“Fourteen Days...11 athletes...Portland, Oregon.”
The promotional text on the outside of the Livin’ It DVD case sets up the plot, but leaves out the behind-the-scenes details.
In an intense filming schedule, Spirit Media Creative Director Bill Dolan served as Livin’ It Co-Producer along with Director Stephen Baldwin, Luis Palau Association’s Executive Producer Kevin Palau, and Co-Producer Doug Steward.
Long before the cameras rolled, the production team conducted site checks and focus groups within the film’s target market to define specific content, style and design treatments.
Challenged by weather contingencies, the fourteen day filming window required capturing some of the nation’s premiere skateboarding and BMX talent at multiple Portland area locations around the clock. Livin’ It was shot on DVCAM, 16mm and 8mm film using a diverse team of professional photographers from ESPN X Games. To ensure the delivery of a compelling skate DVD, producers brought on a team of youth advisors who tested early edit versions of the film with target market audiences.
Livin’ It is one of the most highly distributed skate films in history and initiated an international skate/BMX tour that continues today. The film launched a sequel, Livin’ It: LA, and created a spin-off project, Livin’ It: Unusual Suspects, a documentary televised nationwide which earned an Emmy nomination for Spirit Media in 2006.