Pitch 1
My neighborhood has a volleyball field that has shaken up the whole area. They have been around since I can remember, my father, being an active customer in their field since I was born. But the difference is they are in a residential home’s backyard. The owner has transformed it into a successful business, local hangout spot and has been an innovator in the sports business. They play Ecuavolley, which is a form of volleyball played in Ecuador(different rules, the net is placed at a greater height). The owner is an Ecuadorian born citizen and has spent the last 15 years making it an attraction. They hold tournaments, betting, gambling, as well as having formed their own league. I plan to ask her how she has made all of this success possible, any downsides to the business and how she feels is impacting the neighborhood itself, as well as the participants in these games and their families. I think the Ambi could be the men playing, the food being cooked and the chants of the crowd, you can always hear them from down the block on a Saturday afternoon. I would like to focus my projects for this class in my neighborhood and feel this establishment has made big strides in pushing our community in a progressive direction and is a key feature.
Pitch 2
I am a huge fan of street food and my area has so many varieties at all times of the day. It’s sad to say they all know me and even my dog on a first-name basis because I always eat out. But although the food mainly caters to Hispanic and Asian food, I have recently begun to notice a change in my neighborhood which leads me to believe that my neighborhood is going to be going through gentrification. I would like to sit down with some of my favorite vendors and ask how they feel about possible changes in clientele if they feel adaptation is an option for them. As well as get to hear their stories on how their business came to be in order to get some background info on the types of people this change will affect. In addition to the sound of food being prepared, you will be able to hear orders being called out by the chefs, and the coasters eating the sounds of the neighborhood.
* * I feel as though I may be able to combine both ideas into one, and am leaning towards doing that and make the Volleyball establishment a part of the story for pitch 2**