Ken Block

1967 – 2023

wroom-wroom

idea

This project is a video homage to Ken Block, the man who ignited in us a love for risk and freedom.

Fueled by our profound respect for Ken, our objective is to motivate others to embark on new and unconventional paths, challenging their fears and embracing the unknown. Ken's life epitomizes liberation, and through this tribute, we aim to inspire others to push their boundaries and pursue their passions without hesitation.

“Go Fast Risk Every Thang”.

memory

A year ago, our team decided to create a video that could reflect a portion of the love and respect we have for Ken.

"I grew up with Ken Block," says Paul Shtyler, founder of playd.studio and the art director of the project. "At the age of 14, I started skateboarding because of him and bought my first pair of DC sneakers. Now I'm 33, and I still exclusively wear DC! I really wanted to share my vision of him, to express my thoughts and feelings, and to reminisce about iconic moments associated with him. And, of course, to introduce Ken to those who are not yet familiar with his life (you guys have a lot to learn and feel, I'm jealous!). That's how the idea to make this video was born."

approach

We want to create a tribute in a photorealistic style, ensuring that we meticulously capture details of Ken's appearance. It's essential for us to be precise in our portrayal, as our goal is to authentically reflect his character and charisma in the video.

We aim to evoke a true sense of connection and admiration for Ken Block and his incredible impact on the world of motorsport and beyond.

tribute

At the moment, our project is at the pre-visualization stage. At this stage, you can already see the entire story in rough animation. We do not claim absolute documentary accuracy, but we try to be guided by the existing filmed moments from Ken's life. You can currently see them in the upper right corner of the video and compare them with what we have in the animation.

We admire Ken. We admire his life, what he did, and what he left behind. We want everyone to know about it.

our partners

The partner of playd.studio in this project is Aleksandr Kuzmichev, founder and CEO of the 'petrolhead' creative agency '29 Production & Agency.' He is an internationally award-winning film director with 13 years of experience in filming motorsport, specializing in drift. Aleksandr is the author of viral videos such as 'Flankers in the City' and 'Drifting Beast,' as well as the sports documentary series 'RDS GP: Tire War.' He has collaborated with renowned drifters including Ryan Tuerck, 'Mad' Mike Whiddett, Daigo Saito, James Deane, and others.

what's next?

GymkhanA i (Aikhana) — Drifting Into the future

Technological & media breakthrough: world’s first-ever tandem battle AI-powered driverless drifting car vs real drifting car.AI-powered driverless drifting car with algorithms inspired and derived from the driving style of Ken Block (From all Gymkhana past projects) — on one side. Professional drift driver — on the other.

“Be like your childhood idol, keep trusting your idol, but now you have to get ahead”