In 2019/20, BMW Motorrad announced their biggest bike of all time:
the R 18 – a true cruiser. Instead of producing just another high-octane, full-throttle video showcase of the bike's torque, style, and engine, they wanted to do something different. They wanted to discover its soul.
So, we took their community on a unique journey from inspiration and heritage to design and engineering. Presented and guided by LA based petrol head, Tommy Kerns, who already had the pleasure of modeling next to the concept bike earlier that year. Together with Tommy our audience uncovered the honest, educational, heartwarming and entertaining stories behind the roots of this Bavarian boxer with 1800cc of soul – a product launch in the style of a mini series: A Bavarian Soulstory.
The reveal was not the end of the R18's story. Even though, the original creative team behind the concept already worked at other agencies, the client ordered six additional episodes. A second season if you want to call it that, with new places, new people and new stories to be told.
To match the character of the new R18, BMW Motorrad launched a heritage inspired Ride & Style collection – shot and produced in Los Angeles featuring the full cast of our Bavarian Soulstory series. I was lucky enough to be trusted with the role of creative lead and production supervision, collaborating directly with the VP of BMW Motorcycles America and the talented production team.
The whole R18 production and mini-series was created under the "Make life a ride" umbrella, which is BMW Motorrad's mindset towards their product lines, activations and life itself. A mindset that really resonated with me from the get go – and still does today, and thanks to the original creative team, the brand, this mindset and the whole cast and crew of our production partners, this project turned into a ride i love to remember, and the most educational production I was ever part of.
