Often described as a modern-day Mr. Rogers, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the host and creator of the web series Recess Therapy, has likely appeared on your phone or social feed. If not, you’ve likely seen clips of the very funny kids that he chats with in the park that end up going viral.
Barnum, a Brooklyn native, knows how to spot a rambunctious New York City kid after growing up in the Park Slope area for 11 years. Although he moved to Philadelphia during his adolescent years, Barnum now resides in Prospect Heights. “For the entertainment industry, it's New York or L.A.… Brooklyn's really shaped and influenced so much of my work, and I feel very inspired by it,” Barnum told BK Reader.
The content creator has expanded his web series into a separate, larger concept show that has gained similar critical attraction: Celebrity Substitute, where Barnum and young Brooklyn students create music with Grammy-nominated and award-winning singers.
Barnum has put an emphasis on sticking to Brooklyn for all his projects, stating the diverse personas the borough has to offer. “The kids are more rowdy and interesting here. They have more character. As a Brooklyn kid, I can say that.”
But sometimes he has swayed from focusing just on the silly stuff. The 26-year-old's light-hearted show has touched on more serious topics recently, with collaborations from Mayoral-elect Zohran Mamdani and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The following interview has been edited for clarity:
Q: What makes a Brooklynite?
I'll just start here: I'm very anti-Manhattan. I say it to people's faces. I don't think anyone should live there. I think it's a place to take a meeting and to get an overpriced meal. I feel like Brooklyn is New York's cultural hub, from music to comedy to food. I just love Brooklyn.
It’s someone who just absolutely doesn't feel like going to Manhattan in a night, but is willing to go from Williamsburg to Cobble Hill to Ridgewood and back. Somebody who would rather go all over Brooklyn than go to Manhattan once. That's me. I would rather bike this entire borough three times over than cross the bridge.
Q: Do you have a favorite neighborhood to stroll around in?
I've been feeling a little bit Prospect Parked-out, so on Saturdays I've been going to Fort Greene a lot. There's a chai tea I like there at Bittersweet, and there's a lot of good people watching. But I also just love being in Bushwick. I feel there's always something happening. I'm a big biker. I bike everywhere.
Q: Do you have a favorite deli or bodega, and what's your order?
I can do the order very easily. I get a sesame bagel with turkey bacon, avocados, scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, grilled white onion, salt and pepper.
Favorite bodega has changed over the years. I have allegiances to many places right now, the bodega on my corner, we all are boys when I go in. But I think a good Brooklynite can go into any bodega and hold their own. I think you have to become extremely masculine when you order in a bodega. You need to bring a divine masculinity.
Q: What is your favorite nightlife joint in Brooklyn?
I’m a house party person. But I love seeing comedy shows at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective. I love a night at Rodeo. I think what makes going out in Brooklyn, is not about the place. You just meet your friends, and then you end up at 10 different places, and they're all next to each other.
Q: Ungatekeep a Brooklyn secret for me, whether it be a place, a fact, a person, or a thing. Something that kind of feels hidden to you about Brooklyn, that you have been keeping from everyone.
Okay, very easy answer. The Naval Cemetery Landscape. It's my favorite spot in Brooklyn that changed my life. It's this little park that looks like you're in the middle of a field in Vermont. Look. It's insane
Q: Who is the most Brooklyn person you know?
I feel like my stereotypical Brooklyn person is an elderly Italian man, but I don't really know a lot of elderly Italians.
The person who comes to mind is this guy, Mario, who works at the dry cleaner near my house, and he's just like a killer and so positive. Every single person in the store knows him by name and is excited to see him. He's a neighborhood legend.
Q: What's one issue that you think is pressing the residents of Brooklyn, and how do you think it should be solved?
Do you want a serious answer or a funny answer?
I think rent goes up too much, and hopefully we have a mayor who can solve that issue for us.
And then a funny issue that plagues Brooklyn people: trendy ass pop-ups, like food things. I think it just wreaks havoc on the people who live there. The solution? I think you have to register online and get a timed entry, like how museums did during COVID.
