Some shoots stay with you. Not the gear or the locations, it’s the people. And every so often you meet someone who has that energy you just know will turn into a story worth telling.

Chey’s one of those people.

I’d been told he’s a bit of a legend in Auckland. Figured it was probably hype. A few days with him and it all made sense. He turned pro in the ’90s, has pioneered more than one cult skate brand, and his latest, DEF Skateboards, has built a whole community of people who live for concrete. But it’s the way he carries himself that gets you. Classic Kiwi ease: laid-back, funny, sharp, the kind of bloke who makes everyone feel like a mate within five minutes.

Shooting for OPSM’s Every Day Excellence campaign meant stepping into his world. Seeing where the ideas spark, how the designs take shape, and what keeps him fired up when he’s not on the board.

The hardest part of the job was shooting at the local skate park. Every few minutes someone would wander over to say hi and drift into frame: kids, dads, old mates. There’s a real history of admiration there, and you could feel it every time someone approached him. The kid in the green top in Chey’s portrait at the end of the film was so determined to be in the shot, purely because it was Chey. Says it all.

You can’t fake that kind of presence. It’s the reason some shoots stick with you long after the edit’s locked.

Credits:

Client: OPSM part of EssilorLuxottica

Milan Team:
Creative Director: Alessandro Dondero
Senior Brand & Comms Manager: Mattia Rovini
Producer: Stefano Ottorino
Art Director: Gloria Grosso:
Copywriter: Ingrid Magnoni

Sydney Team:
Vice President of Marketing: Kate Boulos
Marketing Director: Laura Susans
Marketing Manager: Claudia Messina

Marketing Director Retail : Erin Diemar

Flint:
Director & Photographer: Toby Dixon
Executive Producer: Rachel Henderson
Senior Producer: Petra Valent
Producer: Belle Oliva

Director of Photography: Jani Hakli
Focus Puller & 1st AC: Dylan Jeffrey
Stills Retouching: Adam Hayes
Post-Production: The Hive
Editor: Chris Baron
Post-Producer: Nikita Singhi
Colour Grade: Yanni Kronenberg