Paul produced, directed and edited SlamNation, which introduced the world to the talented artist Saul Williams: "When I got home from shooting the National Poetry Slam in Portland, the first thing I did was edit this piece together. Saul's performance on the Finals stage was riveting and revelatory - no one in the audience had seen anything like it before. I knew it would be one of the highlights of the movie. It would also be useful to have it ready and out front as I worked toward crafting and pitching a film from many hours of material I hadn't even seen yet. My goal while editing SlamNation was to preserve the immediacy and intensity of the slam poetry experience while shaping it for film. Drawing on my experience creating energy and excitement in music videos and sports promos , I applied those same principles and techniques to editing live poetry. The goal was to create a new performance genre for mainstream audiences, blending rhythmic pacing, energy, and cinematic storytelling. This excerpt was the perfect opportunity to prove that it could be done! It captures Saul's unique artisty, and the power of this piece became the difinitive presentation of Saul's signature poem. It also helped secure his starring role in the scripted film Slam. Director Marc Levin reached out to me and I urged him to cast Saul in his upcoming movie. This piece eventually sealed the deal and I helped Mark incorporate it into promo that he used to raise funds and get access to the prison location used in Slam. As I write this, I'm reminded that Mark never mentions any of this in his book about the making of Slam. I'm wondering why...