Coming from the front row of Delta Flight 1718, it’s 5:22 a.m., and I’m typing an article on my phone. This information is completely superfluous, but more of an obvious testament that the world never quits spinning. This past year was our busiest one professionally, by a decent margin, and I decided to have a kid AND move across the country all while maintaining a workload that would (likely) even impress John Dutton. There’s been a handful of times in my career that burnout has hit so hard that it’s taken months to recover and when I shut down my computer on December 20th after finishing Jett Lawrence’s Flight Plan series, I had definitively reached that stage yet again.
I’m sure this could be said for just about every job under the sun, but running a small and proficient production team (within budget) is no small task, and the hours spent producing, planning, shooting, editing, and all the details in between is something most people “outside our world” can’t truly appreciate. You watch an end product on YouTube – a place where we hope our skillsets keep you entertained long enough to keep you on the page for a minimum of 50% of our hard work – and probably never even consider or think about the amount of stress and effort some of it took. Hell, I’m just as guilty as I browse Netflix titles deciding which show deserves my attention.
All that being said, it’s time to get to the point. It’s a bandaid rip that, depending where you land on a supercross fan meter, may or may not hurt that much. But, my friends, I hate to inform you that Red Bull Moto Spy will not be returning for 2022. Usually we’d be about three episodes deep right now, so I’m sure you could assume the worst without this article.
While it pains my core to see our sport lose such an investment and production, it’s exciting for me – as the producer of the show – to get a new lease on life and be able to invest some time in new places. Like I said, the burnout was real at the end of December and I’m not sure my brain could’ve forged through another eight months of seven day weeks. While my computer and I took a small hiatus, on the editing front anyway, I haven’t touched a camera since the end of October and it’s now exciting for me to think about picking it up again.
We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes here at vurbmoto to make sure 2022 is gonna be straight fire. From content, to social, to hitting the road, we’ve put a ton of effort into making sure we’re watering our roots more than ever. We finally kicking things off next weekend at Reedy’s place, Moto40 MX Park, for the first stop of the Vurb Shred Tour, a component of our mission that gives me a warm tingly feeling. They’re low pressure and crazy fun weekends that everyone can enjoy, and for someone like me that lives a 24/7 production lifestyle, it’s work away from work. Meaning it’s work, but it’s hella fun work. I run around with a camera all weekend making tons of people happy. I always envision 15-year-old me making it into a Mini Warriors clip and the joy that would’ve brought me. Although, I’ll be real, I stood no chance. But, you guys do, and that’s the point of me burning through 14 batteries a day.
Alright this can’t turn into a 5,000 word Kyle Cowling essay, so I’m going to sign off and drink my custom made Delta coffee the flight attendant just served me.
Sorry about Moto Spy, but I hope to see you all at a stop of the Shred Tour. And don’t worry, there’s still plenty of content to come the rest of the year. We just get a little more lax of a supercross season this year.
Shred on, partners!
P.S. Check out this series that all our friends at Supercross Live and Yamaha are putting together. It’s awesome to see someone picking up the pieces and investing in a show like this!