First off, Paul Rodriguez, aka P-Rod, as good of a skateboarder as they get, one of those few guys that does all
the major contests, but is still excepted by the "core" crowd. He can be seen from NBC to The Berrics, and everything thing in between. He'll sign autographs for kids who just barley know how to put trucks and wheels on their boards, to guys who are considered pro. Then throw in the creations by a skate art legend. Don Pendleton is an artist who has been in skateboarding for more than a minute. He's created some of the most distinct deck graphics skateboarding has ever seen. His abstract creations have become simply synonymous with the products of skateboard manufacturing heavy weight, Alien Workshop.
These two have brought the skateboarding world some of the best creativty it has ever seen; from mind blowing lines on a skateboard, to an eye popping graphics on skate decks. And who has brought them together? Think NASCAR. Soft drink giant, Mountain Dew, who has been supporting skateboarding for years with it's Dew Tour, decided it was time to give back to the everyday skateboarder, artist and skate shop.
The Green Label Art Series has been months in the making, and came to a climax last week Las Vegas, NV. It was a
competition that challenged skate shops from across the country to create the art for the next Green Label nationally selling Mountain Dew can, which came with a $5,000 cash prize for both the artist and the shop.But first they needed some inspiration. And that's where P-Rod and Pendleton come in. Mountain Dew cam to P-Rod, a sponsored rider of theirs, with the idea of a signature can. A can that would combine the name he has worked so hard to create with art that pulled at his aesthetics. He came to the conclusion that he wanted Penndelton to design the looks of the can, an artist who's style he has always admired in the skateboard world.
Now on to the theme. P-Rod is a big fan of the philosophy and movies of the late martial arts great, Bruce Lee, which that would be the feel of the can. Now, Pendelton is more of an abstract guy, and took the martial arts theme and morphed it a bit. The can has a dragon-ish feel combined with the unique style Pendleton's name has come to be synonymous with.
The vibe was created, the campaign began and 35 shops in 7 US regions began creating with the dreams of becoming the next nationally selling Mountain Dew can. You had skate shop heavy weights from Huf on the West Coast to KCDC on the East Coast. And you had your lesser know shops all in between battling to become one of the finalists. A feat that came with an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas, NV where the Dew Tour Championships would be held. Not-to-mention a chance to become THE SHOP that wins.
The winner would be determined by internet votes. A hands-offs approach that has become expected from Moutain Dew in
terms of skateboarding. P-Rod and Pendleton have both stressed that they were never pressured in any way, and the whole feel of the campaign in 100% their's.A campaign that has flown from Boston, to Portland, to Salt Lake City and finally touched down in Sin City for it's finale. A campaign that has been all over national television in commercial form featuring real street skateboarding in between ads for Panteen, not to mention the art of a highly respected artist, who has always stayed true to himself and his creative style.
It all came down to the Dew Tour Championships. The finalists were there, P-Rod and Pendelton were there and the tension was high. In the end P-Rod, Pendelton and skate legend Chris Pastras announced the winner on Fuel TV. And Guess what? It was a lesser known shop from Tracey CA, Street Science. That's what this whole project was about giving back to skateboarding. A smaller skate shop from a small town in California was given the opportunity to be on TV and have their shop's art on a nationally selling soda can.
And in some inspirational news for all the skate shops that did not enter, or make the finals, Mountain Dew has another skate team rider who goes by the name, Eli Reed. A Boston native turned New York City skate war lord, Eli's style is as smooth as it get at those rough NYC spots, and like most who have steez he supports the arts. Word on the streets is he is very excited to maybe be next year's inspiration for the project, and already has artists, themes and the feel in mind. Look for that because he'll for sure know how to make it legit.
Stay tuned for full interviews with Paul Rodriguez, Don Pendleton and the Street Science crew on what went into the making of this project.
Photos:
Top - Don and Paul's design
Middle - Don and Paul feeding off each other
Bottom - The winner
In case you haven't seen the nationally televised commercial here it is:
No comments:
Post a Comment