Desert Run Tour

Waay too many good riders for one edit. Dan Barrett, Jon Devrind, Ryan Upchurch, Raymond Warner, AND Cooper Klaar. If that isn't reason enough to click this video I don't know what is. Get comfy, because it's about 12 minutes long, and it's definitely worth it.

Desert Run Tour from Eric Silver on Vimeo.

Ryan Upchurch Welcome to Grit Scooters

Well, I for one was surprised when Ryan made the move to Grit. I personally don't know what Grit and Crisp are doing to get all of these riders to make the switch to their company, and I don't really care. The riders they have all still shred. This is one of Ryan's best edits, and the tech combos are awesome. Check it out.

Crispy Grits

No, it's not a breakfast dish from the early 1900s.  This is a video of Ryan Upchurch and Jon Devrind riding at Glasgow skatepark.  It's called that because Crisp and Grit are the teams they are on.  Jake Hershey, TM for those brands, filmed it and Ryan edited it together.  Nice, chill riding from these guys.

Bangers in the Bunker

Some of the top riders in the NW got together at the Bunker section of The Lumberyard and made this video...park is new to scooters and they just shut it down already.  Even Stan Smirnoff gets in on the action with a ledge combo.  And I'm with Coop...how do you whip rewind?!?

Ryan Upchurch 19 Stair Rail Attempts/Falls

Ryan is a warrior.  This hadone of the tiniest runups for one of the biggest rails, but Ryan tries it multiple times anyway.  Nearly gets it first try, sacks it, then tries again and again.  Last bail left him with a mild concussion...unfortunately he had left his helmet at home that day.  Protect your noggin, kids.

Ryan Upchurch- It's May Again

Ryan has been filming for a web edit, and this is all footage that isn't going to make the cut for it.  So even though it's throwaway, this video has some heavy tricks.  I was definitely diggin the street clips.  Somebody needs to tell his filmer to get the camera lower though, being directly behind and above the rider with a fisheye is never good.

Fidelity Interview and March 2013 Issue

Ryan Upchurch, as I’m sure you guys know, has been active in the scene not only as a rider but in other ways for a long time.  He’s done photography, pieces for magazines, been a team manager, all on top of being one of the top pro riders today.  His latest endeavor is a video magazine, called Fidelity.  Coming out once a month, Fidelity Online Video Magazine features five video segments covering a wide range of content.  I hit up Ryan to get the full scoop on Fidelity. 

Jordan Jasa:  What exactly, in your own words, is Fidelity Online Video Magazine?

Ryan Upchurch:  Well, Fidelity is simply a monthly feed of video that is created for every scooter rider out there. It covers anything from events, pro interviews, and all sorts of other stuff. We are created by the rider, for the rider.  Also, we now provide constant news, updates, and one-of-a-kind articles.

It's awesome to see more and more riders creating content for the sport.  What made you want to start Fidelity?

Almost anyone who knows me knows that I love being behind the camera almost just as much as I love being on my scooter. I have been looking for ways of being more involved, so I put the two together. One of my biggest motivations though, is to give back to the scooter community.

Something that I will be doing a lot of once we gain support, and things get a little bit bigger. In our first few months now, we have already given a free entry to Woodward West away, given prizes to local contests, and also starting to do giveaways (something which I hope is a regular occurrence).

Giveaways are good.  You're not alone on this project though, Jake Hershey is on board as well.  How did that happen?

Jake has been a friend of mine for a long time prior to the creation of Fidelity. Soon after I came up with the idea, I was having a conversation with Jake about how much he wanted to work in the scooter community full-time, instead of working at a local pizza place. So, without any hesitation, I knew that he would be a great asset to Fidelity. I had in the back of my mind that Fidelity needed some sort of "host" and I didn't want to become the face of my own company. So, I got him started with the hosting, and soon after let him start knocking out some of the one-of-a-kind pieces that you see on the site today. Jake is a part of Fidelity, and I am glad to have a close friend working beside me on a project that I am so passionate about.

Jake is a good guy.  What is the process like, from the very beginning, of making a new episode?  A five part video every month does seem quite challenging.

Challenging is definitely a good word for it, but it is a worthy challenge, and one that I'm up for every month. The first thing that I do is see what major events are going on that month. I either attend and film the event myself, or hire one of the guys on my list of reliable videographers. If there are any majors tours, news regarding a pro rider, or anything of that nature I base some content around those things accordingly. It's important to me to promote the pro riders and what they're up to, so I try to have as much with the pros as possible. After all of the content has been decided upon, it's all filmed and edited. Sometimes this is all the way down to the day or two before the release due to events falling just a few days before the end of the month, but there are never any issues there (there is always content ready to fill in the gap if there are issues). After the content is done and ready to go, I meet up with Jake, knock out the intros, and the issue is complete! Putting the magazine together each month is time-consuming, but well worth it.

What’s your setup for filming and editing an episode?

I shoot all of my footage with a 7D, using one of my many lenses which are there for whatever focal length or effect I am trying to achieve. My lenses are as follows:

-Canon 50mm f/1.4

-Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8

-Sigma 15mm f/2.8 fisheye

-Rokinon 8mm f/3.5 fisheye

-Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8

I also use a rode pro video mic for when I shoot interviews, or anything that involves a rider or individual talking. I also use a Konova k3 slider for cinematic looking sliding shots at times.  As far as editing goes, I have a Sony Vaio laptop for work on the go. Nothing too fancy, but it gets the job done. When I am at home, I have a custom built desktop which included 32GB of ram, two hard drives (256GB solid state for programs and operating system, and a 1TB hard drive used for storage), and one of the latest intel I7 processors on the market.  I have a 24" monitor to go with that to view everything I am working on. The computer isn't exactly one model or another, but it is a PC. Contrary to most media guys, I am not much for the OSX operating system.

You just made a Fidelity mobile app, how was it working on that?

The mobile app was something that I have wanted to do for a long time now, but haven't had the funding to do. After saving for several months, I took the time to put my head down for a little while, put in some work, and knock it out. It was a little difficult to do at first, but with a few helpful tools and learning everything I need to know from the internet, it all came together even better than I first planned! I know a lot of people access the internet from their phones these days, so I'm hoping the app will help accommodate those who do.

What are your plans for Fidelity in the future?

Fidelity is something that I hope gets big enough to the point where it actually helps grow our sport by raising overall awareness. I want to promote the pros out there that make up the sport we know and love. I find the retailers to be one of the most important parts of the overall success of scootering, so I want to start involving and promoting them as much as possible. I am a firm believer in the mom and pop shops out there, and want to do what I can to help them succeed. The most important thing to me though, is that Fidelity gives back as much as possible. I love to do giveaways, do what I can to sponsor events, give away free camp trips, and anything of that nature. I also want to do contests that give riders a chance to win some cash! 

Recently, I have put a team together that are not only my friends, but guys from various teams and areas from around the worlds that promote what I feel scootering is all about; having fun. Those individuals are as follows: Dan Barrett, Ben Thomas, Ryan Gould, Scott Higgs, and Jon Devrind. We are currently working on a welcome video that will be dropping sometime during spring. More info will come closer to the date of release.

There is one thing definite about the future of Fidelity, and that is the fact that we will be working diligently each and every month to give you what you all want to see. We're here to stay.

It'll be cool to see what you guys do, thanks for your time Ryan.

Anytime man, and thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me.

And now, check the March Issue of Fidelity:

Ryan Upchurch Signature Deck Promo

Ryan is one of the busiest guys in the sport, from running Fidelity, to creating content for Scoot-Mag, flying out to competitions all over the world, and to trying to get clips.  This video is the result of his hard work over the past few months filming for a deck promo.  He just attacks the rails and boxes, first and last clips are the bomb.

R.I.P. Stevon Wilson Tribute ft Dan Barrett, Jake Hershey, and Ryan Upchurch

In memory of Stevon Wilson his two long time friends Dan Barrett and Jake Hershey, got together with another one of Steve's friends Ryan Upchurch, and they made this edit for him. Gotta love how all of them can't keep the smiles off of their faces while they recall memories of Stevon. That tells you just how much they love him, and how they remember him.

R.I.P. Stevon Wilson

Ryan Upchurch Fidelity Interview

So Ryan Upchurch has already made quite the name for himself worldwide, with his riding that is. But now he is trying something new, an Online Video Magazine. This is something that is pretty untouched in our sport. A lot of people have their doubts about it, but I am anxious to see how it plays out for Ryan. I sat down and asked Ryan a few questions that I know some other people were wondering as well. So let's see what he had to say about Fidelity.

 





All right Ryan, break down your reasons for wanting to do this sort of project?

Well basically, I wanted to do something different than anything currently available. If you look to skateboarding, they had 411. I basically want to do something of that nature with scootering. I want to provide a professional quality video magazine that kids want to watch. So with that being said, I want to put it out there that I am open to all ideas that are thrown my way. So if you have anything you’d like to see, send it my way at info@fidelitymagazine.com . I have been thinking about starting my own business of some sort recently, and this was what I came up with. The second it was brought up, I knew I had to do it!

 It sounds cool, but it's also really new, and a bit different. Are you at all worried that people just aren't going to get into it?

Of course I am man, it may or may not catch on, but you take that same risk with any project or business. There’s always a chance of failure, but if you don’t take that chance you’ll never know which it was. In addition, I believe that if you do something you’re passionate about for the right reasons, you’re not going to fail. I want to leave the ideas for content up to the public, that way they get to see exactly what they want. The most important thing to me though is that I’m making an attempt to do what I love to do in a way that can help people, so even in the case of failure I have already succeeded.

 I hear you bro. So who are some of the people helping you out with this project so far?

So far, I’ve been doing as much as I can but I’ve had more and more of my friends and fellow riders hitting me up to help out with it, which I’m stoked on! All of the funding has come out of my pocket so far, so there are no people backing me in that sense. I have produced all of the web graphics, design, and content up to this point. Although, I would also like to thank everyone who has given me feedback on the things I have released so far, as it is a huge help to me to know what I can improve on. I would also like to recognize my good friend and professional announcer Jake Hershey for doing a bit of narrating and transitions for this first issue! 

 Nice, Jake's definitely the man. Do you see it growing a lot in the future, or are you going to keep it a relatively small group of riders working on this?

Honestly, I am planning on keeping the number of contributors relatively close to the same number. The amount of content needed in each issue isn’t going to increase, so the staff filming and editing isn’t either. My plan is to thrive on quality rather than quantity, and taking care of those few that do work alongside me. I plan on adding someone to help me on the business side of things if things do continue to grow, but that’s a long way off in my mind. So for now I’m just going to wait and see where this whole thing takes me.

 Can we expect shirts and other apparel for Fidelity?

Yes, yes, and yes! I am looking at getting some shirts done up right now! I am starting off with a batch of white shirts with black logos. The initial run of shirts will be our basic logo, but if things take off I’ll definitely be doing some different things down the line. About the same time the shirts will be available, there will also be stickers in both black and white. Beanies are in the question too if we get a good response from the first run of apparel, but only time will tell! 

 Beanies. Do it, now. I thought you worked with Scoot Mag as well, how do they feel about you now taking on this project?

Yeah, I did, and still do work with Scoot-Mag! I was a bit worried when I came up with the idea whether it’d be a conflict of interests between the two companies, but they have been understanding and even supportive! I believe that since we’re both working towards the same goal with positive intentions, that everyone wins when someone else steps in. Assuming by the talks I’ve had with the fellas over at Scoot-Mag, we’re all on the same page!

 Can you give us a little hint of what we can expect in the first issue of Fidelity?

The first issue is going to be pretty stacked to be honest… having a few of the segments that I will have repeatedly in issues to come. I have developed an interview section with riders that are working their way up through the ranks entitled ‘On The Rise’. The debut issue will be on ECX team rider Tommy Christiana! I recently attended the Barking Spyder Endless Summer competition this past weekend, so there will be some footage from there. I am also currently working on an interview with Dan Barrett, which is the first of many pro riders to be featured in a segment called ‘In-Depth’. Last but not least, there will be exclusive up-close footage with some of the industry’s top riders out at the ISA International championships in the UK! So needless to say, there will be quite in our debut issue!

 All right this is it, make your pitch to the riders and tell them why they should support Fidelity, and if you have any last words, thanks, or shout outs, let em go now bro!

Hey everyone, I’m not going to preach about how good Fidelity is because I want it to speak for itself. All I ask is that when the debut issue drops, you check it out and make your own judgment. It is going to by the riders, and for the riders. You let us know what you want to see and we will make it happen! I already have content being lined up for the December issue, and things are definitely looking like they’re going to be picking up as time goes on. The first issue drops on November 1^st , so make sure you mark that down on the calendar! In the meantime, we will be giving updates and other related content through our site, Facebook, and YouTube if you want to keep up on what’s going on day to day. Special thanks to each and every one of you out there reading this right now, because it wouldn’t be possible without you!

Ryan Upchurch: Coming Home

This is a summary of what Ryan's been doing over the past few months, including footage from a ton of places he's been.  He includes a bit of everything- park, street, and vert.  Any footage from Ryan is usually crazy, spreading the clips out on a variety of terrain makes it even better.  That gap to wallride to whip was so cool.

Envy East Coast Tour 2012

I don't even know what to really say about this edit, except for the fact that there are probably world firsts all around in here. I can't really comprehend most of the stuff these guys are throwing down. Vincent Kudrna is a beast. Everyone really delivered in this, and if they can put it down like this during competitions, the Envy Team will be killing it in the comp scene. Check out the edit below.

Bad to the Bone

For this video, Jon Reyes, Dan Barrett, and Ryan Upchurch decided to dress up and have a little theme to spice it up a bit.  Well, Dan and Ryan at least because thats what Jon always wears haha.  But anyway the riding is cool, these are the East Coast's top riders for sure.

Ryan Upchurch "Night on the Mini"

When Ryan gets bored, he takes a light, he goes out to his local, and in 2 hours filmed this edit. When Ryan first stuck a front peg on, he had all kinds of crazy tricks and combos, and he keeps em coming in this short day, or.. night edit. Check out Envy Pro Rider, Ryan Upchurch below.

Ryan Upchurch Interview

Steven: Ryan, what has been going on dude? It seems like you've been pretty busy. Tell us a little bit about what you've been up to lately.



Ryan: Dude, to be honest lately I've been working and riding every free moment I've had! To start things off, I have my normal team managing duties with Envy, I've recently been doing a bit of photo and writing work for a few different magazines, and also have been doing a ton of photo and video work on the side for various businesses local to me. On top of all of this, I have all of my usual travels, videos I make for myself, and balance it all out around my schoolwork. Needless to say, I've been keeping myself busy lately aha, but every second has been 100% worth it!



Steven: So it's pretty obvious that joining up with Blunt/Envy has been one of the best, if not The best move in your career, what are your thoughts on that?



Ryan: Since joining Blunt/Envy Scooters, my whole life has changed! On and off my scooter, they have been backing me with everything I've done since stepping foot on the team. One of the biggest things for me with Envy though is my travels, and they have made all the difference! I never thought I'd make it to Europe, especially by now (let alone all of the other places I've been)! I've met heaps of great people in my travels, and have made memories that I wouldn't trade for the world. Since joining the team more than over a year ago, it seems my riding has also flourished, which I feel has been a direct result of the high quality products that I've been riding on over the past year. They have been more than good to me, so it's definitely safe to say it has been the best decision I've made so far in my career.



Steven: If I'm not mistaken, aren't you also the Team Manager for Envy USA? Can you tell us how that role affects you, and give us a little bit of insight on what you do for Envy?



Ryan: Yeah man, I was in search of work as I entered the team, and found it a few months later as TM. Seeing that they have given me work, I can focus completely on the promotion of the company from a marketing aspect when I'm not riding. I am extremely grateful that they've done so, seeing that otherwise I'd be working in some dead end job I hate. As a team manager though, I make sure all of the guys are always on a good set of parts, organize some of the traveling for the team, as well as do a load of behind the scenes photo, video, and marketing work such as producing magazine advertisements and creating event flyers. They keep work coming my way, and I do my best to keep the work going out just as fast as it's coming in. They've made a dream come true though, by allowing me to do what I love to do each day!



Steven: All right I gotta get into this Mega Ramp deal at Travis's house. First, before we get into the actual hitting of the ramp, tell us how you even ended up in his backyard?



Ryan: Well... to make a long story short, I know a guy that knows a guy haha! My long-time friend and pro BMX rider Mike Fede is pretty good friends with Jim Dechamp, and one thing led to another, and Mike invited me down to Travis's for a session. I have been there quite a few times now, and after the frontflip, I've been invited to come ride and hangout whenever almost.




Steven: Ok, now that that's out of the way.. walk us through the day that you frontflipped his mega. Did anyone know you were going to throw a frontflip first try? Break it down for us dude.



Ryan: Actually man, first try is a false statement... the video that I released that everyone has seen was actually my second go at it! But to start from the beginning, I was at Travis's house the day before just riding to get some photos and basic clips with Mike, and Travis took a bit of interest into my riding. After the session and towards the end of the day, he mentioned to me that ESPN was going to be there tomorrow, and that I could come back for the filming of the show if I wanted. Without hesitation, I accepted (obviously)! So the next day rolls around and I show up around 1PM, just around the time that ESPN showed up. The weather was iffy, and raining on and off throughout the day. Between the spurts of rain, myself, along with Chad Kagy, Steve McCann, "Dusty", and a few others filmed various clips around the compound. I mentioned to Travis that I wanted to do the mega for the show, and he was clearly hesitant, and actually told me he didn't think I was going to make it. He also made me sign another liability waiver, just to be safe hahaha! Confident in thinking I was going to make the gap though, I told the film crew to head over to the mega, and start rolling because I was about to do something they don't want to miss (make or fail). Soon after, I was at the top of the compound, right at Travis's front door, shaking with adrenaline and fear. I thought to myself about what this would mean if I made it, and without another thought in my mind ran as fast as I could and jumped on my scooter towards the mega ramp. First time out I got speed wobbles at the bottom, took off crooked, and bailed as I was upside down suspended about 35feet in the air moving at aorund 30-40mph. Thank god, I made the gap! Adrenaline still pumping and with the Nitro Circus crew cheering me on I knew I had to go stomp it! Off to the top of the hill I went, and lined up for a second go. This time as I hit the take off my speed wobbles weren't as bad and I took off much better, and brought the rotation around for the fronty just about as good as I think I could have! Everyone went berserk when I landed it, and it couldn't have been a better moment for me. It was unreal.




Steven: It looks like quite a few people were there, including Travis Pastrana himself and Jolene Van Vugt. Who else was there? And what were there overall reactions and thoughts after seeing you throw that down first try?



Ryan: In addition to Travis and Jolene, there was Chad Kagy, Streetbike Tommy, "Dusty", Steve McCann, Mike Fede, Jim Dechamp, Hubert, and a few others were hanging out when it all went down. Before hand, as ssen in the video, it's quite obvious that there wan't a whole lot of people confident in me making the gap, or even attempting it in the first place. Surprisingly, seeing at how crazy everyone appears to be on the shows, the Nitro Circus crew seemed quite concerned for my safety when I told them I was going to do it. Right when I made the first jump, they all jumped up in applaud more so for the fact that I didn't wreck myself than anything. Second go, I stuck the trick and everyone jumped up in amazement this time because I actually threw it. Travis, as well as everyone else there was stoked on what went down that day. Ultimately, it was huge for me because hitting a mega ramp was one of the few things I really wanted out of my scooter career, and it couldn't have been more perfect.



Steven: I honestly want to see you hit the REAL Mega Ramp. What are your thoughts on that, and would we see another first T front flip??



Ryan: A real mega ramp... I've been wanting to do it even before I hit the one at the Pastrana compound! Now that I have made it over his, I'm determined to hit every mega I'm allowed to ride. First try over the real mega is very possible, but regardless of which try I land it on, I can say that I'll keep going until I land it or get hurt. After speaking with Travis afterward though, me hitting another mega in the near future is a strong possibility! When it comes to what I throw over them, I guess everyone will just have to wait and see!



Steven: Ryan you're making big moves dude, and having known you for so many years, you know I'm stoked for you. What can we expect from you for the rest of 2012? And will we be seeing any signature Ryan Upchurch products, or any Signature Envy USA products? If you got shout outs, let em go now.



Ryan: For the rest of 2012, I can't even tell you half of what my plans are, but I think I will let you and the inside readers in on a few things in the works! First of all, I'll start you off with some news! I have recently joined Scoot-Mag as a rider, writer, and photographer, so you will see a good bit of my work in there in coming issues. As far as travel goes, I am working on getting out to NASS, a few other European events in the Summer, and many other major contests that will be held! This year I plan to take my riding to a whole new level, and throw down bigger and better than ever. Not to mention, I have all the more reason to because right now I am working with Envy to produce a signature deck! So on that note, keep your eyes peeled for more information on the deck! At the end of the day though, none of this would be possible without Envy Scooters, and Dinny Spicer, who have helped me out so much along the way. I'd also like to give a shout out to Scoot-mag, Inside-scooters, Triple 8 for hooking me up, and all of the great riders and other individuals I've met so far in my career. But with the end of my shout outs, I'd also like to say to all of the younger riders out there that being sponsored isn't what's important about riding; it's about having a good time. Shout out to all of the riders who are out there riding every day just because they love it!

Ryan Upchurch Frontflips Travis Pastrana's Megaramp.

Ryan has apparently joined the cool kid club at the Pastrana compound and gets to ride the ramps, and this new Mega (which he says is the first to hit it).  In typical Ryan fashion he skips jumping the thing and fronties it first go.  Seems to have suprised a few of the people there by doing so, way to go Ryan.

Ryan Upchurch 2011-2012 Winter Edit

Envy Pro rider Ryan Upchurch recently finished his latest edit. I've seen Ryan ride in person a lot, and it's pretty safe to say a lot of these tricks were probably thrown down first or second try. He's that consistent. Another thing some people might notice is that Ryan rode Travis Pastrana's backyard skatepark. Pretty insane. Check out the edit below.

Ryan Upchurch + Joe Riley NJ Montage

Recently Blunt Pro Scooters rider and Team Manager, Ryan Upchurch took a trip to New Jersey with ShopECX rider, Joe Riley. Ryan's riding is as dialed as ever, and who doesn't love Joe Riley and how smooth he is. Good little edit. Hope to see them both drop some serious edits soon.

Ryan Upchurch and Michael Knudson Cali Edit

Blunt's Ryan Upchurch recently took a trip down to Cali, and while it was only for a few days he got some sick footage with fellow Blunt rider Michael Knudson. Check it out below.





Also, Blunt recently sent Inside-Scooters one of the new Blunt Completes. We will be posting an in depth look at the complete, and we will also be giving one away in a contest in the near future. Stay on the look out for that.

Razor Video #16

Really sick edit from Razor from when the guys were in England for the NASS Contest. This video also features Blunt Scooter's Ryan Upchurch, and the Machine, Dakota Schuetz doing what he does best. I started calling Dakota "The Machine" when he hit the competition scene. Lately, he has been just that, a machine. If you see Dakota mess up a run, remember that moment...cause it probably won't happen again for a long time. Check out the edit below.

Cary kills life.