Reflecting on Tall Guy Week 2024

Tall guy week capped off by this new electric custom Sartoro shirt.

I take pride in the fact that we are accepting of all people here at OneTake Media Enterprises - within just our first couple of years of meteoric production as a lifestyle brand, we've had admitted pathological liars, gambling addicts, future felons (no longer allowed to contribute), bloggers who never write anything and still complain about how little money they are making, folks who can claim to build us websites and straight up don't, folks who claim to know how to use a gimbal/stabilizer and are incredibly feckless with it, international journalists, amongst others as part of our team - we simply do not discriminate here, we take on all comers. This is a core principle of our culture.

Over the last few months, it's come to my attention that 'short kings' (men with a height of 5'7" or shorter) have been getting a lot of praise here within the walls of our organization - and with that I found myself met with some chagrin. Does it make sense to highlight and celebrate characteristics of which we have no control? Does this foster the accepting culture that we have worked so hard for over these many months and years? Can't we just take pride in the fact that we are simply individuals put here on God's green earth with value and purpose? Or do we need to continue to divide and place discriminatory barriers between us and our focus on the mission of taking over the entire media landscape?

These are questions to which I have lost sleep yay these many months, since the first 'short king of the month' article back in November of last year - when was the right time to stand up to this bullying? This tyranny? Were the short kings truly going to take over? Finally as of last week, beginning at 6/2/24 and ending on 6/9/24, I was able to summon the courage: if the short kings want a fight, the talls will fight back.

Sometimes it's important to sit back and reflect on what it means to be tall - the burden, the privilege, the pressure it brings. That's what folks don't understand about being in the tall community. Some may say 'hey Dan, must be sweet being 6'2" and being a media mogul and towering over the skate rats of San Francisco like you are doing in this photo from last year's Dolores Hill Bomb...'

But it's simply not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows being in the tall community - the pressure mounts when one may be perceived as insufficient in a given area that they should be proficient. Can't get women's attention as a tall guy? Bad. Not a good athlete as as tall guy? Horrible. Don't hold a high powered job as a tech, finance, or media CEO? Worse and you may as well just give up now, tall guy. You think it's easy being a shorter tall guy at 6'2" and wishing you were 6'4"? You all think it's easy getting the attention of most if not all women in the city of San Francisco on the Hinge profile that is not currently active but there are rumors of a coming back from retirement after being back on the market as of February? Think again.

And that's what 6/2-6/9 are all about... reflecting on all of the burden that comes with height. Reflecting on the elevated expectations, the no excuses mindset, the greatness that awaits all who are willing to reach for it. And we do this all without fanfare - no communities or support groups, no tall guy of the month, no parades and festivals - nope, we just go around about our business being tall, and silently acknowledging one another in the community with a downward facing head nod and give each other an extra look of approval based on the hotness of the girl we are out with on a given night at the restaurant or bar. The talls need more love, but we will never ask for it. This is what makes us great.

So am I declaring war with the short kings? Absolutely not. As I said earlier in this blog, the OneTake Media Community is accepting of all. But the talls will no longer stay silent - we are here, and we are going nowhere. May as well get used to our presence.

If it was a Short King Spring, It's Officially a Tall Guy Summer. See you out in the wild. - Daniel