Ken Block goes to FORD!
Ken Block goes to FORD!
Introducing the Monster World Rally Team—Ken Block goes global in a Ford.
January 6, 2010—Brooklyn, NY—Ken Block is off to race in the FIA 2010 World Rally Championship as part of the newly formed Monster World Rally Team. Block will continue to compete in the Rally America national series, as well as in X-Games XVI. And he’s doing it all in a Ford!
Block’s entry into the WRC is history in the making. He will be the first American to campaign the world stages as part of a multi-year program. In 2010, Block will compete in select rounds of the championship with an emphasis on developing his ability for a successful future in the WRC. “Racing in the World Rally Championship has always been a dream of mine but I’d still be dreaming if I promised podiums in the near future,” says Block. “I will be going head-to head with the greatest drivers on the planet. And sure, I will be giving it my all but my main objective for 2010 is to develop into a competitive driver for 2011 and beyond.”
The Monster World Rally Team developed as a result of Ken Block’s relationship with the energy drink company. “A radically extreme form of motorsport with supremely talented drivers who compete on gravel, asphalt, snow and ice really mirrors everything we are about,” says Monster Energy President Mark Hall. “For that reason Monster Energy is pleased to join Ken Block in the formation of the Monster Energy World Rally Team. Not only is Ken a cult hero to our consumers through his gymkhana videos and other stunts, the fact that he will be the first American racer to compete in the 38-year history of the World Rally Championship is truly impressive. Factoring in that Ken will be chasing the 2010 Rally America Championship Series, a Gold Medal at X Games XVI while continuing to scheme-up new videos and mind-altering stunts, Monster couldn’t have a finer ambassador in our new venture into rally.”
In a partnership with Monster Energy, the team is also bolstered by Ford—a brand Block feels at home in. “I am stoked to be rallying in a Ford,” says Block. “They are an impressive force in the sport. From the days of the 1970s Escorts to the Group B RS200, to the modern-day Focus and now the Fiesta, Ford has an excellent history within rally. I couldn’t be happier to be part of this amazing heritage. Not to mention my dad would be proud. He was a true Ford guy.”
For the WRC, Block will be racing in a Focus RS prepared by M-Sport, the company responsible for handling all of Ford’s World Rally efforts. M-Sport’s Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson, who played a large role in ushering Block into the WRC, had this to say: “It is great news that Ken will be joining the WRC and even better that it will be with Ford! Ken has been instrumental in elevating the public awareness of rallying throughout the world with his multimedia exploits, particularly in the U.S. which is a key global market and an area where WRC has yet to reach its full potential. Ken’s appearance in the WRC and his desire to compete toe-to-toe at the highest level is indicative of the determination and drive that he has exhibited in all areas of his life to date—be it in business or personal targets. Ken is a colorful character with a huge international fan base and his decision to appear in the WRC is warmly welcomed.”
In the United States, Ken will be racing both the Rally America Championship and X Games in the all-new Ford Fiesta, prepared by Olsbergs MSE. “We are excited to partner with Ken as we launch the Ford Fiesta in the United States in 2010 and showcase the Fiesta’s performance and fun-to-drive capabilities,” says Jamie Allison, Director of Ford North America Motorsports. “Rally racing has always played a key role in the global motorsports strategy for Ford Motor Company.”
In addition, the skateboard footwear company Block co-founded, DC Shoes, will also support the team, along with the popular video game title, Dirt2, in which Block had a starring role. Castrol Edge is providing support for the team as well.
More news about the team and a detailed schedule of races and events will be available soon at monsterworldrallyteam.com. For now, head on over to the site for an interactive version of this press release and the premiere of the Monster World Rally Team Launch commercial.
About Ken Block:
Ken Block’s rally career began in 2005. His skill and car control became quickly apparent and Block aptly nabbed Rookie of the Year in the Rally America Championship. Since then, Block has continued to race in the series, boasting a healthy number of podium appearances, as well as X Games medals. In addition to his performance in the car, Block has been a driving force in shedding light on the sport within the United States. Block co-founded DC Shoes, a worldwide leader in performance skateboarding shoes and a renowned action sports brand. His keen branding and marketing acumen not only elevated DC to their current eminent status, but has allowed Block to achieve global fame as a national rally driver through his wildly successful viral video campaigns. Ad Age named his “Gymkhana TWO” the No. 4 Viral Video of 2009.
About Monster World Rally Team:
Created and assembled by Ken Block, the object of the Monster World Rally Team is to redefine the race-team archetype. The team is driven not only to win, but to also market motorsport through innovative, creative and interactive ways. The goal: To become the best known team in the WRC and bring rally to the masses along the way.
Method Race Wheels Ad Campaign
Take a look at the first two ads in the Method Race Wheels Campaign we have been working on.
"Ballistic" BJ Baldwin Flies through the sky outside of Las Vegas, NV.
Bryce Menzies blasts out of a corner in Primm, NV.
BJ Penn RVCA viral commercial
We just finished this beautiful viral commercial with “The Prodigy” BJ Penn for RVCA. Shot entirely on RED at RVCA’s Costa Mesa headquarters, we spent two days with BJ and the RVCA camp showing the connection between art, action sports and MMA. It’s all art! Be sure to watch BJ Penn defend his title against Diego “The Nightmare” Sanchez at UFC 107, live on pay-per-view this saturday night. Here a few pics from the shoot and a link to the final piece.
Mad Media Produces Exclusive Viral Video Content for Codemasters DiRT 2 Video Game
This summer Mad Media produced exclusive viral video content for the worldwide video game developer and publisher Codemasters. Following up on their smash hit “Colin McRae’s DiRT”, Codemasters released “DiRT 2” this September to hordes of excited fans. DiRT 2 features an exhilarating off-road racing experience, powered by the third generation of Codemasters’ EGO™ Engine tech. It’s packed with thrilling new race types, big event atmosphere, stunning locations, and a peerless line-up of super-charged speed machines.
The new DiRT title features Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra, Ken Block and Tanner Faust, who have gained notoriety here in North America as superstars of the Rally America race series, and have appeared in Mad Media’s viral films showcasing the Subaru Rally Team USA for the past five years.
“We met with Ken Block and Codemasters earlier this year and discussed how the game was going to evolve into something much bigger than just rally and off-road racing,” said Joshua Martelli, Director of TV/Film Production at Mad Media. “It became clear right away that Codemasters needed help producing engaging, branded content to explain Ken’s involvement in the game, as well as hype the new features in the game, such as X-Games Super Special stages. So we scoured our existing library of rally and off-road footage, and began producing and shooting important promotional films for them about Ken and these new features.”
Mad Media produced six viral films for Codemasters, as well as an exclusive Colin McRae memorial tribute video that appears in-game. Mad Media video assets were also used to create the interactive menus for DiRT 2. Then as the games release date approached, Mad Media produced a custom DiRT 2 / DC Shoes promotional DVD that was awarded to those who pre-ordered the DiRT 2 title from local “Game Stop” stores.
“DiRT 2 is an amazing piece of work – and in many ways speaks to the new generation of racing fans in a way that most titles don’t,” commented Mad Media Creative Director, Matt Martelli. “The design and layout of the game, and the game-play itself were very well executed – the best we’ve seen. So it was a real treat to have our cinematography and editing work – which we work very hard to produce – alongside such a clean and professional title.”
Gymkhana 2 is The Number One Viral Video in the Country!
The Number One Viral Video in the Country! Need we say more!
Mad Media Produces “Rally Horse” segment for MTV’s Nitro Circus / Travis Pastrana
Nitro Circus continues to be one of MTV’s most popular shows. As Travis Pastrana and the Nitro crew began to wrap up filming on their second season, they tapped rally superstar Ken Block for a new segment dubbed “Rally Horse”, and called Mad Media to capture all of the mayhem in pristine 4K resolution with RED ONE cameras. Shot on location at Miller Motorsports, the one-day shoot called for stunt coordination and direction by Mad Media TV/Film Director Joshua Martelli, and employed several of Mad Media’s top cinematographers for production support on the piece.
“We’ve spent the last ten years filming off-road, tarmac, and everything in between”, commented Martelli. “We know what rally cars are capable of and how they handle, and the best way to shoot them, so it was great to get a call from MTV and Dickhouse to come out and play. Ken and Travis have always had a friendly rivalry in rally, and that made for some hilarious TV. Obviously we roll with higher-end gear than a typical reality TV show has budget for, or time to use, but in the end I think the combination of the raw in-your-face filming that Tremaine and Knoxville use, will look great when mixed with our RED footage.”
Mad Media employed dollies, jibs, steadicam, and condor lifts in order to capture all of the chaos that ensued once Ken and Travis got in the car. “Basically they had a really funny list of ideas that we helped translate into realistic stunts that we knew would work. I was really impressed with their prop coordinator, the pace of the filming, and how well they captured all the funny moments between Ken and Travis”, continued Martelli. “I think Nitro fans are going to freak when they see what was thrown down.”
Nitro Circus is executive produced by Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville of Dickhouse Productions, Jeremy Rawle and Gregg Godfrey of Godfrey Entertainment, Travis Pastrana and Trip Taylor. Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Chris Linn, Lauren Dolgen and Michelle Klepper are the MTV executives in charge of production.
Check out the behind the scene photos here:
Mad Media Produces “GK2.1″ with MTV’s Fantasy Factory and Rob Dyrdek / Ken Block
NEW VIDEO: Mad Media Produces “GK2.1” with MTV’s Fantasy Factory and Rob Dyrdek / Ken Block
The Gymkhana project has become the most successful automotive viral film campaign in history. So where do you go from there? Some would think bigger, but DC Co-Founder and Rally Team Member Ken Block teamed up with Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory and Mad Media, and went…smaller! Gymkhana 2.1 is a funny new video segment that was shot, directed, co-produced, and co-edited by Mad Media for MTV’s Fantasy Factory show and DC Shoes. It features longtime buddies Block and Dyrdek charging around a Gymkhana course side-by-side—Block in his Crawford Performance built Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Dyrdek in his mini shifter kart version of Blocks machine.
Gymkhana 2.1 showcases the same high-end cinematography that has become the hallmark of Mad Media film production, and was used in previous installments of Block’s Gymkhana videos. Dyrdek and Block brought the Mad Media film crew to El Toro Airfield to produce the piece, while the MTV crew documented the “reality” angle as it unfolded.
“Ken and Rob decided to get the kart built and film the clip when Rob made an appearance in the Gymkhana TWO video earlier this year.” said GK 2.1 director and Mad Media co-owner Joshua Martelli. “We were stoked to get a call from Rob and the crew at MTV to come out and use the same techniques and camera gear to create something totally hilarious, but equally cool to watch. We fleshed out the stunts onsite and created the main story edit. It was a blast to work with two super talented guys and come up with stunts that were scary but funny to watch.”
The complete version of Gymkhana 2.1 features more than what’s seen on Dyrdek’s hit MTV show, including near run-overs, drifting, racing and shenanigans that occur when two unique individuals like Dyrdek and Block hit the tarmac in polar-opposite-sized whips.To date, the clip has received over a million views on YouTube.
Watch the video here:
Check out the behind the scenes photo gallery here:
Ken Block and Gymkhana Two Featured in Modified Mag!
Modified Mag’s September issue hit newsstands August 4th. Enter here to win a signed copy by Ken Block!