Friday, February 19, 2010

Photos from the brand video shoot by Wonderous

The new Longboard Living website features a brand video filmed and edited by The New Beat. I want to take you behind the scenes to have a look at the video from another perspective. Mark Rabo ( www.wondero.us ) shoots a style of photography he calls ‘observational’, capturing photos as a fly on the wall and although often difficult, he finds it to reveal the true emotions of the moment. These "fly on the wall" photos would exist because of Marks curious eye and adventurous angels during the filming of the video.





Thursday, February 11, 2010

Website is Live - www.longboardliving.ca

The longboard living website was the first activity on the to do list when the idea was conceived in September 2008, after the Toronto Board Meeting and before the after party. After the ride with 350 stoked boarders I picked up about 100 retro shades from a wholesaler on Spadina, went to Kinkos and printed www.longboardliving.ca on transparencies, cut them out and stuck em on each pair of shads. At the party i gave them to the bartender to lay out over the bar and I handed them out from Longboard Living. Everyone was stoked and that is all i could ask for.



Unfortunately my website building skills are sub par, the concept for the company was still only ideas and I thought that I had some work to do (build the brand , make some product , sell a few boards) before i really had any content for a website. The indirect goal for Longboard Living was to keep longboarders connected, profile riders in Toronto and get to know the people who make up the Toronto Longboard community. As it turns out, www.ontariolongboarding.com is great for that and facebook is cool, too. As the company came alive, i began working with some amazing artists, producing incredibly designs and picking up some wicked clients who joined the Longboard Living family. I knew that the website should have a blog for each artist to track the process of boards being designed and each "team rider" who "adopts" a board can carry out the life of that board via a rider profile, pictures and updates of their rides. I want the website to resemble a gallery, showcasing the collection of boards produced and featuring the boards for sale. I want a section where people can request a custom board, from an artist of their choice. I want an application for internships, co-ops, new recruitment, team riders. I want this brand to be universally recognized by longboards around the world. People who relate to living a life that involves longboarding. Weather going to the store, getting to class, cruising the city or bombing hills, you are always stoked and you carry that stoke with you no matter where you go and who you meet. It has become my mission to spread the stoke of longboarding, help build the culture and community of longboarders in metropolitan cities and university campuses and provide one of a kind, custom designs that are as unique as the people who ride them.

I would like to introduce the current website for Longboard Living.

www.longboardliving.ca

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Onwards & Upwards 2010

The Onwards & Upwards show took place on Sunday, January 31st 2010 featuring the art of Jimmy Chiale and his new collection of painted longboards for Longboard Living. 2010 is a new year and a new phase in Chiale's life as he moves upwards and onwards to a new studio and creative space at Queen & Spadina. His creativity is moving at light speed as he was up most nights painted new pieces for the show. As Longboard Living moves into it's second season expect to see the Jimmy Chiale collection throughout Toronto galleries and streets.