If you are anything like I was growing up as an aspiring photographer, then you might be curious as to how the ads come about in all of the magazines. Sure, it’s obvious that someone shoots a photo and then it shows up in the mags but there is clearly a lot more to it then that. How does the photographer get picked? How much does the photographer get paid? Does the rider get paid? How does a company decide on which team rider gets the ad? Which magazine will it go in? If I remember correctly I got lucky and the first legit ad that I got in a magazine was an old Haro ad of a rider from Ohio by the name of Dustin Bauer. I used to live/ride with him in Upstate New York and he ended up getting on Haro during that time. One thing led to another and the next thing I know I had a two-page spread ad for Haro in Ride and I honestly couldn’t have been more stoked about it. Fast-forward to now and the newest ad that I shot happened to be for Stolen and features the rail wizard Chris Brown. Anyone that knows Chris knows that he has a true do-or-die mentality and will double tire, feeble and manual round rails all day. Read on to find out how the ad came about from start to finish and learn what happens when you push your luck.
