The argument of the ages, bags or static? Depending on who you ask you're gonna get two very different answers. Many seem to believe the notion that if you run your car static (non adjustable strut and spring) then you garner more street cred compared to someone running bags (adjustable air suspension). For Brandon Mair however, he runs bags on his car simply because he enjoys the comfort and ease of adjustment in height. Brandon got his 2003 Subaru WRX in 2017 and has loved it ever since. The car was fairly stock when it was purchased and Brandon has slowly poured more and more into it as anyone in the car scene does. He didn't originally have that mindset however, being interested in cars and the community but never truly getting involved till he got the WRX.
Brandon's love for cars started like most people his age with the Fast and Furious series. Growing up in that era of cars he appreciated them quite a bit however he didn't really dive deep into the car scene right away. Thankfully his love for video production and the purchase of the WRX eventually brought him back into the automotive world. Most people know Brandon by his Instagram handle @basicbrando where he posts his videography content. You'll mainly find automotive content on there however you may also catch some of his other freelance work with music artists and other clientele.
Originally starting in school with a video tech class he began to work with cameras and get the fundamentals of video production down. The most enjoyable part of the class for him was the actual editing of the raw clips, learning the software, and polishing the final product. This stemmed out to making YouTube montages of the popular Call Of Duty video game series for himself and eventually for other channels. Through making these montages he was able to further his skills with programs like Adobe After effects and Premiere which he uses to this day. This love for editing along with shooting videos Brandon was given the opportunity to work for a Boise local photographer Samuel Marvin. Working with Sam as an assistant shooting behind the scenes videos for clientele progressively gained him more knowledge of his craft. Along with this great outlet to practice Brandon was also able to learn the business side of doing this as a real job and applying it very well to his freelance work he currently occupies himself with.
Working in the world of automotive video production it can be very hard to establish yourself but for Brandon he was determined to become someone to look up to like how he looks up to his peers like Chris Petruccio (Krispy Media), Anthony (HalcyonPhoto), and Zach Wingfield (Zwingfilms) when he first started making automotive videos. Brandon has kept himself down to Earth but locally has seemingly created a barrier at no fault of his own that makes him less approachable. When asked about it he was genuinely curious as to why as he just wants to be friends with everyone and enjoy cars. This sort of "I'm better than you" mindset shows up in any sort of hobby but most of the people who buy into it have never met that individual for themselves. More and more we encounter hate or division in the car community which creates nothing but negative experiences for people.
This is where car clubs come in and play a huge role in bonding the community back together. No matter how controversial they may be for some, car clubs are all started with the same idea of bringing like-minded individuals together with the same sort of style or hobbies. Brandon is very happy to be a part of #teamUntamed which was started by Yusuf Shakirov. This group all have a similar style but bring many different views to the table as they are from all over the U.S. With all the different backgrounds blending together it makes for an interesting group of friends. They all bounce ideas off each other in a group-chat about cars, shows to go to, and help with daily problems as if they are all family. These kinds of car clubs are the ones that truly improve the communities all over, creating more opportunities for the people involved with them, and creating inspirations for people to start their own groups or clubs.
As for Brandon's WRX he is very satisfied with where it is at now. The car is simple in terms of what you might see on the internet today however it has been modified tastefully for what Brandon is after. Currently the car has - Desert tan wrap done by @creativewrapsid in Kuna - Airlift Performance 3P done by @throttleworks in Boise - 3 Piece Work Meister S1 - 3 Inch catless down-pipe
- Nvidia exhaust - Electrically controlled dump pipe - HKS blow-off Valve - Perrin intake - Mishimoto radiator - VisualAutoworks window vents
- Villante suede wheel w/ NRG hub
- STI front and rear seats - Yakima roof rack w/ Thule Cascade rocket box There are a few other pieces like some upgraded headlights, roof spoiler, and small interior bits that add more style to the car. Little touches like the tank being wrapped in the same color as the car with a Louis-Vuitton logo underlay are nods to Brandon's personal style that can be found throughout the car. Harking back to him catching unnecessary hate for building the car how he wants, he made a very good point when we were talking about it. "If I wanted to build the car for Instagram fame I wouldn't have wrapped it tan, I would've done some crazy flashy color and given it the same old wheels as everyone else." Further solidifying the point that you really can't judge someone until you meet them for yourself and can build your own opinion on them.
Future plans for the car consist of a slightly bigger turbo and a front mount inter-cooler in the near future to give it a bit more power. Pairing that with a few select rare pieces will help get the car to a more "finished" state but he's in no hurry to go all out on the car. As for Brandon's work he's currently doing videography for the local ski mountain Bogus Basin as the season is in full swing. Once that dies down it'll be back to shooting features and shows like #Gridlife, #Stancewars, and #SEMA for clients. Be sure to keep an eye out on his Instagram for updates on the car and to see when videos get released as there is always exciting stuff going on. If you've made it this far, also shoot him a message to start vlogging again! Thanks for reading! - Josh Brown @luckyclub.us Follow Brandon and his work here:
YT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw5qPFKomueZiXG-pgy-6zQ/videos
Twitter - https://twitter.com/basicbrando?lang=en
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