SLAM: So you’ve played FIFA ’11 for a bit?
SN: Yeah, it’s the first FIFA game I’ve gotten into, it’s crazy. It’s so much fun to play because of how beautiful the graphics are.
SLAM: Would you want to play as a goaltender since you can control that in this year’s game? Or is there another position you’d rather control?
SN: I always like playing something attacking. To me, that’s how I love to play in the summer and that’s how I’d want to play this way.
SLAM: Do you create the concepts for your characters in these viral videos? Is it collaborative?
SN: It’s just me and my cousin [Ezra Holland]. We just write these concepts together and flush them out. Then we go and make them. We leave a lot of room for improvisation and hope we get a little something special. It’s a lot of fun.
SLAM: Yeah, the feeling I get out of watching all your viral videos is that a lot of it is improv.
SN: Yeah, for sure. For example, most of the videos we’ve done we’ve set the stage for the character. And then I just kind of act like an idiot and come up with something along the lines of where we’re trying to go so that it keeps the story line going.
SLAM: How long have you been directing films and videos?
SN: It’s been about three years that I’ve been doing stuff. I’ve been doing stuff for Nike, Vitaminwater, EA, 2K Sports, ESPN…I need to create a foundation for it and hopefully continue to work in it for a long time. It’s really a passion, it’s something I love to do and my cousin and I really enjoy working together. It’s been a lot of fun.
SLAM: Have you been able to take anything you used to improve as a basketball player and applied that to your improvement as a filmmaker?
SN: For me, I think having a passion for what you do, for any discipline, is the most important thing. Get up and work at it and give it everything you have. To be collaborative, not that your own ideas aren’t precious. But to be ready to learn and grow and collaborate with other people is I think very important not only to a team but also in filmmaking.
SLAM: With your ESPN 30-for-30 documentary, what does it mean to you to have a project on such a large platform like ESPN?
SN: Well, it’s incredible. We got a chance to make our first film and for it to be on ESPN is a great opportunity. Especially with what a terrific person and athlete Terry Fox was. It was an incredible experience. There was a lot of work, a lot of enjoyment, a lot of challenges.
SLAM: Are you still on a sugar-free diet?
SN: Ummm, I am, yeah.
SLAM: How’s that going?
SN: Good. I don’t think about it anymore.
SLAM: Do you convince your teammates to try it?
SN: Yeah, a lot of guys are really trying to eat better. I think cutting it all the way out is a bit unrealistic for most guys, but I feel like some are willing to cut it down.
SLAM: As someone who is conscientious of what you eat, is it difficult to hold back when you see someone eat a cheeseburger or pizza?
SN: We joke as a locker room…we’re always all over each other for what we eat, trying to kill people if they don’t eat something healthy. It has become fun and hilarious to keep guys in check or to put a little bit of fun pressure on people if they’re having cheeseburgers. Or if they’re eating bad food. Everyone joins in, so it’s a lot of fun.
SLAM: What do you like most from what you’re seeing with the team so far?
SN: You know, they’re great guys. We have good players. We have great guys. Anytime you have that you have a chance to be good. We got a chance; it’s a matter of how we make the pieces fit together. We have a lot of change to this year so we have a lot of work to make everyone fit and feel like they can play.
SLAM: Is that the area that has the most room for improvement, forging that team chemistry?
SN: Yeah, exactly, exactly. That’s the big goal is that team chemistry. If we have good chemistry, we have good players who can produce so if we come together as a team and have that commonality I think we’ll be difficult to beat.
SLAM: Are you hitting three-pointers from Day 1 of training camp or does it take awhile to find that stroke?
SN: It takes time. I work all summer on my shooting and keep it tuned up so that it doesn’t take as much time. But definitely in the game situations that’s when it takes more time to get that rhythm back — the timing. Hopefully it won’t be a very difficult process from all the hours I put in this summer.
SLAM: Any viral videos we might see with you and your teammates this season?
SN: Yeah, we’ll hopefully get something. No ideas or plans yet but we’ll hopefully get something.
SLAM: Is that something that just happens on the fly?
SN: We usually think of something and I’ll be like, Oh, we should do that. Then I think about it a little more and then find a travel day to do it. That’s basically it.
