makes a big difference.” And this is playing out as the video series progresses, trying to match content choices with their astute fan base. “We think of our audience as creative professionals,” she added, “so we are always thinking about things like process and behind-the-scenes.”

An other episode (below) teamed up the CH crew with fashion label Diesel who invited them to check out the Miami edition of their annual Diesel:U:Music Tour last month. Headliners of the event Kid Cudi and Santigold are interviewed talking about how their multi-genre music styles are “taking it back to rock and roll basics.”

Upcoming episodes will continue their eclectic variety of topics, eveything from DIY Korean cooking to a trip down to Brazil. “We’re all really excited about a video documenting how to make Kim Chee,” added Kealoha. “We also have a video on the Lisbon band Buraka Som Sistema, a peek into the Hastens bed factory and a look at a Sao Paulo architecture firm called Tryptique—to name a few!”