A few years back I produced a Budweiser spot with sports pioneer, Stacy Peralta, co-founder of Powell-Peralta and the filmmaker behind the Sundance favorites Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants and Bones Brigade. It was awesome to sit in editing and VSFX suites with him for several weeks, while he worked his magic on a branded content piece that drew a historical connection among NASCAR, the Earnhardt family and Budweiser. I know - cars and booze, not so great - but the spot was powerful and nostalgic, and Stacy's visuals were unmistakable.
Stacy and the other Z-boys (Zephyr skateboard team) were teenage surfers and skateboarders. Their influence on the sport and history of skateboarding and the business of skateboarding can't be underestimated. In an article in Forbes shared by LJ from nonfiction unlimited, Stacy's representatives for commercials,* he comments on how his crude skateboarding videos coincided with the dawn of the VHS, making it much easier for kids to learn the moves, and how a business was born. Here's a short video and this: FORBES Enjoy!
Dogtown and Z-Boys won both the 2001 Sundance Audience Award and Directing Award. The film also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary that year. In 2004, Stacy's Riding Giants traced the origins of surfing with a specific focus on big wave riding. The late Roger Ebert wrote, "Before seeing 'Riding Giants,' my ideas about surfing were formed by the Gidget movies, 'The Endless Summer,' the Beach Boys, Elvis and lots of TV commercials. 'Surfin' Safari' was actually running through my head on the way into the screening. 'Riding Giants' is about altogether another reality." If you haven't seen a Stacy Peralta film, treat yourself!
* Stacy Peralta is now represented by Chelsea Pictures.