On the heels of producing one of the most successful automotive viral films in history, (over 20 million downloads to date), Mad Media has completed work on a new Gymkhana project dubbed “Ken Block’s Gymkhana TWO: The Infomercial”. The project was designed to promote Ken Block’s new DC Shoes TeamWorks Clothing Collection. Block’s design inspirations for his collection all stem from his Gymkhana TWO car, and each feature his rally sponsors’ colorways and graphics.
A natural spinoff of Block’s successful rally racing career, the Gymkhana TWO film takes the infomercial concept and turns it on it’s head by using great cinematography and a thrilling driving performance to showcase the TeamWorks product line. The new film is filled with fantastic automotive stunts, Hollywood-style explosions, and guest appearances from DC team rider Rob Dyrdek and radio celebrity Jason Ellis. Gymkhana TWO was filmed on location at the Port of Los Angeles, and showcases non-stop motor sports eye-candy as Block hits a new course in his brand-new custom tuned, 566 horse power, high performance 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, build by Crawford Performance.
Mad Media was brought on board for the Gymkhana TWO project early in the pre-production phase and worked with DC Shoes Creative Director Nate Morley along side Ken Block to develop the infomercial concept into a full blown creative treatment and shot sequence. The films concept called for specialized high-speed camera equipment, pyrotechnics, as well as a host of custom in-car POV cameras to capture the power and precision Ken would eventually demonstrate.
“It was an intense project from day one because we had a hard delivery deadline to help DC promote the new TeamWorks line, and we also knew we needed to raise the bar significantly from the first Gymkhana project”, said Joshua Martelli, Director of TV/Film Production at Mad Media and director of both the first and second Gymkhana films. “Scouting took time as we had to find the perfect location. Plus we had to translate Ken and Nate’s vision creatively into real world solutions in-camera. We worked very hard to plan out our shots and the story line, and that really paid-off when it came time to shoot.”
Producing eye-catching viral film content is nothing new for Mad Media. They’ve been involved in similar projects since the late 1990’s when they proved the web video concept during the Osiris Shoes famed “Aftermath Tour”, which saw them document and upload custom content daily for an exhaustive forty-stop US, European, and Canadian tour, (the largest in history at that time). Recently they’ve gained acclaim for their work producing engaging content about the Subaru Rally Team USA, which has led to production work on all of the recent Subaru WRX STI commercial ads as well.
“For us this is really a proof of concept that viral films can compete with large commercial advertising projects and actually deliver highly sought after eyeballs with embedded marketing messages. Though the Gymkhana TWO project is very direct in it’s call to action to purchase TeamWorks gear, it does it in a way that’s entertaining and leaves the viewer with something to talk about and share. It’s that ability to knock the viewer back on their heels, and the willingness to trust the action and story that are key to a successful viral project”, stated Mad Media CEO/Creative Director, Matt Martelli.
In addition to producing the main Gymkhana TWO film, Mad Media produced several build up films to promote it’s launch, including the initial teaser, the Gymkhana TWO Build, and coverage of the exclusive Gymkhana TWO VIP Premiere. The Gymkhana TWO film debuted on YouTube June 1st, and has been downloaded over 2.3 million times in a mere eight days.
About Mad Media:
Mad Media is San Diego based creative agency that offers professional print, web, and film production. Mad Media specializes in creating culturally relevant brand messaging that features professional athletes, musicians, and artists for the action sports, motorsports and mixed martial arts industries.
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For media info contact:
Mad Media / Matt Martelli / (760) 721-3600 / matt@madmedia.com / madmedia.com
High-resolution photos and footage available upon request
For extensive behind the scenes photos visit madmedia.com/news
To watch Ken Blocks Gymkhana TWO Project visit: dcshoes.com/gymkhanatwo
