Project Spoke is a film series documenting the talents and stories of BMX’s most eclectic, passionate, and resilient characters. It captures compelling narratives on a range of topics including mental health, substance abuse, poverty, gender equality, identity, career transition, and parenthood. The project’s core theme is overcoming adversity through personal progression, creative expression, and community connection in BMX.
1) Louder Than a Stereotype - Matt Beringer Documentary
2) Daddy Re-Vision - Patrick Laughlin Documentary
3) Making It - Steve Woodward Documentary
4) Grommet King - Justin Wilgus Documentary
5) Full Bloom - Women in BMX Documentary
6) A Backpacker's Guide to BMX in Latin America - Documentary
7) Crosslaced - Riding Film
Visit https://www.projectspoke.com to access the films.
Mini-documentary from the 2023 Rumble in Richmond BMX event in Virginia.
Filming & Editing: Justin Schwanke
Behind the scenes at FISE Montpellier 2022.
Filming: Dylan Thayer & Justin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Additional FISE Montpellier videos here:
Women’s Park Finals
Men’s Park Qualifying
Men’s Park Finals
Women’s Flatland Finals
Men’s Flatland Finals
Men’s Spine Ramp Finals
Join Steve Woodward, Paddy Gross, and Joey Battaglia for a 6-day trip in Arizona with Colony BMX.
Filming & Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Self-filming is the most obsessive form of bike riding. When I’m riding alone with a camera, it’s all at my own pace. I’m in complete control. There are no cheers, high-fives, or anyone to say, ‘Let’s come back another day.’ When I’m self-filming, I can take as many attempts at a trick as I want. I can also film as many angles as I want. Every single detail can be fussed over. This of course has its benefits for creating a high quality product, but it can also have its downfalls.
I injured my shoulder while working on this video. My physiotherapist says I have supraspinatus tendinopathy and possibly a small labral tear. The precursor to this injury is two-fold: 1) Muscle loss and 2) Self-filming. In September 2020, I unexpectedly began losing muscle mass throughout my body. At my worst, I was down 10 pounds and significantly slimmer. I navigated the medical system with various specialist doctors, tests, and scans. No answer was found for the cause of my issues. In late spring of 2021, I started to see gradual improvement in my condition. Throughout the rest of the summer and fall, I rode hard to finish filming this video.
I’ve always thought of self-filming as a marathon, not a sprint. Capturing one trick can sometimes require multiple hours of attempts. Historically, I’ve prided myself on my ability to focus for long periods of time, manage my emotions, and push through pain to capture those 10 seconds of success on camera. I’ve since had a slight change in perspective. Now 3 months into this injury and another month or two of recovery ahead of me, I can admit that these marathon self-filming sessions were not healthy, especially because I hadn’t fully gained back the muscle I lost.
Contained in this video is 2 and a half years of footage which I’m excited to share with the world. More importantly though, this video contains a personal lesson: Pacing myself goes well beyond a single session. I want this one man show to continue for years to come.” -Justin Schwanke
Riding, filming, editing: Justin Schwanke
Locations: British Columbia, Alberta, and New Brunswick
"Constraints foster innovation. As a Canadian, I’m well-accustomed to long winters. I used to live in Alberta where there was typically snow on the ground for five months of the year. Indoor riding was the norm. I’d either ride the ramps in my parents’ garage or visit an indoor skatepark if one was running. The limited options for obstacles forced me to think creatively. What can I do that I haven’t done before? How can I use this obstacle differently? With patience, I was often surprised by the ideas generated during those sessions. The location constraints imposed by the harshness of winter led to innovation in the form of new trick ideas or better spot use.
In August of 2020, I significantly reduced the constraints in my BMX life by moving to British Columbia. I now live in a province with a significantly shorter winter and abundant spots. As exciting as this is, I sometimes feel spoiled. So I asked myself, “How can I re-embed constraints into my riding?” I came up with two options: 1) Make the bicycle the constraint by removing my pegs and/or brakes, or 2) Make the spots the constraint by limiting myself to a particular obstacle. I chose the latter and committed to creating a concept video focused on the simplest street obstacle of all, the parking block.
Block Chain is neither a publicly distributed ledger, an NFT, or a cryptocurrency. Instead, it’s a video journal for my study of constraints. Before I started working on this video, I paid little attention to parking blocks. I later realized the possibilities for this obstacle are endless. Tricks can be performed off the block, on top of the block, or against the block. The block can also be used as a connection point to other obstacles. My hyperfocus on parking blocks reminded me that anything can be a spot with some imagination. If your riding is feeling stale, I challenge you to implement some constraints into it. You just might be surprised with the outcome. Less is more." - Justin Schwanke
Riders: Justin Schwanke, Steve Woodward, Justin Wilgus, Jesse Baraniuk, Kostya Chimkovitch, Slade Scherer, Eamon McCaffrey, Joel Sittler, and Jon Fredlund
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
Additional Filming: Steve Woodward, Justin Wilgus, Kostya Chimkovitch, Slade Scherer
Locations: British Columbia, Nova Scotia, New Mexico
“Canada's Weird & Revered crew are back at it with another mixtape. Since the release of their Vagabond Squad DVD, the boys have slowly been chipping away at their next full-length BMX project. Justin Schwanke decided to start the filtering process and has chopped up 9 minutes of footage that won't make the cut for that next DVD. We present to you, the Low Heat Mixtape.” -DIG BMX
Riders (in order of appearance): Tyler Horness, Kostya Chimkovitch, Thomas Henderson, Logan Kirzinger, Jesse Baraniuk, Cary Lorenz, Derek Bolz, Justin Schwanke, George Brunin, Slade Scherer, Andrew MacLeod, and Mark Stanway. Locations: Alberta and British Columbia (Canada), Oregon and Nevada (USA), Belarus.
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Slade Scherer, Noah Shumka, Derek Bolz, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Eamon McCaffrey, Andrew MacLeod, Joel Sittler
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“With much of the Weird & Revered crew residing in the Canadian province of Alberta, long and cold winters are the norm. Thankfully, the riders have a few options for indoor parks scattered across the province. Indoor Refuge 2 is a small taste of winter BMX riding in the Great White North.” -DIG BMX
Riders: Mat Ridgeway, Derek Bolz, Thomas Henderson, Logan Kirzinger, Joe Weidman, Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Roberto Ouwens, Chance Card, Andrew MacLeod, Tyler Horness, Mark Stanway, Shane Hanson, Cary Lorenz, Chevy Charbonneau, Jonathan Godek, Ted Bambrick
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Derek Bolz, Jesse Baraniuk, Kyle Lafleur
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Stop #1 of the 2020 Toyota BMX Triple Challenge series.
Filming and editing: Ryan Fudger
Additional filming: Justin Schwanke
"For a few years, I had been talking about buying a van or RV to live in. Early in 2019, things began to line up and I pulled the trigger. I moved out of my place, sold my car, bought an RV, rented a post box, and hit the road in April. Most of the next few months were spent driving, riding BMX, or surfing. I drove from Edmonton, to Tofino (on the west coast), all the way to Halifax (on the east coast), then back to western Canada where I spent the winter. This is the first video I've edited, and most of it is self filmed. I hope you enjoy it!" -Jesse Baraniuk
Riders: Jesse Baraniuk, Andrew Gobbo, Kostya Chimkovitch, Eamon McCaffrey, Thomas Henderson, Joe Kubik, Justin Schwanke
Filming: Jesse Baraniuk, Adam Berry, Justin Schwanke, Ian Fleming,
Editing: Jesse Baraniuk
“Canada’s Weird & Revered crew has been hard at work on a full length BMX film entitled, Vagabond Squad. On May 11, the crew celebrated the film’s release with a premiere and street jam. Here is a taste of what the event looked like, as captured by various members of the Edmonton BMX scene. “ -DIG BMX
Video and photo: Justin Schwanke, Kostya Chimkovitch, Kyle Lafleur, Jesse Baraniuk, Joe Weidman, Derek Bolz, Nigel Inch, Krysta Brown-Inch, Clayton Gibson, Cary Lorenz
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Vagabond Squad is a full-length BMX video from the Weird & Revered crew. Filmed from 2016 to 2019, the project is community rooted with a strong focus on the Edmonton BMX scene. Although a majority of the clips are from the crew’s home city, the footage spans 9 countries, 8 American states, and 4 Canadian provinces and territories. Full and split sections from: Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Logan Kirzinger, Joe Weidman, Mark Stanway, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Andrew MacLeod, Cary Lorenz, Kyle Lafleur, Sean Tiffin, Ted Bambrick, Tyler Horness, Justin Schwanke, and Derek Bolz.” -DIG BMX
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
Trailer for full-length film, Vagabond Squad.
Filming and editing: Justin Schwanke
“Canada's Weird & Revered crew spent three years filming for their full-length film, Vagabond Squad. Inevitably, they collected plenty of footage, some of which didn't make it into the final cut of the film. Justin Schwanke found a home for the crew's leftover footage in this new mixtape. Featuring street riding, park riding, and plenty of antics, the High Fashion Mixtape comes with a full dose of weird.” -DIG BMX
Riders: Thomas Henderson, Tyler Horness, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Ted Bambrick, Brodie Gwilliam, Sean Tiffin, Justin Schwanke, Logan Kirzinger, Kyle Lafleur, Colin Reimer, Andrew MacLeod, Mark Stanway, Eddie Anderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Percy Marshall, Taylor Marleau, Mitchel Johnson, Joe Weidman, Derek Bolz, Cary Lorenz, James Dean, Kolbi Watier, Brian Sveinson, and Pearce Grubisich
Locations: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Washington, California, Louisiana, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama, Croatia, and Slovenia
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Derek Bolz, Sean Tiffin, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Andrew MacLeod, Logan Kirzinger, Kyle Lafleur, Brodie Gwilliam
Editing: Justin
“In February 2019, Thomas Henderson, Justin Schwanke, and Jesse Baraniuk of the Weird & Revered BMX crew travelled from Canada to Israel to film for their full-length DVD project, Vagabond Squad. The trio road tripped around the country with stops in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva, Eilat, and the Dead Sea. They also travelled by bicycle into Bethlehem, crossing the Israeli / Palestinian border in between. This short web video is a collection of footage that didn't make the cut for their DVD.” -DIG BMX
Park, ramp, and dirt riding from across Alberta.
Riders: Cary Lorenz, Tyler Horness, Derek Bolz, Jaumell Campbell, Thomas Henderson, Andrew MacLeod, Jesse Baraniuk, Kyle Lafleur, Justin Schwanke, Austin Odegnal, Jaumell Campbell, Sean Tiffin, Zac Friesen, Logan Kirzinger, Mark Stanway, Taylor Marleau, Aaron Clarke, Eddie Anderson, Michael Kilbreath, Travis Kozie, Malachi Chapman, Joe Weidman
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Derek Bolz, Sean Tiffin, Thomas Henderson, Cary Lorenz, Kolbi Watier, Andrew MacLeod, Jaumell Campbell
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Wagons West documents Thomas Henderson and Justin Schwanke on a summer road trip through Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta.” -DIG BMX
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Kostya Chimkovitch, and Slade Scherer
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Good times on the road with Jonathan and friends!” -Woozy BMX
Riders: Jonathan Hausmann, Mark Stanway, Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Nick Rempel
Filming and editing: Jonathan Hausmann
Street footage from Alberta, California, Germany, and Mexico documented throughout 2018.
Riders: Tyler Horness, Derek Bolz, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Justin Schwanke, Sean Tiffin, Joe Weidman, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Slade Scherer, Kostya Chimkovitch, Jonathan Hausmann, Simon Bierfreund, Logan Kirzinger
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Thomas Henderson, Kolbi Watier, Derek Bolz, Sean Tiffin, Zac Friesen, Simon Bierfreund, Jonathan Hausmann, Tyler Horness
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Back in February 2018, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, and Justin Schwanke ventured to Panama for a filming trip. Aside from a few days in a beach town called San Carlos, the trio spent most of their time in Panama City. With a small riding scene, intense traffic, and extremely tight security, it soon became apparent that stacking footage would be tough. The boys did capture a handful of DVD clips for their upcoming DVD, but they ultimately decided to take things in stride and enjoy the cultural activities that the city has to offer. This video is a representation of the more relaxing moments of their trip, both on and off the bikes.” -DIG BMX
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Weird & Revered is a Canadian crew from Edmonton, Alberta. The boys have been busy stacking clips for a DVD, but managed to cook up this street mixtape in the meantime. Most of the footage is from their home province, but there are some clips from British Columbia and California scattered throughout.” -DIG BMX
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Derek Bolz, Sean Tiffin, Logan Kirzinger, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Mike Lestus, Garrett Howse, Stephanie Herwynen, and Roberto Ouwens
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Somewhere in the prairies of rural Alberta lies a backyard full of ramps and a revolving group of two wheeled visitors.
Riders: Derek Bolz, Sean Tiffin, Kyle Lafleur, Clayton Gibson, Tyler Horness, Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Sean Tiffin, Jesse Baraniuk
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“The word, citified represents the transition from rural to urban life. Going from living in the country to city can be a big change, especially when you find that you now have a whole community of BMX to get to know.” -DIG BMX
Filming: Derek Bolz, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Logan Kirzinger, Colin Reimer, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Justin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Read the accompanying article here: https://digbmx.com/dig-this/citified-weird-and-revered
Edmonton's finest park rats get loose on a variety of concrete, asphalt, and wooden structures across Alberta and British Columbia.
Filming: Thomas Henderson, Justin Schwanke, Logan Kirzinger, Jesse Baraniuk, Colin Reimer
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“When it comes to planning a BMX trip, the world is your playground. There are plenty of obvious destinations to choose from but the Weird & Revered took the unconventional way and went south. From Georgia to Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida the guys had a ton of adventures in their Dodge Mini Van!” -DIG BMX
Riders: Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Justin Schwanke
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Read the accompanying article here: digbmx.com/dig-this/stunts-detours-and-surprises-in-the-deep-south
“Weird and Revered's Justin Schwanke, Ted Bambrick, Logan Kirzinger, Lake Mulligan, Joe Weidman, Tilsyn Inch, Tyler Horness, Jesse Baraniuk, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Zach Coutu and Thomas Henderson make the most of the Edmonton winter seeking refugee indoors at Ride N’ Play skatepark and a few private indoor ramp setups. Not only are these guys surviving the winter, but they are thriving despite the challenges it can present.” -DIG BMX
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Thomas Henderson, Logan Kirzinger, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Colin Reimer
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Read the accompanying article here: Life in the Great White North
Backyard bike riding in rural Alberta.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
Read the accompanying article here: digbmx.com/dig-this/is-bmx-art
Skatepark stunts filmed across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana.
Riders: Joe Weidman, Ted Bambrick, Logan Kirzinger, Tilsyn Inch, Derek Bolz, Jade Sloan, Jesse Baraniuk, Kris James, Darcy Peters, Andrew MacLeod, Justin Schwanke, and Thomas Henderson
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Ted Bambrick, Joe Weidman, and Brodie Gwilliam
Editing: Justin Schwanke
"Growing up in rural Alberta all of my life, riding back in the day was a much different experience than it is now. As a kid without a car, there weren’t many people to ride with and there wasn’t much to ride. Living in the middle of nowhere meant you had to make your own spots and your own set-ups. When I was young and before I had ramps, I spent a lot of time pedaling around on country roads looking for 'spots.' Hardly considered spots by popular standards, these places to ride were as simplistic as could be. One might be a ditch that was smooth enough to jump or another might be a shed to use as a drop. Often you would have to modify the spot with some plywood or shovel work to make it rideable. As unconventional as the set-up may be, it was always what you did with it that mattered most. And naturally, the more creative you got the more entertaining it could be.
Inspired by my buddy, Brodie Gwilliam of Bush League fame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhhrZ...), I felt the need to return to this period of my BMX experience. I wanted to make a video chalked full of my own 'country spots.' I pedalled and drove around to search for places with potential. Some spots needed a lot of work and others were ready to be ridden. I think I put the most effort into that trailer I found at 0:25. I had to clean all of the junk off of it, cut down a bunch of trees, and make some trails so you could pedal on the grass. Once I had a list of spots and had some of the modifications done, I hit up my friend Colin Reimer to join me. We filmed most of this video in the spring before Colin left for a work term in France and I left to go travel myself. Tyler Steckly came along on some sessions to film and goof around. I don’t think we spent more than 7 days filming and all of the spots were within a 10 km radius of my house. We had a ton of fun making this video and I hope it shows. Enjoy!” -Justin Schwanke
Filming: Colin Reimer, Justin Schwanke, Tyler Steckly, Austin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
10 days of adventuring and biking on Oahu and the Big Island with Thomas Henderson and Justin Schwanke.
Filming: Justin Schwanke & Thomas Henderson
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Yukon and Alaska road trip.
Riders: Justin Schwanke, Tavis Adams, Ben Seifert
Filming: Ben Seifert, Tavis Adams, Justin Schwanke, George Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Bike riding from the BMX mecca that is Barcelona.
Riders: Justin Schwanke, Joel Bondu, Karamo Saidy, Freddy Heling, Jose Espinal, Brayan Torres
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Freddy Heling, Marc Mosquera, Brayan Torres, Karamo Saidy, and Jose Espinal
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Electrocoaster is a light-themed street video.
Rider: Justin Schwanke
Filming: Jesse Baraniuk, Duke Thomson-Kurz, Thomas Henderson, and Justin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
The Edmonton stop of the 2016 FISE World Series was held September 16th to 18th in Hawrelak Park. This video features event highlights including slopestyle mountain biking, BMX park, BMX flatland, and skateboarding.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
Additional Filming: Thomas Henderson
Rumor Skate & Snow and the FISE World Edmonton street team hosted a jam at Callingwood skatepark in Edmonton, Alberta. They were on hand to spread the word about the upcoming FISE contest in Hawrelak Park on September 16th to 18th, 2016.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
The FISE World Edmonton street team hosted a jam at Ride N' Play skatepark in Edmonton, Alberta. They were on hand to spread the word about the upcoming FISE contest in Hawrelak Park on September 16th to 18th, 2016.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
The FISE World Edmonton street team and Transition BMX hosted a jam at Kaskitayo skatepark in Edmonton, Alberta. They were on hand to spread the word about the upcoming FISE contest in Hawrelak Park on September 16th to 18th, 2016.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
To promote the upcoming FISE contest, the FISE World Edmonton street team has been hosting jams around the Edmonton area and engaging with local riders. One such rider that has always made a positive impression on the Edmonton scene is Joe Weidman. We teamed up with Joe to film some great riding and hear about his thoughts on the upcoming FISE events.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
The FISE World Edmonton street team was at the Rock the Rails jam in Leduc, Alberta. They were on hand to document the event and spread the word about the upcoming FISE contest in Hawrelak Park on September 16-18, 2016.
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
BMX riding and B-Roll captured antics from Alberta, California, and Washington D.C. Filmed from June 2015 to March 2016.
Riders: Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk, Logan Kirzinger, Justin Schwanke, Derek Bolz, Chris Perrin, Kris James
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Jesse Baraniuk, Aleeya Velji, Thomas Henderson, Logan Kirzinger, Dominic Ennamorato, Natalia Chiles, and Cody Nisbet
Editing: Justin Schwanke
Weird & Revered and Bad 4 Life join forces in the heart of the Canadian Prairies.
Riding and Filming: Brodie Gwilliam and Justin Schwanke
Editing: Brodie Gwilliam
Bikes and boards combined.
Riders: Justin Schwanke and Colin Reimer
Filming and Editing: Justin Schwanke
Indoor BMX riding in the Great White North.
Riders: Joe Weidman, Justin Schwanke, Brodie Gwilliam, Mark Stanway, Thomas Henderson, Logan Kirzinger, Jesse Baraniuk, Colin Reimer
Filming: Justin Schwanke, Colin Reimer, Thomas Henderson, Jesse Baraniuk
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Our good friend Justin Schwanke wanted to kick off the summer right. So, Justin and his dad loaded up in their car and went on a huge road trip across Canada, down through Michigan, and Illinois then back up to Minnesota and finally back to Canada. During the trip Justin hit up a bunch of skateparks and checked out the sights. When he came through Minnesota we had him stop in Rochester for a quick session at the Silverlake skatepark. They were on a tight schedule so we didn't have a ton of time to ride, but we did manage to get a solid hour of filming in for it. During that time, Justin came through with a bunch of solid clips with his unique style and racing background.” -BMX Union
Filmed and edited by Kurt Hohberger
Justin Schwanke’s entry for the 2014 Northern Embassy Hidden Gems video contest.
Filming: Thomas Henderson and Justin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
“Justin Schwanke shows his freestyle BMX skills and stunts!” -Xtreme BMX Ride
Filming: Jesse Baraniuk, Logan Kirzinger, Thomas Henderson, Aleeya Velji, and Justin Schwanke
Editing: Justin Schwanke
All videos from 2008 to early 2016 available at:
pinkbike.com/u/justin99/channel/all