Despite how proficient Brandon Begin is at churning out video footage, you rarely, if ever, get the opportunity to learn much of his opinions and perspectives on the subject. Well, it only took a month since the release of his OurBMX Pro Part, but just like the video, his Q&A was worth the wait.
What made working on this project different or unique for you?
The overall process of filming this video was way more drawn out and laid back than most of the other parts that I’ve previously worked on, and I think it ended up showing my riding in a different light. Between sponsor changes, losing and gaining spots, living in different areas, etc. this video has a lot of variety that most of my other parts don’t have—which is really cool to me.
Have you ever worked on a video project for as long as this one? And what were some reasons for it to carry on so long?
The only other part that I’ve worked this long on was my OSS On Everything part, but even that was only over the course of like two years. I think this part took so long to finish up just because I wasn’t really stressing dropping anything since I had plenty of other projects to work on. I just wanted it to be a good overall representation of my riding. I’m glad it took so long though because I feel like I tend to get burnt out on things pretty quick, so this part has a lot more variety than the other stuff that I’ve put out. I think the oldest clip in this part is around four years old and I’m clearly a way different rider now than I was back then.
Edwin told me to make people crave your riding and that’s really resonated with me, when I was a kid I would wait a year or two to see a new part from my favorite pro and I feel like that just adds to the timelessness and satisfaction of the part so much more.
As far as filming is concerned, you’ve been on a roll, dropping loads of footage with Cult and you still have more stuff on the way. Productivity wise, have you ever been this busy? And how do you keep each project feeling different?
This is definitely the busiest that I’ve ever been, but I’m not complaining. As I get older, I realize more that Instagram and social media is kinda bullshit and putting my energy into a real part that will stand the test of time and not get lost under 50 other posts is important. Edwin [De La Rosa] told me to make people crave your riding and that’s really resonated with me, when I was a kid I would wait a year or two to see a new part from my favorite pro and I feel like that just adds to the timelessness and satisfaction of the part so much more. Nowadays you can watch anybody do the same shit they put in their video parts on Instagram and, personally, it just gets me jaded on peoples riding. Too much of a good thing just takes away the allure of why you like it in the first place.
This video followed up your latest Cult video, which was a total banger. How would you describe the vibe in this video, compared to a lot of the stuff you’ve put out recently?
My pro part is definitely more laid back than a lot of the other stuff I’ve put out recently, but I would hold it to the same regard as everything else I put out. It’s not necessarily all bangers, but in my opinion the smaller stuff that requires some thinking is just as difficult and worthy of attention as something crazy. Taking such a long time to finish this video definitely gave it a lot more variety than my other sections, too. I feel like I’m watching five different versions of myself when I watch this part, but they all stand out on their own and I feel like it’s a good representation of the progression my riding has made over the years.
Interesting use of spots and riding new stuff demands just as much respect as doing a crazy flyout trick on a perfect uprail or a 10 trick line connected with a manual.
Some people would find it weird to follow up such a progressive mega part, with something much more chill. What do you think?
I’m honestly stoked on it. Like I mentioned before, I don’t think that something should be held to a lower regard just because it’s less dangerous or whatever. People get caught up in trying to film the best shit all the time, which is cool to a point, but interesting use of spots and riding new stuff demands just as much respect as doing a crazy flyout trick on a perfect uprail or a 10 trick line connected with a manual. There are enough people doing that shit already, we don’t need any more [laughs].
I kinda look at this video part like a time capsule and I’m stoked I’ll have this to look back on down the line. It has a little bit of everything that I’ve ever been into.
While most of the comments were people loving it, there were a few calling it “throw away” clips and others commenting how they expected more for how long it took. Thoughts on that?
I’m just as proud of this part as anything else I’ve ever put out. I don’t think the difficulty of a clip equates to how good it is, something interesting that happens first try trumps a basic line that takes three hours any day of the week in my opinion. Taking so long to finish this part allowed me to show so many sides of my riding since my outlook on things is constantly changing, and in my opinion that’s way more important than filming the craziest things I can find all the time. I kinda look at this video part like a time capsule and I’m stoked I’ll have this to look back on down the line. It has a little bit of everything that I’ve ever been into.
How would you describe your riding in this video, compared to a lot of the stuff you’ve put out recently?
Most of the clips in this part came pretty organically and without much planning. I feel like this part is a good insight into how I usually ride whether or not there’s a camera around.
Do you have a favorite clip in the video?
My favorite clip is probably the duster on the Jesse Owens rail. I had been trying to figure that trick out with four pegs for years and was so stoked when it clicked. I got worked a few times, but that rail was too perfect to pass up. Having you standing in front of me shooting fish definitely didn’t make figuring it out any less scary either [laughs].
What does filming a video part mean to you?
I think it’s just a good way to showcase where a person is at during a certain point in time. Clothes, trick selection, use of spots… Are things that I feel like are constantly evolving, so it’s cool to look back and remember what was going through my head. I’ve honestly kinda been in a rut when it comes to finding new spots lately, so it’s been cool to look back on stuff I haven’t ridden in years and see it in a new light.
You’re currently living in Hollywood, right in the thick of it all. What’s the scene like up there—both on and off the bike?
The scene up here is pretty small nowadays—especially compared to how it used to be when I first moved here. But personally, I need to be in a big city so, I can’t really picture myself living anywhere else in SoCal. I lived in Long Beach for a few years, but found myself getting burnt out because of how small the city is. LA just has such a good variety of things to offer, every neighborhood is so different and everything is relatively close together so it keeps it interesting. There’s just so much going on at any time of the day here, so I feel like I’d be missing out on life if I lived somewhere slower. It’s not for everyone, but it’s perfect for me.
There’s no way I could personally keep up with the rate of progression right now, so I just found my own lane and stayed there.
You have great adaptability to ride “not-spots”. Seemingly, you can roll up to anything and hammer out a thoughtful, original tricks. Is that something that comes naturally or haver you worked up to it?
I think that’s just naturally how I ride—at least at this point in my life. I was definitely focused a lot more on learning tricks and shit back in the day, but at this point I’m pretty burnt out on trying to keep up with the flavor of the week, so I kinda just stick to what I know and put the pieces together. There’s no way I could personally keep up with the rate of progression right now, so I just found my own lane and stayed there [laughs]. Spot riding is like an art form to me and being from the east coast definitely played a big part in shaping how I ride. We don’t really have the typical skatepark setups in the streets so it takes a more original eye to get good stuff done out there.
Not to harp too much on your clothing style, but you can totally see a change in style over the years throughout this video. Tell us about your fashion influences and how your personal kit has changed over time…
It’s all good. I feel like I’m watching six different people when I watch my pro part, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Moving from Connecticut to California just opened up my eyes to a lot of shit I wasn’t really aware of when I was younger so there was definitely a few years where my style was constantly evolving based on what I was taking in. Back when I lived in the OSS house I was listening to a lot more rap and was pretty heavily involved in that world outside of riding, so my style was a lot louder and less put together. I was also broke as fuck so I was just wearing whatever I got for free and making it work. My style nowadays is way more refined, I pretty much wear a variation of the same shit every day.
Filming a good part is by far the most rewarding thing about riding for me.
Are you ever not filming for something? And do you ever feel burnt out or lacking spots/ideas?
Honestly, for the past two or three years I don’t think I’ve had any time that I haven’t been working on a project. I was able to wrap most of them up this year so it’ll be nice to be able to chill a bit, but I’m already itching to start working on something new. Filming a good part is by far the most rewarding thing about riding for me, so I really don’t mind always having something to work on. I have a new OSS part coming out before the end of the year so keep your eye out for that.
Who are some riders that inspire or motivate you? And why?
I draw most of my inspiration from older riders and videos at this point. A lot of people are doing the same shit nowadays and I honestly don’t really relate to a lot of it. I prefer to watch the stuff that I watched as a kid that originally got me stoked and helped define how I wanted to ride in the first place. Timeless riding will forever top whatever is cool that month.
What else do you have in the works?
I’m working on a few more parts that’ll hopefully be out before the end of the year. I don’t know how I ended up filming this much, but I’m not complaining. After how crazy the past year was, it’s just been nice to get back to some sort of normalcy and being productive. Besides that, I’m just excited to start traveling again now that everything is opening back up.
Anything else you want to add?
Just a huge thanks to everyone that supports me, Robbie at Cult, Mike and Sean at Merritt, Adam and Phil at Onsomeshit, Addison at Kushface and Colin at Vans, thanks for holding it down<3
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