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I think one of the most interesting and worthwhile subject matters to tackle as a storyteller is capturing what inspires and drives the great athletes, artists, musicians, writers and photographers of our time—really, anyone who is both inspired and inspiring. What’s so fascinating to me is that, when you tap into that person’s mind and get him to open up about his process and approach to doing those great things he does, no matter what his discipline may be, you will discover the same profoundly human qualities and traits, fears and anxieties, hopes and aspirations and near boundless imaginations that define and bind us all in common experience. You will discover that success isn’t about being gifted or talented or even having good genes; rather, the most important ingredient to success is hard work and tireless dedication to your craft.

It is with this message that I’m so proud to present my latest film: DEDICATED, a story about three prolific photographers who are out there working their asses off, day after day, to capture the best, most creative still pictures possible. Those photographers are: Dave Black, Robert Beck and George Karbus.

In advance of the release of the new Nikon D4s, Nikon presented me with the opportunity to tell the story about these three photographers; to interview them and capture motion footage of them shooting stills out in the field, everything from ski racing to speed skating, rugby to motocross, super-bikes to coastal waves—with everyone using the Nikon D4s.

In just 21 action-packed days, my small-footprint production team and I traveled around the world to meet Dave Black, Robert Beck and George Karbus and capture their spirit and passion for photography.

Since returning home, we’ve been hunkered down in the edit suite, cranking non-stop on the post-production in order to finally deliver to you this short film, DEDICATED. Wow, I can’t believe it’s finished! I must say, I’ve watched this spot at least 100 times, and it still fires me up! Hearing Dave, George and Robert describe their unique dedications, their sacrifices, and their genuine spirit is infectious. It really makes me want to get out there with my camera and shoot pictures! Indeed, that’s the point. I sincerely hope that DEDICATED inspires you as well.

Like any video edit, I wish we had another month to continue working on it, to continue striving to make it better and better. Alas, such is the nature of deadlines and perhaps every creative process—at some point, you just have to stop and hand it over to the powers that be.

In addition to DEDICATED, we produced a 15-minute short film on “The Making of DEDICATED,” which provides a rather fascinating behind-the-scenes look into what went into creating this new film. I hope this piece gives everyone a feel for what it’s like to travel as a small-footprint production with an incredibly talented group of guys and the camaraderie that happens when you’re out on the road. “The Making of DEDICATED” shows the shared passion and excitement for telling these stories and striving to create the best content possible. This BTS piece is also particularly special to me in that it’s the first record of my and Marina’s life traveling with our daughter, Leila. How cool is that?

I can’t describe just how hugely honored I am to have had this opportunity, and how lucky I feel to work with such an incredible team: my crew at Corey Rich Productions, especially Josh Marianelli, who helped produce these spots, and Bligh Gillies, who shot the behind the scenes footage for “The Making of DEDICATED.”

Very special thank you’s must go to Corey Brosius, who edited DEDICATED, and Tom Kranzle, who edited “The Making of DEDICATED.” Tom and Corey, thanks for burning the midnight oil with our team; that was a lot of work for a two-week deadline! Also thanks to Andy Mead for juggling a lot of post-production logistics.

Huge thanks to Nikon, not just for producing the D4s, which is hands down the best HD-SLR camera I’ve ever used, but also for providing me this incredible and memorable opportunity to tell the stories of three of my peers.

Also, thanks to the team at K&L—none of this would’ve been possible without you.

To all of our sponsors and partners, we could not have captured & produced this project without your support – THANK YOU!

Nikon, SanDisk, Freefly Systems, Litepanels, SmallHD, AquaTech, Oakley, Adobe, Adorama, Clif Bar, Epson, G-Tech, Lowepro, Manfrotto, Paralinx, Patagonia, X-Rite

Finally, a standing ovation for the photographers. Dave Black, Robert Beck and George Karbus: you three are truly inspiring, both as people and as photographers. You define what it means to be dedicated to your craft.

Please enjoy these videos. Please share them with your own audiences. And please, please, please send us your feedback. I hope you enjoy DEDICATED as much as I did shooting it.

DEDICATED AND The Making of DEDICATED Credits:

Photographer – Robert Beck

Photographer – Dave Black

Photographer – George Karbus

Director / Director of Photography – Corey Rich

Director of Photography – Dane Henry

Cinestar & MoVI Operator – Sean Haverstock

Freefly Systems Field Tech – Mike Hagadorn

BTS Camera– Bligh Gillies

Assistant Camera, Digital Tech & Time-lapse Camera – Bryan Liscinsky

Field Audio Recordist – Palmer Taylor

Producer & Water Camera – Josh Marianelli

Field Producer – Ellen Erwitt

Make-Up & Hair, Production Assistant, Travel Agent & Mom – Marina Rich

Diaper Filler & Noise Machine – Leila Rich

Production Assistant – Julia Arcamone

Dave Black’s Team:

Photo Asst. Julio Aguilar

Robert Beck’s Team:

Photo Asst. (Utah) Justin Edmonds Photo Asst. (Utah) Rafael Delgado Photo Asst. (Utah) Jim Urquhart Photo Asst. (Utah) Kristin Murphy Photo Asst. (San Diego) Kohjiro Kinno Photo Asst. (San Diego) Shawn Cullen Stylist (San Diego) Cindy Whitehead Stylist (San Diego) Amanda Looker Make Up – Hair (San Diego) Donna Gast-Mountford

Post Productions Supervisor – Andy Mead / Novus Select

Lead Editor – Corey Brosius

Assistant Editor – Jason Bosch

Motion Designer – Barry Thompson

Trailer Editor – Rex Lint

Trailer Assistant Editor – Dane Henry

Trailer Audio Engineer – Michael Malerba

Soundtrack

Original Music – Erik Groysman

Trailer Soundtrack

Odesza – “Keep Her Close” Instrumental

Red Light Management – Adam Foley

Music Supervisor – Bryan Liscinsky

Special Thanks:

Atsushi Horiuchi – Nikon

Steve Heiner – Nikon NPS / Field Tech

Lindsay Silverman – Nikon NPS / Field Tech

Mike Corrado – Nikon NPS Manager / USA Ambassador Team Manager

Sharon Henley – Senior Manager of Marketing

Gen Umei K&L Inc. – Creative Director

Shusuke Nakano – K&L Inc.

Kazuaki Takai – K&L Inc.

Keiichi Natsume – K&L Inc.

Salt Lake City, Utah:

Snowbird:

John Collins & Mountain Operations Crew

Athletes:

Cam Price

Hayes Graham

Peter Martens

Colin Martens

Utah Olympic Ice Oval

Sandi Choi, Derek Parra and the crew at the Utah Olympic Oval

Athletes:

Andrew Astalos

Kimani Griffin

Matthew Hickson

San Diego, California:

San Diego Polo Fields

Bob Puetz and Staff

Athletes:

Shane Moise & the entire OMBAC rugby team

Tampa, Florida:

Dade City MX Motocross Track

Randy Yoho

Athletes:

RJ Hampshire

DJ MacFarlane

AJ Meadows

Kyle Cheesman

Anthony Vechia

Jennings GP Superbike Track

Dennis & Judy Hentges

Athletes:

Ron Fix

Ed Lato

John Cohorn

Tampa Bay Rhythmics

Tyana Marlowe

Athletes:

Katya Marlowe

Pamela Tang

Ireland

George Karbus & Kate Hamsikova