KYLE ILENDA
Videographer, Content Creator, Bike Rider
It all started when…
A college graduation gifted hardtail and a two-door Subaru drove West from Minnesota to Washington, that became a Buy-Sell Pinkbike ad, became a used XC bike, became sunburnt arms in Moab, became moving boxes, loaded Tacoma, roommates in Bellingham, jet-lagged a-top mountains in Italy…
That’s the hyper-condensed path of how biking became more than a weekend hobby. I’ve never been one with a five-year plan, that can be viewed as a strength or a weakness. But instead of looking five years ahead, I simply chose to look five minutes ahead, or rather my next step. Viewing my life and the world with an open mind has lead to me saying the right amount of “Yes’s” and “No’s”. My love for riding and filming has been an anchor over the past ten years. Whether that be on the road bike, hardtail or trail bike; life has become all about the ride. It has guided my mental and physical well-being, brought me to foreign countries, formed break-less bonds with friends, intimate relations with health insurance terms, and a way to connect with my young niece and 57-year old father in a way that no five-year plan can offer.
Throughout my professional video career I have been fortunate to create projects within the bike industry and beyond for over ten years now. A similar organic and curious approach to video production has led to opportunities and experience that have given me a foundation of strong technical skills and the ability to work with others to bring ideas all the way through the phases of production. My formal education is in Mechanical Engineering but my love for video has led me to where I am today.
Using my abilities behind a camera and my love of biking; my goal is to help others connect with the outside world, those around them and ultimately with themselves by showing the beauty in this world as enjoyed on a bike.
As for my next step, an opportunity to produce and create videos in the bike space is what I am after, what is beyond that… I am not sure but I would love to find out and capture more moments like the ones below.
Enjoy.
LONG FORM / MINI DOCUMENTARY WORK
Role: Producer, Videographer, Editor
Premiering in front of a full crowd at the Mount Baker Theater in Bellingham, WA, Never Grow Up is a passion project that was selected by Freehub Magazine to be a part of their Freehub Presents series.
This video was a way for me to take on something I wasn’t getting out of my freelance jobs during that time. I wanted to have the freedom to go out and craft a project while experimenting and learning behind the camera.
MULTI FACETED LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
Role: Producer, Videographer, Editor
Demand for value out of video projects continues to grow. The life of assets has the potential to be so much more than just one video and that is what this project with Rainier and Spank Industires was. With a tight timeline of roughly one week and well frankly a budget that aligned well with Rainier beer, the need to be efficient with time and resources was paramount on this project. One main video with ten cut downs with various aspect ratios proved to be a success with product selling out and a happy brand manager.
DESTINATION VIDEO ADS
Role: Videographer, Editor
With the goal of highlighting diverse terrain and e-biking in the Southern Baja Peninsula, these short form videos were created to showcase the variety of terrain through the use of color. Deliverables included horizontal and vertical versions of each.
EVENT COVERAGE
Role: Videographer, Editor
Northwest TuneUp is a multi-day bike festival in Bellingham, WA that celebrates more than just bikes. Hired to film and edit a quick turn recap video is a challenge in both intentional shooting and opportunistic timing. Arrive Friday morning, film, deliver recap Monday afternoon. This shows the ability to capture and deliver in a compressed timeline with very little control.
SELF FILMING AND RIDING
Role: Videographer, Rider, Editor
Cameras and bikes, bikes and cameras. Both are hobbies and what I enjoy doing. This slow-paced raw video was created to explore new camera settings while filming with a simple style; locked off on a tripod with nothing but natural audio. From a technical perspective, I leaned into the camera’s ability to shoot “open-gate” which utilizes the whole sensor. The advantage is that it captures in a 3:2 aspect ratio which means the footage has more flexibility to meet horizontal and vertical video needs giving the most life and value to each shot.
