The original Gymkhana project, dubbed “GK1”, has now become a cultural phenomenon. It has clocked in at well over 20 MILLION VIEWS, in over twenty different countries, making it one of the most successful automotive films in history. It has received accolades from media, fans and world-class drivers alike, and was picked as a 2008 Webby Awards Honoree. In the spring of 2009 Ken Block approached us about a follow-up film, to be titled “GK2”. His master plan was to launch the new DC Shoes Teamworks clothing line virally by creating “the worlds greatest infomercial”. We dedicated eight months to pre-production, location scouting, script and story boards, and finally settled on the Los Angeles Harbor for our location. Principal photography began in early May and lasted five solid (fourteen-hour) days. We assembled a fantastic crew of professional, seasoned cinematographers and alongside our in-house Mad Media crew, captured some truly magical and fantastic moments. Mad Media Director of TV/Film Production, Joshua Martelli, directed the mammoth undertaking, which included the oversight of both a principal ten-man (two-camera) RED crew, as well as a fourteen-man Phantom HD crew. In addition to producing the main GK2 film, we produced several key media pieces to promote it’s launch, including the initial GK2 “Teaser”, the GK2 “Build”, and the GK2 “Premiere Party”. Special thanks to Ken Block, DC Shoes, Subaru of America, Monster Energy and Crawford Performance.
The final Gymkhana Two viral film was launched June 1st on DC Shoes new Gymkhana Two website, as well as YouTube, where it garnered 400,000 downloads in less than twenty-four hours.
Ken Block Gymkhana Practice
Ken Block’s Gymkhana Two: The Infomercial
Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Playground; l’Autodrome, France
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – DC is proud to announce that Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome, France passed the 20 million mark on YouTube yesterday, just 12 weeks after being released. This amazing news comes on the heels of Gymkhana THREE making two prestigious lists this week: YouTube’s official list of the “Top 10- Videos of 2010” and Ad Age’s list of “Top Viral Videos of 2010.”
“We’re blown away at how quickly Gymkhana THREE, Part 2 reached 20 million views,” said Anton Nistl, DC’s President. “We knew this was an amazing video but the views and the awards really prove that its creativity, quality and uniqueness resonates far beyond the action sports industry. We’ve seen Ken’s popularity and influence grow and extend globally, and we’ll continue to support his endeavors as he keeps pushing boundaries and redefining the motorsports industry.”
This is the second year in a row that DC has been included on Ad Age’s prestigious annual list of top viral videos. Not only is the Gymkhana THREE Project the only video on the list created in-house without the support of a large advertising agency but it is also the only video that wasn’t supported by a traditional television campaign, making it a true viral video.
”When we filmed the first Gymkhana video, we had no clue it would turn out to be such a huge success, it wasn’t some planned marketing scheme,” said DC Co-Founder/Chief Brand Officer and professional rally racer Ken Block. “Gymkhana Practice was simply a few days out having fun, hooning my car around an empty airfield. But since then, the pressure has been on to keep outdoing ourselves, so I couldn’t be more stoked that with each Gymkhana film we continue to one up the success of the previous video.”
