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Originally from Tucson, AZ, Mike Williamson is a gaffer/chief lighting technician (CLT) working in Hollywood, CA on commercials and music videos.

After graduating from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Williamson made the move to Los Angeles, CA to pursue his dreams of working in the film industry. Since making the move, Williamson has worked with clients such as Apple, Captain Morgan USA, Urban Plates, Honda Motor Co, along with artists such as Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Wiz Khalifa, and more.

In my conversation with Williamson, we dive into his early years growing up in Tucson, AZ and wanting to get out of a city that had nothing going for it by way of filmmaking, how and why he fell in love with lighting and wanting to become a gaffer, the ebbs and flows of working as a freelance filmmaker, advice for up and coming gaffers, working with high level musicians and artists such as Lady Gaga and Tom Morello, the not so sexy business side of things when it comes to buying gear and doing your taxes, being a kind person, working on car commercials, having interests outside of work, and a whole host of other topics.

This was a lot of fun and Mike is truly a good dude, working his ass off in Hollywood. Selfishly, I hope we are able to work together again soon because he brings good energy and a rad attitude to set, which is half the battle.

Follow Mike Williamson: https://www.instagram.com/mikewilliamsoncinema/?hl=en

View Mike’s  portfolio: https://www.sleeplessformat.com/

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David Pingree is a former professional athlete, racing Supercross and motocross from 1993 to 2003. Pingree rode for Splitfire/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki, Primal Impulse Suzuki, factory Red Bull/KTM, and MotoWorld Suzuki before transitioning into the editorial life for Racer X Magazine.

A multi-time Supercross race winner, Pingree was a title threat throughout a majority of his career. Most notably, the 2000 125 West Coast Championship, where he fell two points shy of the championship to Shae Bentley.

In this episode, we dive into aforementioned 2000 SX season, and Pingree recalls the race that truly cost him the championship (probably not the round you think it would be), his transition out of racing and into the editorial world, joining the fire service, starting the Whiskey Throttle Show podcast,  the  struggles of running a media site in a world dominated by social media, and much more.

Follow David Pingree:
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Follow Kyle Cowling: https://www.instagram.com/kylecowling/

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Originally from Glendora, CA, Ryan Cooley is an account director,  producer, and business owner of The Medium Creative Group, a creative agency specializing in still photography, video production, graphic design, Web design and more. Based in Costa Mesa, CA, Cooley and co-owner of the MCG, Luis Rodriguez works with clients such as Red Bull, Nike, American Honda, Toyota, Schwinn, Brixton, Cannondale, and more.

However, before the MCG was birthed, Cooley got his start in the motocross industry working at TransWorld Motocross Magazine as associate editor and then managing editor from 2003 to 2008. Cooley, Garth Milan, and Luis worked together at TWMX, building the magazine into the most creatively iconic and powerful publications within the motocross world. The three of them eventually parted ways from TWMX to start The Medium Creative Group. And, Cooley shares the journey at TWMX and why and how the MCG came to fruition.

For anyone in the creative world or looking to start their own agency, this is a great listen for you. Cooley candidly opens up about the trials and tribulations of operating and owning a small business in the state of California, keeping up with the trends, wearing many different hats on set, as well as diving into the early years of TWMX, his first-ever assignment for the magazine, and more. 

Visit the MCG Portfolio: https://themediumcg.com/

Follow the MCG: https://instagram.com/themediumcg?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==

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Jeff Emig is a retired professional Supercross and motocross athlete who now works in television broadcasting, handling the color analyst for the World Supercross Championship. Prior to his television career, Emig rode for factory Yamaha and factory Kawasaki throughout the 1990s. He won the 1992 125 outdoor motocross championship, the 1996 250 outdoor motocross championship, and the 1997 Supercross and outdoor motocross championships.

This episode with Emig dives into all kinds of fascinating conversations. We discuss him failing the eighth grade, wanting to be a rockstar not an athlete, the moment he knew he broke Jeremy McGrath's spirit during the '96 outdoor motocross championship, factory Yamaha not paying him enough to win, kicking Mike LaRacoo in the back, his factory salaries at Yamaha and Kawasaki, the moment he realized his professional racing career was truly over (two years after his major injury), and so much more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and being able to sit down and pick Emig's brain about what maybe the most iconic era of professional Supercross and motocross racing (The '90s). I would love to have Fro back for a part two to discuss the iconic motocross films he was apart of like Crusty Demons of Dirt , Thor's Full Power Trip and, of course, Frezno Smooth.

Follow Jeff Emig: https://www.instagram.com/emig47/

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Casey Davis is an action sports filmmaker with an emphasis in the Supercross and motocross world, based out of Southern California. Casey works with the creative outfit, Octopi Media, alongside Garth Milan and Ryne Swanberg, handling video needs for clients such as Monster Energy/Star Racing Yamaha, Scott Goggles, Kawasaki Motor Co, and more.

Casey’s story is incredibly wild and, for any and all filmmakers (new or veterans), an important listen. Casey dives into his journey to earn his dream job at TransWorld Motocross Magazine, the years of struggling to earn that position only for it to be ripped away from him without warning, his battle with depression and anger management, finding his footing to push through the lowest point of his life, landing on his feet at Octopi Media, and so much more.

My conversation with Casey couldn’t have been anymore transparent and inspiring. I truly enjoyed learning so much about such a kind and talented human and hope all enjoy Casey’s story and complete transparency in sharing his successes and failures.

Follow Casey Davis: https://instagram.com/air_d617?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==


Follow Octopi Media: https://instagram.com/octopi.media?igshid=Y2IzZGU1MTFhOQ==https://www.instagram.com/kitkarzen/

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Kit Karzen is an Emmy award-winning stills photographer and photo journalist based out of Los Angeles, CA working with clients such as the NFL, Amazon Studios, CBS, CNN, Netflix, Nike, Team L39ION Los Angeles, Zwift, Hammerhead, Oakley, Playboy, Stance, and many more.

Originally, Karzen started racing cycling at a young age and eventually started racing at a  professional level for the USA National team, traveling the globe to race his bicycle. Eventually, he walked away from cycling for a career in marketing at Oakley. Shortly thereafter, he then transitioned into the world of photography and photo journalism, documenting the presidential campaign for Kamala Harris and other political events. However, Karzen eventually found his way back into cycling by way of Justin Williams and Team L39ION Los Angeles, photographing the teams rise and goals of changing the perception of cycling.

Kit's story is a wild one. We dive into all of the aforementioned and when and how he came out as a gay man, the homophobic hate messages and death threats he still receives today for being a gay man (especially within the world of cycling), how he landed a job photographing the NFL, and so much more. This was truly an illuminating and transparent conversation about mental health, financial struggles, finding his way as a photographer, overcoming the blatant discrimination in cycling, and so much more.

Kit Karzen's Portfolio: https://www.kitkarzen.com/

Follow Kit Karzen: https://www.instagram.com/kitkarzen/

Support The Failed Experiment: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2156809/supporters/new

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Jordan Powell is a Southern California based filmmaker and cinematographer working within the action sports world. Originally cutting his teeth as the in-house video editor at TransWorld Motocross Magazine, Powell has since gone onto to work with clients such as Red Bull Media House, American Honda Motor Co., Capelli, Thor MX, and also spent several years working as a wedding cinematographer.

Aside from discussing Powell's work and the ebbs and flows of working as a freelance filmmaker, Powell gets very candid in discussing his mental health struggles, personal battles with his family, and how so much of this trauma affected him throughout his life. Tears are not shed, but damn did it get very heavy and very real.

This conversation was truly from the heart. There is much to be learned from Powell's story, his struggles, his successes, and his resilience to fight the good fight, break the cycle, and go after his dreams.

Follow Jordan Powell: https://www.instagram.com/powelldigitalmedia/?hl=en

Follow his new company:  https://www.instagram.com/mulligoonsgolf/?hl=en

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Follow Kyle Cowling: https://www.instagram.com/kylecowling/

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Originally from south Texas, Troy Murrah is a musician and artist now residing in Southern California with his wife and three children.

Troy dives into his story of working as a set designer in the early 2000s for Comedy Central's, The Man Show, with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla, how he picked up a guitar and eventually started his two piece punk rock band, RESTAVRANT, (yes, the band's name is spelt with a V), working as a full-time artist creating wooden quilts, the documentary that took us five years to complete, not drinking water and almost dying while on tour with his band, and a whole lot more.

This episode is a long one, but so damn fun and has so many comical stories of Troy's life experiences, debauchery on tour, his path in his career of art, his love for history, and more. I truly enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as all. Troy is truly the epitome of an artist and somebody who inspires me daily within my own craft.

Follow Troy Murrah: https://www.instagram.com/troy.murrah/

Follow RESTAVRANT: https://www.instagram.com/restavrant/?hl=en

Follow Troy Murrah's Art: https://www.instagram.com/builtquilt/

Built Quilt: https://www.builtquilt.com/

Watch our documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nx-DVxSgt0

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Shannon Stutenroth is a 1st AC (Assistant Camera) and cinematographer currently residing in Los Angeles, CA working on narrative, commercial, documentary, and branded content. Originally from Pennsylvania, Shannon had quite the road map in terms of education. She spent time in Philadelphia, California, and New York before graduating from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

Shannon’s film career started after graduating from the Pratt Institute and moving to Los Angeles, CA in 2019 to work as a production assistant on a feature film. Shannon shares her story about arriving in Los Angeles, CA only to find out the PA position and the feature as a whole fell through. However, since then she's managed to find steady work as a 1st AC, cinematographer, and sometimes gaffer (if you don't throw shit on set) on narrative and commercial sets.

Shannon's perspective and journey in the cut throat film industry is one of maintaining a good attitude, being easy to work with, and rolling with the punches. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and hope all who listen to Shannon's insights can gain further inspiration and motivation to pursue their goals.

View Shannon's Portfolio: https://shannonstutenroth.wixsite.com/shannonstutenroth

Follow Shannon: https://www.instagram.com/sh_nn0n/?hl=en

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Chris Ray is a skateboarder and filmmaker residing in Southern California with his wife and kids. Partners with Martin Fobes at Motion Clubhouse (their production company), Chris is responsible for some of the most influential skate videos over the last 15+ years.

In today's episode, Chris shares his journey from working crummy jobs while pursuing his passion for filmmaking in the skate industry, turning down a six figure job offer from DC Shoes (yes, you read that right), to accepting the same job offer a year later, leaving DC Shoes after 10-years to start Motion Clubhouse with Martin, and our deep love for Taco Bell amongst a whole host of other topics.

For all of my filmmaking friends out there, this is truly an insightful look at one of the hardest working individuals in action sports. Chris provides invaluable insights on his journey and how others can apply hard work, kindness, and punctuality to find success as a creative.

View Chris' Portfolio: https://www.motionclubhouse.com

Follow Chris Ray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisrayfilms/?hl=en

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