Chey Bowers & Next Edge Academy

Passenger, tells the stories of founders. That ranges from business, to athletes and artists. Anyone who begins an endeavor of meaningful depth and risk… any bold endeavor into the unknown. Chey Bowers is the epitome of that definition. We had the absolute privilege to help share Chey's journey to becoming an MMA champion.

Our objective was to craft a compelling story that would serve both Chey and Next Edge Academy. Thus, we developed one modular short film that demonstrated Chey’s drive, poise & tenacity in the world of MMA. Through the film we articulated what drives her and what that pursuit demands. In short, to examine Chey’s “Why”.  We strove to emotionally link Chey’s journey with Next Edge Academy through her story. This connective thread both adheres viewers to, and reinforces both respective brand identities.

To meet that objective Passenger utilized our process of listening, crafting and delivering.

Listening: We sat down with Chey prior to filming and held an exploratory conversation that we derived a story arch and visual direction from. We then drafted a proposal and got sign off to proceed into the actual crafting of the piece.

Crafting: We filmed over the course of a few months as we wanted to capture the breadth of her training and the culture at Next Edge Academy. We utilized a number of media inputs ranging from digital, 16mm film, archival VHSc footage and fight footage from the LFA. We filmed the 16mm film both over and under cranked giving us slightly slowed down and sped up footage to play off each other in the edit. The film footage was primarily utilized to help visualize Chey’s internal battles. Conversely he digital footage was shot in a verite style as we wanted to maintain a tactile and natural feel. Specifically we filmed handheld and used available lighting to help us achieve our goals. We moved into post production next where the edit, sound mix and color grade were perfomed.

Deliver: In total we delivered the final four minute film, 8 short social media cuts and a number of frame grabs. Each video was delivered in horizontal and vertical formats, with and without subtitles. This gave her and next edge Academy the flexibility to use these assets across a wide range of platforms.

Thanks to Chey and next Edge Academy for trusting us with this story!