FOCUSED is a series produced by Shutterstock in partnership with Red Bull Media House. It explores how athletes use video for creativity, promotion, and progression in their sports.
Skateboarding is a sport built on video. Since its beginnings in LA to its recent acceptance into the Olympics, skateboarding has relied on video to spread awareness, captivate fans, and develop the sport. In fact, many skateboarders will go so far as to claim that a trick doesn’t count unless it’s captured on video.
The sport has grown with video technology. Whereas tricks used to be filmed on video cameras, then edited and released months later, social media allows skateboarders to film, edit, and post their tricks directly and instantaneously on platforms like Instagram.
Red Bull athlete Joey Brezinski has been a big name in skateboarding for a long time, and he has watched this transition happen, embracing the new mediums with open arms. From Twitter to Snapchat, Joey has a huge following on social media platforms. “I think I accepted social media a little quicker than other professional skateboarders my age. And I’m super interactive on it,” says Joey. And he’s learned how to capitalize on it, too, – using his social media presence to promote the brands that he owns and skates for.
In this episode of FOCUSED, Joey gives us an inside look at his early days as a skateboarder and how video and social media has shaped his career.
To see more from Joey, follow him on Instagram (@joeybrezinksi) and Snapchat (joeybrezinski).
Previous episodes of FOCUSED have featured freestyle mountain biker Aaron Chase, and triathlete Eric Lagerstrom.
The Shutterstock collection now features over 25,000 4K and HD clips from Red Bull Media House. Check them out here.