Meet: This Is Productions

It’s possible you’ve heard of Toy Soldier Productions out of Montana, a crew that is putting out what looks like it will be a super sick video. Aside from, or course, a shit ton of skiing. Since you guys whine every time we post anything with skiing in it, we dug a little deeper and unearthed This Is Productions, Montana’s other film crew. They don’t take things so seriously, and everyone in the crew rides a snowboard, so we asked Miah Favara for a little bit more info.

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Riders: Shane Stalling, Tyrel Thornton, Jess Gentner, Phil Weiss, Miah Favara, Kevin Fischer, Hjalmar Syversen, Kyle Miller
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Filmer/Editor: Miah Favara

Why did you pick such an ungoogle-able name such as This Is?

We Montanans instinctively do not want people to discover how good it is here so it seemed only natural to make our videos hard to find out about too.

What’s the scene like in Montana (other than cold and snowy, of course)?

It’s changed a lot recently, there is definitely a set of riders who are into what’s hot and keep track of the trends, but to me the Montana scene is about people who snowboard solely because they love too, with no other motives. Most of the Montana scene occurs where no one sees it, where people are sledding or hiking in zones that are unknown to people outside of their crew.

Photo: Morthphotography.com

Where do you guys ride most?

Sidecountry spots all around the state, we are not afraid to rack up some serious mileage over the course of the winter. There are so many mountains here and on a good snow year you can pretty much park your car on the side of the road and just start hiking. Also Cooke City when it’s mellowed out and all the other crews have gone home.

How come you don’t have skiers in the video?

We were all smart enough never to start skiing or got smart and made the switch long ago.

How do you feel about this whole shred unity movement with combo ski/snowboard vids?

If it’s what you’re into, than it works for you. It’s just not for us.

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You made a whole teaser of backflips — how many backflips will be in the video, approximately?

Not enough, but hopefully somewhere in the 30s.

Who shredded the hardest this season in MT?

The whole crew always shreds hard but if I have to single one out probably Phil Weiss. He pushed his riding so far, got hurt multiple times this season, and was always back out there as soon as he could be with a smile on his face.

What else should we expect from Handmade?

A little bit of everything, there’s some pow, some jumps, a little bit of urban stuff and a touch of park riding.

Photo: Jeff Hawe

What other movies are you looking forward to this season?

I always look forward to Absinthe, the Alterna teaser was real good and the Pirate movies are always good.

What do you think makes a good snowboard video?

A good snowboard video isn’t about stacking hammers one after the other. Videos can get pretty stale when it’s just part after part. For me a good video needs to tell a little more than what tricks where done. For us half the fun of snowboarding are the stories that happen when the jump doesn’t work, when sleds break down and when the season doesn’t really go according to plan.

When will Handmade drop and where can people see it?

People will be able to see it in September. The where isn’t concrete yet but Handmade will be online to view for free and a downloadable version may be available on the Worlds Boards website

Photo: Jeff Hawe

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