BJ Penn
A couple weeks ago I flew to Hilo, Hawaii to shoot a mini-documentary character piece on the MMA UFC Legend BJ “The Prodigy” Penn for RVCA. I really cant express enough how humble, genuine, talented and an overall great guy BJ is. It is often rare to be such a successful public figure and maintain grounded, true to family and friendly values, not be over zealous with money and material things and overall to be respectful to any and everyone you come across. To me, MMA and the UFC in particular have a pretty negative connotation, filled with jock mentality, steroids, bad graphics, and tough ego guys. The practice and discipline of training however, is something I appreciate, and BJ breaks all those stereotypes and more in my book. This was shot a week before his latest fight. BJ has been fighting in MMA and UFC for over 10 years. Thanks BJ for the hospitality in Hilo.
click more for a couple other photos
Keegan Gibbs - Blog 
Really enjoyed watching this and loved the color as well. Nice!
You really got the person behind the fighter BJ Penn. Gone share this on Facebook!! 🙂
Reblogged this on Wojciech Welc Photography and commented:
Awesome documentry
Keegan Just wanted to say I really enjoyed the BJ Penn mini doc nice work
Reblogged this on THE TITAN WOLF and commented:
I don’t follow UFC fighting very closely, but I did come across this mini-documentary about fighter BJ Penn. It’s an amazing inspiration for anyone who is pursuing their passion, especially those who desire to practice a modest lifestyle…like me.
Over the past few months, I have had growing concerns about balancing family life with the frequent travel and time away from home (which is a huge part of performing as a musician). You start to think about these things as you grow and change, especially when you have graduated college, and you’re looking to move out of the nest, etc. It’s a challenge to balance it all even now when I feel I haven’t even begun to get the ball rolling! But I still see challenges on the horizon, and it’s frightening.
What’s even more frightening is the possibility of letting one’s creation spiral out of control into something I like to describe as an “Artist’s Black Hole.” But in order to understand what I mean, first we have to define what a black hole is exactly.
A Black Hole is an astronomical phenomenon that occurs when a dying star collapses on itself. Its size shrinks dramatically, but it keeps its mass, therefore creating a black hole where nothing in its path, even light, escapes. Entire stars 100 times larger than our sun, even solar systems have been devoured by these monsters.
Side note: As you read this post, we are believed to be orbiting a super massive black hole at the center of our galaxy…
Now compare those solar systems and stars to loved ones, family, friends, dreams, hopes, and goals…See where I’m going with this?
An Artist’s Black Hole is essentially where one’s creation becomes out of control and therefore devours its creator and everything around them, letting nothing escape from its clutches. For example: Why do you think you see so many divorces and separations in Hollywood and such? I would say, these artists have been consumed by their self-created black holes. Thus, they are in as hellish a situation psychologically as a homeless man wondering where his next meal will be. Different circumstances, same result…and that result is suffering.
So the question for every artist is, let alone every human is…how do I balance all of this work and maintain my happiness and the happiness of my family and friends?
Watch the video. ~ Phil
That was a wonderful documentary! Really really enjoyed it thanks a lot!
i’ve been a big fan of BJ for awhile now, and you as well, Keegan. and this documentary is awesome!
The Prodigy! You’ve got an MMA fan here. Great documentary!