For the Culture

A local model, videographer and photographer joined forces to create a unique transmedia documentary that asks its subjects–and Columbus as a whole–what it means to be Black

By Laura Hennigan / Photos by Deondre White / Story Design by Atlas Biro

Born and raised in Columbus, Lauryn Hendrix is a model and concept director who has no shortage of big ideas that are designed to inspire, engage and create conversations.

At just 21, her projects are making waves across social media for their positive messages, including her latest, a short documentary titled, “For the Culture.”

“I like bringing together people from all walks of life, different backgrounds, different races, religions, cultures,” said Hendrix. “I want us to all come together because it's so easy to stay isolated from others.”

Staged at 400 West Rich, a location known for its collaborative community of artisans, the documentary was filmed by videographer Justin Jean, who owns the local media company SpareTimeFootage. This is the second collaboration between Hendrix and Jean, with the first being a docu-short titled ”The Measure of Humanity.”

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“I wanted to create something that connected with viewers in multiple ways: visually, through story and through sound,” said Jean.”I wanted for viewers to appreciate the visuals while also being drawn into the story by using music that I felt would lift emotion without being a distraction.”

The new documentary also features a photograph set from Columbus photographer Deondre White, who captured many of the exciting (ecstatic even) scenes featured throughout For the Culture. Ultimately, the unique transmedia piece asks the following question to each of its Ohio-based subjects: “What does being Black mean to you?” In doing so, it also tactfully poses the question to every audience member who watches as well.

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Hendrix had been interested in tackling this project for a while, and approached Jean with the idea in January with the intent to align it with Black History Month. “As a race we are creative and so powerful. I feel like the media doesn’t portray our good moments and positive qualities enough, you only see the negative or the struggles we face, so I wanted to show off our good moments and our happy times,” she shared.

According to Jean: “(Lauryn) created the overall concept, organized all of the models, created the questions amongst a number of other things I'm sure. My role was more in handling the overall filming and post production. That was the biggest sort of prerequisite that I gave Lauryn when she initially came to me with the idea. I wanted to be able to film, edit and create the storyline how I wanted with her giving

“I wanted for viewers to appreciate the visuals while also being drawn to the story...”

the final approval on everything. That allowed me to really dig into the material and not be afraid of creating and pushing boundaries.”

Hendrix finds inspiration for her projects in current topics and issues happening in the world. She isn’t seeking to make political statements or only to represent African American voices, but rather to unify people and share positive messages. She connects with others via Instagram, and her @adoree.lauryn account has over 11 thousand followers. “The whole point of the For the Culture concept is to show Black females and males coming together, working together, not fighting or arguing, just having fun together,” said Hendrix. “There’s so much negative in the world today, especially violence and hatred, and I really wanted to show positive moments.”

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The documentary also includes snippets of quotes from famous Black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Jean added these excerpts intentionally to help share a narrative: “It was all about building a storyline that would marry the voices of young African Americans with famous voices from the Civil Rights Era. In that I saw an opportunity to use footage that I captured first hand, that I knew would impact the viewers in a way that is striking but also pushes the story.”

Hendrix still has many more concepts she’s excited to pursue, but the goal of every endeavor remains the same for her. “With my projects, I want to put positivity out there for everyone and inspire people. When we come together, we can create magic.”

To see more of Lauryn's work, follow @adoree.lauryn

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