Sam Downs Archives – BMX UNION

Sam Downs – Self Filmer

December 27, 2022

Sam Downs dropped a new solo edit!

The end of the year is here, and we’re starting to see some videos that have been worked on throughout the year. Sam Downs has been filming his solo sessions all year, and ended up coming through with a fresh video filled with solid riding from street spots, parks and more from Philadelphia to Florida and more. This has a real chill vibe to it, but plenty of solid clips worth checking out!

“Did a lot of solo sessions this year. It’s something i’ve always liked to do, but this year I made sure to film them. I love tuning out the world, setting up the tripod, and working on something difficult and equally as rewarding.

This year I put all of my self filmed clips into a short end of the year edit named ‘SELF FILMER’. Most of it was filmed around Philly with a few thrown in from trips to Florida.

Music
“Out Space” by INDBeats
https://airbit.com/profile/indbeats” – Sam Downs

Jibs For Jon Fundraiser Jam Highlights

November 11, 2022

The Philly scene came together for Jon Schimpf!

At the end of August Jon Schimpf had a serious accident and has been in the hospital making the long road to recovery. This past weekend the scene in Philadelphia threw a jam to help raise funds for Jon’s medical bills that are piling up. Here’s a highlight video from the day giving us a look at what went down. As expected, there was a good turn out and it looks like it was a real good day from start to finish! After checking out the highlights, go check out Jon’s GoFundMe page for updates on him and to learn how to donate!

“Last weekend the BMX crews from the Philadelphia area put together a fundraiser / BMX jam at 9th and Poplar DIY skatepark to raise money for Jon Schimpf’s road to recovery. The turnout was amazing – love to see the BMX community come together for one of their own.” – Sam Downs

“Distanced” Rough Cuts From California

June 30, 2022

A little while back Sam Downs released the “Distanced” video from his time in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, and Southern California that ultimately lead to a DVD, that you can still pick up here for $5.00, featuring a ton of familiar faces from the East and West coasts. The full video was recently released online (we have re-embedded it below), and now Sam is releasing raw footage from the project to check out. Here’s an 8 minute raw cut filled with clips from his time ou in California! Take a look!

“Rough Cuts is a collection of raw footage from my recent project “DISTANCED” – the film started in NYC and then quickly grew when more people wanted to be involved. Can’t thank everyone enough for the support!

Split into three sections, Rough Cuts begins in southern California with riding from Mike Stahl, Dan Kruk, Grant Castelluzzo, Pat Freyne, Mikey Andrew, Ison Bogosian and Sam Downs.” – Sam Downs

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Distanced

March 17, 2022

Whenever Sam Downs has a new video he put together, you know you’re going to see some great riding and super clean film work! Well, he just released the full “Distanced” video that is 14 minutes of BMX goodness from the streets featuring a whole slew of Pros and up and comers out in California online for your viewing pleasure! Get on that play button because this one does not disappoint.

“We’re really hyped to be able to premiere Sam Down’s latest and greatest video, “Distanced” online. This one has been out on DVD and digital download since October last year and now Sam has been kind enough to release it for all to see. This one is essential viewing! Enjoy.

”Distanced is a project I’ve been filming for the past few years with riders from all over the country. It originally began as a New York City video and quickly grew into a larger project after a few trips to Miami and southern California. It’s so wild a bike can connect you to so many people around the country – big thanks to anyone who bought a DVD or supported the project in the past few months!!” – Sam Downs

Riders: Mike Stahl, Mikey Andrew, Ison Bogosian, Grant Castelluzzo, Pat Freyne, Dan Kruk, Angus Tuttle, Sam Downs, Rainer Etsweiler, Dimitri McCombs, Liam Reegs, Markus Hoyte, Joeri Veul, Matt Miller, Dom Simoncini, Alex Avilla, Lorenzo Mesa, Matias Barboza and Calum Palmer

Filmed and edited by Sam Downs

Music: “M.E.” & “Films” by Gary Numan and “The Promise” by When in Rome” – DIG

Ride PA – Bepiscrawdad

June 20, 2021

Ride PA dropped this new one that Rainer Etsweiler put together for your viewing pleasure. Filmed over the course of the past two years, this 12 minute mix is loaded with non-stop gems from the streets and a little park action. If you’re looking for grinds, this video is for you. Hit play and take it all in!

“Bepiscrawdad is a video project two years in the making by a group of friends from Harrisburg and Philadelphia. The project was spearheaded by Rainer Etsweiler, with additional filming provided by most of the riders involved and Dan Conway. The video includes sections from Rainer Etsweiler, Angus Tuttle, Griffin Mann, and Mike Stahl with guest clips from Sam Downs, Noah Doss, Paul Lichtenstein, Andrew Thompson, Jesse Romano, and Grant Castelluzzo.” – Ride PA

“Distanced” BMX Trailer

May 4, 2021

Sam Downs has been putting in work behind the lens for a new video project, clocking a bunch of miles from the East Coast to the West Coast, filming with a bunch of different riders. Here’s the trailer giving us a taste of what’s to come! This should be awesome!

““Distanced” is a full length BMX project that has been in the works for the last year or so traveling between New York, Philadelphia, Miami, and California.

Featuring riding from Mike Stahl, Rainer Etsweiler, Sam Downs, Angus Tuttle, Dan Kruk, Grant Castelluzzo, Juan Lorenzo, Matias Barboza, Alex Avilla, Dom Simoncini, Dimitri McCombs, and Markus Hoyte.

Thanks to everyone involved with this one and be on the look out for the final product soon! Filmed and edited by Sam Downs.

Music is “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd” – Sam Downs

Two Weeks In Spain: Raw Footage 03

February 12, 2020

Sam Downs coming through with another raw edit filled with clips from the two week trip him and a few friends spent cruising spots around Spain. This time around we get a look at what they got into in Badalona and part of Barcelona! Plenty of solid clips in this BMX video, so get on that play button and check it out!

“Filmed on our trip to Spain this past October. In this episode we begin our spot search in Badalona, a northeastern suburb of Barcelona. We then get the train to Madrid ending our two-week trip in Spain’s capital.

Video by Sam Downs
https://samdowns.com

Starring:
Joe Hanusiewicz
https://instagram.com/joeymonsta22
David Ortega
https://instagram.com/lostinmyskull
Sam Downs
https://instagram.com/samdowns
Robert Dong
https://instagram.com/deepintotherabb…
Irvin Lopez
https://instagram.com/livingoodlopez
Adrian Serrano
https://instagram.com/adriansrrano
Killian Prunier
https://instagram.com/killianprunier
Lil Jon”

Sam Downs – Two Weeks In Spain Part 2

February 1, 2020

Sam Downs put together another raw batch of footage from his two week trip to Spain! Here’s a look at a bunch of footage they collected while cruising spots around Badalona. This is a mix of b-roll, crashes and some landed clips, so it’s not the craziest, but worth a peek.

“Filmed on our trip to Barcelona and Madrid this past October. In this episode, we end our stay searching the streets of Badalona, northeast of downtown Barcelona. Next stop is Madrid…

Video by Sam Downs
https://samdowns.com