If you’re tired of waiting for deadlines to finalise and need to get your name out there, then the promo is your best friend. Zoo York have recently re-shuffled their roster and it’s pivotal that everyone recognizes who some of the new rippers are.
Welcome to Zoo York City is a 10 minute promo that introduces us to Aaron Suski, Ron Deily, Anthony Shetler, Brandon Westgate, Lamare Hemmings, Matt Miller, and more familiar faces, Zered Bassett, Donny Barley, Forrest Kirby and Kevin Taylor.
I won’t beat around the bush and make comparaisons with the Zoo York of yesteryear because there aren’t any turntabilists or mixtapes in sight. But, the essential aspect of Zoo York- the East Coast shredding – is still present and that sure serves up a healthy dose of stoke.
The DVD kicks off with a tribute to Zoo York OG Harold Hunter who regretfully passed away. Zoo filmer RB Umali is busy wrapping up a special tribute video for Harold, so stay tuned. The trailer is in the bonus features. That aside, this DVD opens to the wailing tunes of AC/DC screaming about feeling safe in New York City. I must admit that this is a rather bizarre choice of track for such an ‘urban’ company, but times are a-changing and Zoo has changed for the better.
A montage ensues highlighting Donny Barley, Forrest Kirby, Ron Deily, Zered Bassett, Kevin Taylor (never thought I’d see him skating to AC/DC!), Lamare Hemmings and Matt Miller. Matt’s part from another East Coast video, Few And Far Between is also included in the bonus features, and that’s wicked because Matt’s a sweet street technician. My favourite trick from the first montage is a toss up between Lamare’s massive frontside shoveit or Forrest’s backside 360.
The next section announces a formal introduction to the newest additions to the team- Brandon Westgate, Anthony Shetler and Aaron Suski. Jay-Z hollas in the background as the trio go on a mission to kill each spot they skate. Brandon boasts some big pop for a youngster and his 360 flip over the hubba is a sure sign of great things on the event horizon.
Anthony Shetler doesn’t hold back either and skates a good variety of spots. His biggest moves are reserved for handrails though with some deadly serious smith grinds and kickflip backside tailslides. The last part goes to Aaron Suski with some heavy Led Zeppelin synchronising his all-terrain assault through the East Coast and abroad. Aaron is a powerhouse and hopefully Zoo York will help him get more of his footage out because you can never have enough.
So, for a 10 minute promo, Zoo York’s Welcome to Zoo York City is pretty tight and jam-packed with good footage. A new full length video will definitely establish who’s running things from out East. This is just a taster.
You’ll be stoked to know that this promo is downloadable if you sign up for Zoo York podcasts here!
Ralph L-D
02.02.07