Authentic Los Angeles: Raul Ojeda, shoemaker

[Video Link] My friends Jessica Gao and Gaston Dominguez-Letelier are making a series of video profiles called "Authentic Los Angeles." In this episode, they profiled Raul Ojeda, shoemaker.

Authentic Los Angeles is a documentary series that explores and celebrates both Los Angeles heritage and appreciation for craftsmanship. Each film subject, whether an individual or institution, is chosen because they have perfected their specialty the old school way: putting in the time and hard work for the long haul. In short, they are dedicated to the authenticity of their product and their legacy. This project is curated by Jessica Gao and Gaston Dominguez-Letelier, both of whom immigrated from foreign countries but were raised in and around L.A.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

MORE: Authentic Los Angeles

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

peterblue11

reminds me of the ‘made by hand’ series of bureauofcommongoods. check their knife maker video out. its more poetic&aesthetic , rather than socially orientated like the above piece.

vimeo.com/31455885
BoydWaters

Raul was also profiled in Episode 2, Season 1 of Jesse Thorn’s “Put This On”. Seems like a great guy, awesome shoes.
http://www.styleforum.net/t/281403/jesse-thorn-interviews-raul-ojeda-of-don-ville-custom-shoemaker-in-los-angeles#post_5083350
http://johnstonsigns.blogspot.com/ dejoh

Great production. Learned alot just watching.
Palomino

FINALLY, “Artisan” is correctly defined.
Rod Sullivan

Thanks for the link, Mark. I enjoyed the piece, and look forward to seeing more in the series.

From a YouTube search, it appears that there’s at least one other “Authentic Los Angeles” piece that Gao and Dominguez-Letelier have released. It profiles Almon Loos, a barber in the city: http://youtu.be/KE5vj87paAE
TheMudshark

Next episode: Michael Bay, filmmaker
domandwoland

reminded me of this nice little film on vimeo charting the decline of traditional trades people in Hackney;

http://vimeo.com/37060139
Paul Renault

When I was a kid, there used to be a shoemaking shop in Shediac. Their storefront and part of the workshop was right on Main street.

The part of the workshop facing the street was the polishing room. It had two banks of three six foot long horizontal shafts, covered with all sizes, types, and colours of polishing brushes spinning away. These were turned by wide leather belts that ran off to somewhere in the back of the workshop to the motor.

As a kid, I’d often stare at the window, fascinated by the spinning brushes. And what a cool job that would be.

Unlike the case of my physician father, who all day long had people coming to his office so they could complain – “My arm hurts. I’m bleeding, help me!” No, no, working with those spinning brushes; THAT would be the way to earn a living!