Get to Know Greg Warfield

Greg was the 1st AD on the music video we recently shot for Dagha, which will hopefully be the first of many more creative collaborations. Greg has a lot going on – he owns a barber shop in Cape Cod and he just wrapped a Hulu production – so we snagged a few minutes of his time and got to know him a little bit more. Check this guy out and keep him on your radar!

Q: Tell us about your background. What was it like to grow up on Cape Cod?

A: Growing up on Cape Cod was always bittersweet. “My life is your vacation” Right? Well that unfortunately isn’t the case for all. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a middle class, two-parent household where there was an abundance of love and no shortage of hard work.

Growing up in a predominantly white environment, I had a very mixed group of friends from all different races and religions. The common misconception is there is no diversity on the Cape and that is absolutely not true. My mother comes from the strong Cape Verdean Community of Harwich and my father, like many other black men on the Cape, migrated there from the south. I was quite aware that I stood out as a young black man very early and I have always loved and leaned right into that.

Q: How do you think your experience in that environment has influenced your creative work?

A: I think coming from where I’m coming from makes me really want to show people what it’s like for minorities in America. I’ve always said I’ve wanted to be the voice of the unheard and the misrepresented and I feel I am just that.

Q: What inspires you lately?

A: Growth and trusting the process. I’m also in a creative accountability group with several other Creatives of color and the drive of those individuals and projects that my peers put out really make me strive to be better. Not just as a filmmaker but as a person too.

Q: You also have a successful business as a barber shop owner. How did you get into that?

A: I’ve always been particular about my beard and my haircuts (before my hair fell out!). My father used to bring me to the barber shop every other Saturday. We would leave the house at about 6am and wait outside the shop for an hour, sometimes two hours, before they opened. Back then it was first come first serve, so we would always try and get in and out before the day started. From watching sports, listening to music, hearing grown up jokes or just getting life advice, I quickly became obsessed with barber shops. As soon as I got my drivers’ license I was there getting fresh weekly (sometime leaving during study hall to get a cut!).

I originally dreamed of being a sports agent and that journey led me to UMass to study sports management. Ironically enough, my best friend up there was a barber and he really answered a lot of my questions. Also seeing the cash he was making weekly, I needed in as a broke college student. Once I realized college wasn’t for me, it was straight to barber school, where I met my future business partner.

Q: The dynamic between a barber and his client in the chair is often captured in entertainment…what do you think is unique about the relationship or environment?

A: I’m glad you asked this question specifically. The dynamic between a barber and his client is a lot like that of a psychiatrist and his client. More times than not, clients are coming to us and telling us about their life’s ups and downs and confiding in us. I think in a lot of cases a barber is substituted for a mental health care professional.

I’ve heard so many of my clients/friends say I’d rather talk to you than a therapist. It’s an honor to hear that my people trust me like that but it’s also alarming that many people of color don’t have access, trust, or even think to use a therapist. I believe everyone could use and benefit from some form of therapy and I would like to raise more awareness for this in communities of color.

Q: Switching gears into production, how did you first get connected with Vessel?

A: I first got connected with Vessel through the recommendation of a local producer. Upon talking to Mike, I could hear the passion in his voice explaining his project and once he sent me his treatment, I was very eager to work on his upcoming music video.

Q: How was your experience working on the Dagha music video?

A: It was dope. The vibes and the energy were both on another level and I think between that and Mike’s creative process and skills, it really showed in the final product.

Q: What is coming up next for you?

A: I’m currently working on a few different projects. One is about mental health in my community, and one is a music video for a very dope artist Liya out of Boston, I’m really hyped for this one.

Q: What creatives are on your radar right now who you would like to shoutout?

A: Julia Liu, Lexx Truss, Victoria Griggs, Vladimir Minuty, Melinda James, Mel Jones and of course Mike Silva!