ISSUE #128
ON THE REEL: The Ultimate Video Project
Mickenzie Keller Kickip
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ON THE REEL: The Ultimate Video Project Words: David Ehrenreich Photos: Antosh Cimoszko design: randy laybourne
Early this year Ultimate Distribution approached me with the idea of including as many of their Canadian team riders as possible in a video project. They hired me to wrangle clips from multiple sources and shoot whenever possible (although I’m a filmer who's never really available to film) and edit the videos. Rookie team manager Jorden Murray (who was recovering from ankle surgery, followed by hand surgery) was organizing weekend filming trips throughout Metro Vancouver, the nearby Fraser Valley and Seattle over the summer, while trying to make things happen with Ultimate’s team riders in eastern Canada. The odds seemed against us, but we were determined to really push the vessel forward and make this series happen. Luckily we had the help and support of Concrete and of course the whole Ultimate team to get this to the finish line. The goal of the project was to put together montages featuring the Canadian riders representing Toy Machine, Foundation, Pig and Bro Style, as well as Black Label, Life Extention, SK8MAFIA and JSLV. Our country is way too huge for us to actually all hang out, so it was a true test of logistics and communication—one that would’ve fallen flat without the hard work and dedication of all the skaters and filmers across the land that got involved. So look forward to a couple awesome On The Reel videos premiering in January 2014 on a computer and mobile device near you.
concreteskateboarding.com ultimateskateboarddist.com
Gab Lalande Boardslide [o] Nathan Ethier-Myette
“Montreal’s Gab Lalande is a perfect example of how I met people while working on this project. I have no idea how old he is or if he likes Indian food, but I do know that he sent over a folder of clips out of the blue, and I can tell you he’s confident and fast on a skateboard.” —David Ehrenreich 44
Dustin Locke Frontside Noseslide
Mickenzie Keller 50-50
“On the first day of a filming trip to Seattle, Mikey Ray basically stuck on an out-ledge, launching himself down some stairs, landing straight on his tailbone. Our golden child was down and out, but the way he handled it says a lot about him. Instead of moping around he’d help film, scope angles, call tricks, holler at chicks, act as personal DJ and keep us hyped.” —Jorden Murray
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Michael Ray Switch 180 Front feeble
Mike Schulze 5-0 stall Backside Flip
“Everyone brings something special to the table. It’s rad to have every type on a mission because no spots go unskated! I think that’ll really show in these videos.” —Jorden Murray
Andrew Wenckstern Frontside noseGrind Transfer [o] Sam Fidlin 49
“Whether on the road or at home, we obviously had a mission to shoot photos and film whenever possible. No matter how shitty the hotels were, no matter how hung over or sore we were, we can always look back and cherish these times.” —Jorden Murray
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Adam Hopkins Feeble grind [o] Brian Caissie