Clayton Vomero

When asked what inspires him, Clayton Vomero says without hesitating, “The idea that sometimes magic creeps into the boring routine of our daily lives – and that those moments never last, so you better capture them.” The NYC-based creative currently works as a director at the Furlined production agency, but one day hopes to “end up as a benevolent cult leader. In the desert.”

His short film “GANG” – made in collaboration with Dazed in 2015 – is a tale of youthful hedonism, featuring Mela Murder and Denaisa Moore of the Major Lazer dance crew star alongside Ghostface Killah’s son Infinite Coles, indulging in spitting contests, smoking weed and discussing what it means to be loved as the day dawns.

“It’s my story in metaphor,” he says of the film. “It’s a lot of NY kids’ stories. We’ve had so many kids come up to us at parties or just on the street, being like, ‘Your film fucked me up!’” Capturing the trio voguing on the subway and embracing in a group hug, it’s the authenticity of Vomero’s film that makes it such a triumph. “I didn’t visualise anything other than what’s in front of me. This is what kids are like. They’re smart, eloquent, funny and full of the life that tends to die in people after a certain age.” This year, the director has got a host of projects lined up, including shooting his first feature film – make sure to watch this space.

Text Lakeisha Goedluck