BMX is helping shape experiential marketing.
You might not think BMX riding has anything to do with crafting up some of the best projects we’ve ever constructed, but Chris Zidek is here to set the record straight. Chris is constantly traveling around the world to pursue his passion outside of work, BMX. All these trips amount to a ton of inspiration for his upcoming projects/work.
In fact, Chris just got back from New Orleans. There, Chris slept in BMX fashion….with at a complete stranger. Yes, you read that right. In the BMX community, its common to reach out to other folks within it and stay at their house fo freez. This allows bikers the opportunity to ride all around the world at a fraction of the price (shout out to P-Dolla, in Chris’s case). This is what lead us to our first question with Chris…..
How do think these BMX connections are similar to the ones you make with our clients/brands?
“Here at OutCold, we are authentic, we are story tellers. In the BMX community, it’s the same. We want to tell stories about our rides, where we’ve been, what we’ve seen, and hey, even the buds we’ve met. We also want to be authentic in the way we ride. We don’t want to ride like everyone else, we want our own style. I try to bring these BMX connections and views into my work by crafting original pieces that speak to the same type of relationships I create in my BMX world and how I ride . I connect these brands stories to consumers by bringing this same type of authenticity into real life experiences.”
On that note, How would you describe the ways building and riding are the same?
“Building and riding are the same in the sense there are creative ways to go about both. How you approach a trick is similar to how you approach a project. There’s no ‘wrong’ way to go about it, you just need to figure out how to land your next move or next project. There’s no set way of how to do something. You have complete freedom or what I like to call freestyle. No one is telling you how to do it, you just need to do it.. Sure, you have guidelines, but both of these processes require you to build on something until you accomplish your goal, being original.”
Finally, How does traveling inspire your work?
“I love a good culture shock mixed with architectural design. Experiencing/seeing things I never have before, help the gears keep turning in my head and help me continue to think outside the box. It also gives me a hands-on experience with how things are built in different cities/climates and what they are made out of. Most people forget that location plays a huge role in design, execution, and concept. Sometimes you are above sea level, or below, and that really effects different materials as well as your overall design.”
Chris may not have biked the entire city, but he did bike a good chunk of it. Either way you slice it, it was a great excuse for him to get out of the office and find some new creative energy.
