You already had a premiere during Interbike in Las Vegas in October, so why did you have another one?
The Interbike one was important for Interbike, but there was still tweaking and fixing to be done to the video, and the sound system sucked. The music is a huge part of it, so I wanted to have a premiere where the sound was great, the visuals were perfected, and the video was available to take home that night.
You flew out most of the team as well; what made you decide to do that?
To tell you the truth, it kind of happened by accident. I had been looking for a flight for Mike Aitken to come out, just to escape the winter. Then Jimmy Levan called with the same request; he was tired of the cold. I figured with the premiere, it would be a good time for them to come. Then Matt Beringer decided it would a good idea too, so I flew him out as well. While they were in town we became celebrities at the local bar. We would show up in the Odyssey van with almost the whole team, then get ushered past the line and get free drinks. Mike and Jimmy both got approached “Hollywood style” to be involved in famous guy stuff like modeling and movies.
What were you hoping to achieve with this premiere, and do you think it worked out?
I really had no expectations, I just wanted to do something local, with the local guys like Adam Banton, Gary Young, Scott Foster, and Rich Hirsch. Then it turned into having almost everyone in the video there. I really just wanted to show it in its fully-perfected and finished state. I felt bad that at Interbike it could have looked and sounded better. And we have added Matt’s part since then as well.
How did you go about choosing which shop to host a premiere at, and would you consider doing another in the future?
I had heard good things from Mike Ardelean, Adam Banton, and guys I ride with here. The shop seemed really down for BMX, and after I went there I was psyched at the quality of the shop—really impressive. Once my friend and fellow rider, Meron, started working there, it seemed like the right thing to do.
How have the responses to the video been?
Great so far; I have received tons of compliments and praise. Rich did a great job doing something that was different, but still fun and with high-quality riding. It’s a video you watch before you go riding. Sales-wise, I think we sold over half of our original order. That’s pretty good.
What was the hardest thing you had to deal with while making the video?
Getting the trips together. Everybody had to fly somewhere, get transportation, all that stuff. And like any project, videos especially, we had a tight schedule, which went way over. But I think the way we did it, one rider, one city, one week, and one filmer helped a lot. As much as we passed our own deadlines, our deadlines were still way shorter than anyone else’s to begin with.
What were the roles and who did what, as far as making the video is concerned?
Rich Hirsch did it all. He and I agreed on the format and he did it all, filming, editing etc. All I did was draw some pictures (806 to be exact) and Shad Johnson filmed Rich’s part.
Thee Vegas crowd consisted largely of Pro riders and the LA premiere mostly of young kids; how did each crowd’s reactions compare?
Really the same, I think the Pros and kids just get psyched about different things. But over all the reaction seemed like everyone liked it. Vegas was just a stressful scene, trying to get to he party in time, etc. In LA it was just a bunch of guys who wanted to see a good video, and meet some of their favorite riders in person.
Has there been any talk about another video yet?
Not yet… But I always have some ideas brewing.
Are there any thanks?
Thanks to Adam, Mike, Matt, Jimmy, Jim, Scott, Chase, Martti, Gary, and Rich for riding so good. Thanks to Rob Tibbs, Mike Lausman, Ryan Mills, Barney, Chase Hawk, Dirty Dan, Tyrone Williams, Adam Baker, Chris Meyers, Mike Gross, Mouser, Matt Wilhem, Scott Powell, and everyone who had a clip in there. That was off the top of my head, so if I forgot you, don’t cry.
