During the 2014 Easter break I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the Rip Curl pro with Joel Parkinson, filming a piece for the car company HSV. The shoot was jammed in the middle of competition which was a big challenge, but Joel was kind enough to allow us a great insight into a life it's easy to envy. This is the first in a series of 4 on HSV's ambassadors with more to come in 2014 and 2015.
A big thanks to Joel Parkinson for allowing such good access during a crucial competition, and also Joel's manager Sean Doherty. Also a big thanks to my Ty Johnson for assisting, and my partner for also graciously accepting impromptu assisting duties. Big thanks to Paul McCosh for the sound mix and adding some nice touches too.
This is the first in a series of 4 videos for Holden Special Vehicles.
Midway through 2015 I pitched for a new Nike apparel launch, which was probably a little over ambitious given the scale of the job and how quickly it needed to be completed. But it turned out to be a ripping task shooting first in New Zealand with fitness trainer Kirsty Godso, then flying to Perth for AFL star Nic Naitanui and hockey player Anna Flanagan, and finishing off in Sydney with NRL player Michael Jennings. It was a very challenging campaign in part due to the locations, also because I was silly enough to simultaneously direct and produce it. But it was an enjoyable challenge, and I loved working with some extremely talented friends to shoot it in Australia and NZ.
After the first video about HSV ambassador Joel Parkinson, the next in the "Driven" series was to feature V8 supercar driver Garth Tander who drives for the Holden racing team. We had worked with Garth many times over the years, but this was a great chance to sit down with him and really discuss why he's so hooked on racing, and just how much of his life it consumes. In fact the initial title for the piece was "Driven by Racing," as you'll find out, all aspects of Garth's life are built around motorsport.
In the field of branded content, Redbull has to be one of the most exciting brands to work for - their commitment to making extreme sports videos has grown a content empire which is fast overtaking their original energy drink product. In early 2013 I presented concepts for two rider profiles to the Redbull team with the agency Hotglue, and luckily we got the all clear to put them into production later in the year. This is the first video, with two time Snowboard Cross World Champion Alex Pullin.