(from issue 25.3)

Nothing is completely new. We’re constantly reusing interpretations of things we see, read, hear, or feel. Some achievements have more influence than others, though. Take Videograss, for example. If you have a closer look at the majority of snowboard videos these days, especially the ones made in the streets, you’ll find a bit of VG in it. For quite some time, the video production has taken a lighthouse figure showing us what a lot of us consider cool in a movie. It has strong and original riding, of course, but is done by peculiar individuals and edited so we get every bit and piece of their unique personalities and how they present in front of a camera. Their influence on today’s snowboard culture is tremendous, so I claim here that in whatever form it will have, VG won’t die. The vision and spirit did not come from nowhere, though. They were themselves heavily influenced by previous video projects. 

What I fancy the most about that era of filmmaking, and I am grateful it stuck to the video culture today, is the accessibility and genuine side of capturing and editing snowboarding and what’s around it. It was so refreshing at the time. I will always remember when I first saw Love/Hate. The soundtrack, the people, the spots, the edit, everything was groundbreaking, setting the tone for its little VG brother to blossom since 2009.

Back then, most of the snowboarding presented to us was coming from heavy productions, using inaccessible camera gear, helicopters, and such. All of sudden, you could make something very cool, cooler even, just by picking up a Handycam and pointing it at your friends. Just like in the early days of snowboarding! Of course, to produce an entertaining picture turned out not to be as easy as it sounds, but it was very inspiring!

Their endeavor somehow brought a part of the snowboard culture back to its roots of backyard skate vibes and simply putting together homies tapes. Something that got a bit lost in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Since then, it has become a huge part of our culture, with more and more small, genuine video projects every year. As Videograss is coming back with another movie this year, searching for one more snowboard party, we decided to ask the main engine behind the VG adventure, Justin Meyer, a thing or two about Videograss over the years and where it’s at today.

PHOTOS: OLI GAGNON

Feel free to tune in to our VG Mega mix before diving into the interview

Why start Videograss?
The initial idea came from multiple places. One side with Nima (Jalali) and myself filming together for his Neoproto parts and wanting to just branch out and start our own thing. Nima, Lance, and Mike Hakker were starting Ashbury at the same time, so they were a packaged team that was perfect to tackle a new movie project. On the other side was Mikey (Leblanc) and Darrell (Mathes) looking to resurrect Kidsknow. We all just came together in the end to start VG. 

Why the name videograss?
Nima came up with the name. The idea was just as simple as coming up with something that means nothing so we can develop the meaning ourselves.

What were VG’s influences? 
We all grew up on skating first, so we took what we loved about skating and brought it to snowboarding. It’s hard to say skate videos were the sole influence because we were all students of the snowboard video game. I guess my personal influences were a bit of Kingpin, adding a little Mack Dawg, some Habitat, a little whiskey, a splash of TWS skate, some Baker, and a little Zero. I dunno, just a big mix of everything I love, all while trying to do our own thing. 

What was the connection with Kidsnow?
That’s the Mikey and Darrell element from the beginning. I think just Mikey has the vision to let people do what they do best and be the best supporter of it while helping bring it to life. 

At first, VG seemed to want to show the crazy personalities of riders along with the actual riding. Why and how did you manage to do that?
All the videos at the time were very serious and polished, and we just wanted to show how it really was to us, and people smoked, people drank, people partied. I think it’s just a “film everything” mentality, and anything is a clip. Any moment can be added to a video part. A ride out, getting kicked out of a spot, parking the car, checking into a hotel, a flight. There are moments in every aspect of it that define the riders, and it starts with filming it all and ends with finding those magic moments and fitting them into a part. 

How does personality come into place in the choice of who to put in a VG movie?
Personality is one of 3 or 4 elements. Style, skill, personality. You really gotta have all three to make it feel like a VG part. And “personality” doesn’t mean wild, crazy, face-in-the-camera, although it can. Personality, more so, is confidence in one’s own persona/style. Think of Ben Bilocq, you’re never going to see him screaming and partying, but his personality is top-notch in his own sense.
Throughout time, VG has become a platform for upcoming talents, especially in the streets. Did you feel you were on a mission to curate these new talents? Is that still the case today?
We don’t intentionally focus on street riding. It is more so the result of what excited us then and still does now. The kids want progression and excitement, and streets are currently serving that up the same way they were when we started. It used to be tricks and tech. Nowadays, it’s more about spots and tasteful tricks. We love pow clips and parts where the ultimate goal was a solid mix, but backcountry doesn’t offer much in change over the years other than jumps getting smaller, I guess. Backcountry terrain and footage can get boring faster than streets. It can all get boring if you don’t keep it fresh, but something about a small speck on an all-white background just doesn’t excite you as easily. Another sfs5 or bs7, extra corks here and there can be exciting, or people who choose to ride with more flow or creativity. On the other hand, the streets are forever changing, with endless elements that complement personality and vibe. The sound is huge, too. The silence in the woods vs. an endless symphony of sounds in the city.  

How would you say the VG crew evolved over the years?
It’s all the same on one end but maybe more polished on the other. I think just years of understanding the job and our position in the grand marketing scheme. When we first started, it was more like, “We got some money from sponsors. Let’s hit the road and don’t look back”. Whereas now, it’s more of a partnership with brands, understanding their marketing efforts and how we can still do what we do but offer maximum value in return. 

From a tight crew to a broader one, VG almost became like a mag at some point, showcasing riders from tons of different crews. Was that a goal, at some point, to curate and document what VG thought was cool? Why? 
The list of riders we wanted to work with was always long. I think it just took us proving ourselves before some of them came around. Jon Kooley turned it down in year one, and I remember him hitting me up at a tradeshow, bummed that he didn’t do it. He came around year two and was happy he did. I think as years went on, we became a home for riders who weren’t going to find a home anywhere else because we didn’t have a hard line on sponsor dollars needed to be involved. There were guys like LNP (Lauren Nicolas Paquin) who never had a penny of support in all the parts. The rider that is a perfect fit can come with 0$, but their part will increase everyone else’s value.

How’s the crew today compared to the early days?
The crew today is exactly what I could have dreamt up as we did in year one. The mix of VG alumni legends with some of the middle-era VGers and adding the new faces who do it the way we enjoy. 

Why did you decide to make this comeback with a full-length VG movie again this year?
I never wanted to stop making videos. Or slow down, should I say? Brands' budgets just got to a point where they weren’t willing to support movies at our level unless it was their own. Perhaps that trend is changing enough now to allow us to exist. Maybe we just had a lucky timing between budgets where brands didn’t have enough to do their own projects but had enough to support cheaper options. Either way, it wouldn’t be remotely possible without the support from Pat Bridges and Slush, who are willing to take a financial hit just to make it happen for the good of the culture.

Since the new movie’s called “Search Party”, I was wondering what kind of party did you find while filming last winter? 
It’s all a party. We zip around the world carelessly while contributing absolutely nothing to the real world. It’s great. 

Now that the movie’s done, are you still searching for a party? What are you expecting to find?
“Search party” is a double meaning. A lot of the older VG titles had a bit of a space travel/mission sort of vibe. “Bon Voyage” was take off, “Shoot The Moon” was where we were headed. “The Darkside” (of the moon) is where we landed. “Mayday” was a distress call. The “Last Ones” was about surviving. “Visitors” was a bit more obvious. Now, the Search Party is about finding the alumni crew that is still in action and adding that new crew. 

What are the most iconic/memorable VG moments to you?
Looking back now, it’s more so about iconic “careers”. Our biggest mark is the riders who came together to be a part of each other's stories.

From all the people you’ve filmed, who impersonates the VG spirit the most?
Nick Dirks or Jed Anderson. 200% confidence in doing what they know is cool and not giving a shit if the greater audience is on board or not.

I found those old questions printed in Methodmag 11.3, so I’m just gonna ask them again. *laughs* What’s the craziest slam you’ve witnessed?
Joe Sexton suffered a TBI trying to bs180 onto a kink rail. He spent a while in the hospital, permanently lost the hearing in one ear, and still suffers from panic attacks here and there.

What’s the dirtiest party story?
I personally always seem to avoid those moments so maybe I’m not the best to ask. I hear them all, and there are some funny ones, but I’ll say it’s not my place to tell. [Since Justin avoided that answer, we’ll just reprint what he said in 2010] It’s a toss between Nick Dirks pissing on his pillow in the hotel room or when Jonas got everyone in a fight at a house party in Minneapolis.

What’s the most irresponsible thing you’ve seen a rider do with his travel budget?
I won’t say any names, but someone left perfect conditions in Oslo this winter to fly to the Bahamas for a week. Dan.

What’s the biggest VG power move:
Releasing the collection on USB. Hard copies were dead, and I think I invented a way to keep them alive. Without a hard copy, all of our efforts would just fade away into the cyberspace abyss. I’ve worked with Mackdawg and Absinthe, and we’re currently working with Kingpin to bring that catalog to USB. All these epic collections are available at VGsnow.com 

Watch the latest VG movie "Search Party" here