The idea was to shoot a portrait series of the renegades and risk-takers who are carving their own paths in WWE. Sr. Director of Digital & Social Content, Ryan Murphy and I selected 15 Superstars to feature. I knew photographer, Andrew Boyle would be a great fit for this project and that we’d be able to work in tandem coming up with ideas and leaving room to play on set. The timeline was tight (isn’t it always?!), so I went to work right away coming up with individual concepts for each Superstar and sorting out with Andrew how to achieve all these different portraits. We were inspired by music and photography from the 90s and being in art school.
We shot all of these portraits over 2 days backstage at events. What made these turn out so special is that we had more time than usual with the Superstars so there was more room for collaborating with them and allowing for those serendipitous moments to happen. This is one of my favorite series I’ve produced and directed. Creating custom portraits with some of the most original and creative Superstars on the roster is exactly what I want to be doing. Being an artist and an athlete is a rare combination yet there are so many right now in WWE. I can relate to them the most and feel like this project really clicked because of that. Andrew and I tapped into our love for the creativity of the 90s, and our love for the outliers and the rebels. We all got to be artists together and create these special portraits. I am grateful for the creative freedom I have at WWE. See the full gallery HERE.
Photography by Andrew Boyle Creative Production & Photo Direction by Christine Reilly Digital Techs Charley Parden & Ryan Jones Photo Assistant Nick Suttle Hair & Makeup by Jojo D’Agostino