Insight: The Hunt

About two weeks ago, The Hunt was announced to the world. This new video contest, similar to the Aspire videos from back in the day, comes with a hefty prize of $5,000 cash to the winner. After reading the interview on Defgrip, I still had some questions about the new project headed by Justin Kosman. I got ahold of him and shot a few questions his way to fill in the questions I felt were unanswered. Let’s see what he had to say…

How long has The Hunt actually been in the works in your mind? Why did it take a year to get it to finally be announced?
I had been thinking about it for a couple years, but never took any action and admititdly I was really really busy with other projects and clients. In the fall of 2010 things really started to gain traction and I decided to make moves and get this thing going because it was driving me crazy just thinking about it. BNQT always has my back to help pull off creative projects so I knew they had my back on the network end of things. They were able to take my vision and make it exist in cyberspace. All of the original content will be hosted via their player- the same on that Props has been using since they went online.

I noticed you said you had guys like Brian Kachinsky as consultants on the concept. Do you have any other key people who had say in the format?
Will Stroud and I had a good talk about it too, and it mainly stemmed from a discussion about calling an independent release a “web video” vs a “video part.” The films Will is producing for Verde, Cinema, Duo and Monster are “video parts.” “Web videos” are curb-cut left over flip cam edits on Youtube. If you need to reach a lot of people with really great content, the internet is the way to do it. But riders don’t want to film for a web video that will end up in a BMX media flea market for maybe 6 hours. That’s where the DVD aspect of the project comes into play. The top ten videos in this project are going to be wild, so to honor that work they are going to be authored on a limited edition DVD with a tentative iTunes release the following year. The bottom line is that the framework for an independent production is terrible for the rider and producer.

Who are on board so far to be apart of the judging panel?
We’ll release that next week. I can say that it will be a mix of legends, current pros and industry experts. Some of the guys judging already have prior engagements to film for sponsor videos, so they’re taking a judging role in this project. The cool thing about the judge panel, is that they will be able to invite some riders or filmers to be a part of this collective.

Did you have an idea of people you wanted to have involved with this project that didn’t exactly work out as judges?
Not really. The judges need to represent all aspects of the sport, so it will be diverse in terms of riding style and legend status.

Obviously, with the $5,000 first prize on the line, a lot of the big name guys are going to be looking to get involved. Will guys like Will Stroud, Ryan Navazio, Joe Simon, Glenn Milligan, Darryl Tocco or even yourself be allowed to submit a part?
I won’t be submitting a part, but I will be creating original content for the site in the months to come. Managing the post-production for this project will be pretty intense so I’m going to focus on keeping everything running smooth and hopefully adding some more incentives for the top-ten riders. I’d love it if every one of those producers you named would film a part for this project and they are all welcome. Will Stroud has decided to be the head of the judging panel already. I also want to say that team submissions are also welcome. If The Hunt can be a marketing outlet for any of the BMX companies out there- let’s make it happen. I want to make this as inclusive as possible.

Care to give us a couple of the names of people you invited to be involved with this that have already agreed to submit a part? Any you care to share that haven’t responded yet but would like to see involved?
The list of names will be released next week, until then you can register on the website and make sure you get a spot. Russ Wadlin was the first person to register on the site. He’ll film a wild part with some crazy backwards riding and unlikely set-ups. Alex Baret from France, Hadrien Picard, Kyle and Logan Baldock from AUS, Webbie, Bezanson, Alex Colborne, Tony Ennis, Miles Rogoish, Terrel Gordy, John Thomson, Matty Lambert, Mike King, Stewart Munro, Christian Rigal, Malouf, Kym Grosser etc. That’s just me picking random names from the lists I have going but pros and ams are welcome. And remember, one rider from the top ten will get put on Odyssey flow.

Note: You can now find the first round of invites here.

What do you think took this long to do another Aspire style video contest? What did Jim think about bringing it back when you brought the idea to him? Will he have any involvement with the video?
Jim’s got his own mission this summer. He is riding his bike from Minnesota to Alaska to raise money for the Randy Shaver Cancer Foundation in remembrance of his dad who passed away. I honestly can’t imagine managing the Aspire contest back in the day with submissions on DVDs and tapes. One of the appealing things about bringing the project back to life was the availability of high speed internet and being able to register and submit online. The content will still be a monster to manage, but cloud storage and the online hub will streamline the process.

There’s going to be 20 total parts picked for the final round for the actual video. Have you set a cap for the number of people you will be allowing to submit?
Only ten video parts will be chosen for the final DVD. The panel of judges will select the top twenty semi-finalist from the initial submissions. Those twenty teasers will go online. That’s right, I said teasers. The online audience will vote on which ten videos they want to see in full-length. Those ten will be seen for the first time in their entirety in Las Vegas at the DVD premier.
There isn’t really a cap for the number of videos to submit, but 4 months isn’t a long time to film and edit a really good part. Some people will film for a weekend with a really unique concept and some people will take the entire 4 months depending on the concept and riding.. They’ll both have the exact same stake in this contest.

What are your plans for all the videos that won’t make the cut? Do you have a b-roll weekly web video style thing in the works with BNQT?
We will feature a lot of the remaining submissions on TheHuntBmx.com after the top ten are selected. The focus for this project is the DVD and premier. Making

How do you feel about guys like Erik Elstran who can kill it on both sides of the camera? Does there have to be a separate filmer and rider?
Erik has been on my mind since we hit the point of no return with this project. He is one name on the first wave of rider invites. Riders like him will make this collective incredibly unique, and there really isn’t a venue for him to put out his riding and be rewarded for it. He certainly isn’t going to the Dew Tour and there aren’t trampolines at the X Games (yet). Build it and they will come. Whoever wants to put time into this project and create a unique riding video – that is who I want to be involved.

Are the parts set to one rider or can it be a team effort?
It can totally be a team effort. I hope to get some unique team collabs.

Is The Hunt limited to Vans, Monster, BNQT and Odyssey or are you open to more brands getting involved? I feel like there are a few other brands that I could see being into this project.
Vans, BNQT, Monster and Odyssey are my partners for this project. I’m not selling them a number of impressions or pre-rolls, our relationship is about uniting a bunch of amazing riders from around the world into one collective video project- and have it kick ass. That being said, I am trying to get some stuff going for the premier that could make it unlike any other BMX premier –ever. If I do bring on any more partners or sponsors, you’ll see the top-ten pay deeper and added prizes for the category awards: Progression, Originality, Best Story, Cinematography, Editor’s Choice. Pro-Tec saw how important this independent venue was and kicked down an extra grand for a Progression Impression Best Trick award. That alone will bring out some wild moves If any potential sponsors feel like they can take this project to the next level feel free to contact me at hello@thehuntbmx.com.

Note: Pro-Tec have also committed $1,000 for the best trick. Read about that here.

If all goes to plan, is this something you see becoming a series like the Aspire videos or has that not been decided on yet?
If the production timeline for this project proves manageable, I’d like to start it earlier next year and have it premier in June or July of 2012 and make the video part debuts make some waves for X Games invites and wild cards. Aspire had two per year and that sees like a lot.

Now the deadline is August 1st. Do you plan on premiering this at NORA Cup this year? I’d imagine you will have it figured out by the end of September?
We want to host the party at the final stop of the Dew Tour and have the party go off on that week or weekend for maximum fun. Nora Cup has their own program and it’s awesome. I’d rather be attending the Nora Cup than working it to be honest.

To find out more about The Hunt, hit their website at TheHuntBMX.com or check out the interview on Defgrip and the quick Q&A over on ESPN!