The speaker discusses a New York accent challenge on Instagram, organized by Nico Heller, a fellow Instagram user they follow. The challenge aims to identify the best New York accent among a large number of submissions. The speaker shares their own experiences with the challenge, including their initial skepticism and eventual participation. They also discuss the process of judging the submissions, which was akin to a March Madness-style bracket, and the final results. The speaker emphasizes the importance of pride in one's hometown and the resilience of New Yorkers, especially during a crisis. They conclude by expressing a desire to have a New York accent, but acknowledge that it cannot be described by face, race, or color.
1. The speaker is discussing a New York accent challenge on Instagram, organized by Nico Heller, a person they follow on the platform.
2. The challenge is open to anyone who wants to showcase their New York accent.
3. The speaker has been running an Instagram account called "New York Nico" for the past four to five years, where they highlight New York City talent.
4. The talent can be anyone from a street performer to a store owner.
5. The speaker has been able to give these talented New Yorkers the boost they deserve.
6. Some of the talents have gone on to be on 'Ellen' and 'Wendy Williams'.
7. The speaker is trying to make lemonade with lemons, referring to their inability to go out and document the city.
8. The speaker's daughter mentioned that Nico from New York is looking for people who talk like they're from New York.
9. The speaker initially had trouble getting people to submit to the accent challenge.
10. The challenge narrowed down the thousand-plus submissions to 24, and then it was like a March Madness-style bracket.
11. The main judges for the challenge are Princess Nokia and Michael Rapaport.
12. The speaker believes they are the best contender in the challenge.
13. The speaker is upset that they don't have a New York accent.
14. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having pride for where you're from, especially during a crisis.
15. The speaker believes that resilience is part of what made the challenge interesting.
16. The speaker concludes by saying that it's always important to have pride for where you're from, but now, more than ever, it's essential.