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Lots of Power: The Story Behind Tenba’s Latest Camera Bag Campaign

Chris Gampat
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01/29/2014
3 Mins read

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Earlier on, we reported on the new advertising photos for Tenba’s new DNA messenger bags. In our most recent memory, we’re not sure that there have been any other totally hilarious camera bag ads out there–but Tenba decided to exercise something that true photographers do–creative freedom. So when we first reported on the camera bag ad launch, we just had to ask Product Manager Peter Waisnor about what happened behind the scenes and what made the entire thing happen.

Phoblographer: Tenba recently did a shoot that is both funny and effective for their new DNA line of bags. But who the hell got the idea to take a Sumo wrestler and put him in the ads? How did that come about?

Peter: It was a team effort. We wanted images that spoke to the strength and durability of Tenba since we only manufacture professional-grade bags that are built to last a long time, but we also wanted something original that no one has ever seen in our industry. And we wanted images with a meaningful message that are sort of funny at the same time. We spend quite a lot of time each day laughing and joking in our office, and we want our marketing to reflect that.

Phoblographer: Tell us about the Sumo wrestler?

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Peter: Byamba is a real champion. Ten days before our Tenba shoot he won gold at the U.S. Sumo Open, and three weeks after our shoot he won gold in St. Petersburg, Russia. He also happens to be one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. He did not need to exert any effort to pick me up or drag me (as you see at the end of our videos), that’s for sure. He picked me up the way someone else would pick up a loaf of bread. But we had to make sure that whomever we worked with had a similar sense of humor, and Byamba was a perfect fit.

Phoblographer: Why did you guys choose to light it and style it specifically this way with all the light coming from above?

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Peter: We wanted something dramatic that fit the intensity of Byamba and his fierce sumo process and motions. To watch him do those things live is quite a thing. He moves lighting fast and with more force that I’ve ever seen up close. The lighting had to match that mood.

Phoblographer: Was there any previous shoot that inspired this?

Peter: No, actually. Our goal was to do something completely outside of the normal scope of photo/filmmaking industry marketing.

Phoblographer: Now we know about the still photo shoot, but what about the video? No one exactly thinks about a bag designed for city folk to go up against a Sumo wrestler. I mean, there are no Sumo wrestlers on bikes in NYC.

Peter: It was so much fun to do. Byamba really tried his best to tear apart our bags. Those shots in the intro aren’t faked. And the interactions between Byamba and me were a blast. We just had a great time goofing around. I got a little banged up taking ten or so consecutive dives down on the concrete cyc. And when a sumo rips a bag out of your hands or pushes you, you really feel it. It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a set.

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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.