TULSA, Okla. — Academy Award-winning actor and best-selling author Tom Hanks is coming to town this Saturday, and a Tulsa company has made him a special welcome gift.
The only problem? They don't know how to get it to him, so they hope someone can help.
"Tom Hanks is my favorite actor of all time," says Chris Thompson. Which is why when Chris heard Hanks was coming to Tulsa, he decided to make him something special.
"I just want him to know that some kid in Tulsa, Oklahoma appreciates his career and who he is as a person, and that's why I painted these Tom Hanks shoes," says Chris.
He's re-named the Nike What the Dunks "What the Hanks" and hopes to gift the shoes to the actor. The pair features around 15 different Hanks films.
"I plan to be in the audience on Saturday, and it would be awesome if I can get them to him or someone who knows how to facilitate that," says Chris.
Chris and his brother, Jeremy, have a knack for creating custom kicks.
"Being able to take art and shoes, that's what we love," says Jeremy Thompson.
Together the brothers run the company Semurai Designs. They hand-paint one-of-a-kind sneakers. Their work is so detailed each pair takes two to four weeks to complete.
"17 years of doing it, and I'd like to think we've gotten pretty good at it," says Jeremy.
The brothers tell 2 News Oklahoma Anchor Julie Chin they've always been creative since they were little boys. They are self-made artists who found their niche.
They recently gained national attention during the Kentucky Derby when the Raise Cain team sported their work. The Warren family commissioned the brothers to create 25 pairs for family and friends attending the big race. NBC highlighted the shoes during live race day coverage.
"That was really big for me and us because that was one of the biggest platforms you can be on," says Chris.
And the Thompson's Seminole roots inspired an award-winning pair of shoes at the Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale earlier this year. Jeremy was honored with one of the show’s top awards.
"It was putting history on a pair of shoes and telling a story, not a happy story, but an important story. I am proud of those," says Jeremy.
Their designs include everything from movies to sports to family portraits. And while some shelve the shoes, the brothers say their art is made to be worn.
"We put a finish over the top of it once they're done. They're waterproof, mostly scratch resistant, flexible, so I tell people to wear the shoes," says Chris.
Celebrities like Ralph Macchio have taken that advice, and the Reservation Dogs cast are fans, too.
"Sterlin Harjo bought the first pair of Reservation Dogs shoes. I always give him a big shout-out because he gave me the confidence to be like, OK, this is something you can do, and people will start to give me money for this on a larger scale. After that, the rest of the cast started reaching out to me," says Chris.
Which leads us back to Tom Hanks and the "What the Hanks" shoes.
"Every single panel of these shoes is a different character from a different Tom Hanks movie," says Chris.
This mission to get the shoes to the actor is a passion project for Chris.
"I had a great time doing it. I binge-watched Tom Hanks movies the entire time I painted these," says Chris.
And since life is like a box of chocolates, he's hoping for that sweet reward.
If you'd like to commission Semuari designs for a pair of shoes, or if you know how to put them in contact with Tom Hanks, you can reach them here: https://semuraidesigns.com/.
Academy Award-winning actor and best-selling author Tom Hanks is coming to town this Saturday, and a Tulsa company has made him a special welcome gift. The only problem? They don't know how to get it to him, so they hope someone can help.
"Tom Hanks is my favorite actor of all time," says Chris Thompson. Which is why when Chris heard Hanks was coming to Tulsa, he decided to make him something special.
"I just want him to know that some kid in Tulsa, Oklahoma appreciates his career and who he is as a person, and that's why I painted these Tom Hanks shoes," says Chris.
He's re-named the Nike What the Dunks "What the Hanks" and hopes to gift the shoes to the actor. The pair features around 15 different Hanks films.
"I plan to be in the audience on Saturday, and it would be awesome if I can get them to him or someone who knows how to facilitate that," says Chris.
Chris and his brother, Jeremy, have a knack for creating custom kicks.
"Being able to take art and shoes, that's what we love," says Jeremy Thompson.
Together the brothers run the company Semurai Designs. They hand-paint one-of-a-kind sneakers. Their work is so detailed each pair takes two to four weeks to complete.
"17 years of doing it, and I'd like to think we've gotten pretty good at it," says Jeremy.
The brothers tell 2 News Oklahoma Anchor Julie Chin they've always been creative since they were little boys. They are self-made artists who found their niche.
They recently gained national attention during the Kentucky Derby when the Raise Cain team sported their work. The Warren family commissioned the brothers to create 25 pairs for family and friends attending the big race. NBC highlighted the shoes during live race day coverage.
"That was really big for me and us because that was one of the biggest platforms you can be on," says Chris.
And the Thompson's Seminole roots inspired an award-winning pair of shoes at the Trail of Tears Art Show and Sale earlier this year. Jeremy was honored with one of the show’s top awards.
"It was putting history on a pair of shoes and telling a story, not a happy story, but an important story. I am proud of those," says Jeremy.
Their designs include everything from movies to sports to family portraits. And while some shelve the shoes, the brothers say their art is made to be worn.
"We put a finish over the top of it once they're done. They're waterproof, mostly scratch resistant, flexible, so I tell people to wear the shoes," says Chris.
Celebrities like Ralph Macchio have taken that advice, and the Reservation Dogs cast are fans, too.
"Sterlin Harjo bought the first pair of Reservation Dogs shoes. I always give him a big shout-out because he gave me the confidence to be like, OK, this is something you can do, and people will start to give me money for this on a larger scale. After that, the rest of the cast started reaching out to me," says Chris.
Which leads us back to Tom Hanks and the "What the Hanks" shoes.
"Every single panel of these shoes is a different character from a different Tom Hanks movie," says Chris.
This mission to get the shoes to the actor is a passion project for Chris.
"I had a great time doing it. I binge-watched Tom Hanks movies the entire time I painted these," says Chris.
And since life is like a box of chocolates, he's hoping for that sweet reward.
If you'd like to commission Semuari designs for a pair of shoes, or if you know how to put them in contact with Tom Hanks, you can reach them here.
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