Drew Ruiz is a commercial stills photographer based out of Southern California.If you are not familiar with Drew's work, I highly recommend viewing his portfolio which is included below.

We dive into quite a lot in today's episode from his early years at Dirt Rider Magazine to working with Cameron Baird, Taylor Creative, Fox Racing, commercial work, and becoming a photographer by accident.

I really appreciated Drew's open and transparent look into his story, the mistakes he made along the way, never wanting to be just a "moto" photographer, his take on capturing an image versus creating an image, and more. I believe I will have Drew back on the podcast again to dive into a few more topics.

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https://www.instagram.com/drewruizphoto?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

View Drew’s Portfolio:
https://www.drewruiz.com/m/

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Three months after we recorded our first conversation together (April, 2024), Nick Evennou and I were able to finally sit down one more time (July, 2024) to record part two of our conversation. And, that brings us to episode 35.

In today’s conversation, dive deeper into Nick’s time with Yamaha of Troy, his hopes to secure a ride with YoT for the 2005 season, corporate Yamaha already knowing (most likely) the fate of YoT, exactly why he turned down an opportunity with Factory Connection Honda, battles with mental health, and more.

While this one is a bit shorter of an episode, I do feel like we dove deeper into some topics and (both us) shared some personal experiences during trying times in our lives. I hope all enjoy and a big thank you to Nick for being so transparent and sincere in our conversations.

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https://www.instagram.com/ne47/

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Spencer Owens is a professional stills photographer based out of Southern California focusing his work within the action sports community. He’s earned multiple cover shots for Racer X Illustrated as well working alongside clients such as 100%, Troy Lee Designs, and more.

Aside from taking over a year to make this episode happen, this particular episode was truly a fascinating and illuminating discussion into the creative world of the dirt bike industry. Many stories and experiences were shared in what I hope feels like an honest yet genuine three hour conversation.

The ebbs and flows, the client headaches, difficult athletes, slow payments, the mental health battles, insecurities, the progression, the successes, etc. It’s all in this one. I hope all will enjoy as much as I did having this conversation with a kind, skilled, and wonderful human. Thank you, Spencer.

Follow Spencer: https://www.instagram.com/spencerowensimg?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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Melissa Gutierrez is a stand-up comedian and viral Instagram and TikTok content creator from southern California. If you haven't, I highly recommend diving into Melissa's Instagram and/or TikTok page (@fiveoclockmommy) before listening to this one. Laughs will be had!

Melissa has gone viral for quite a few of her reels, but the one that caught my attention is pokes fun at the Tesla Cyber Truck. With almost two million views alone on Instagram and, rightfully so, I was in tears from laughter when I saw that particular reel.

I hope all enjoy and also give her social media accounts a follow. Especially as a parent, her humor is all too relatable. And, if you also think the Tesla Cybertruck is stupid, you will love her reels (and humor).

Follow Melissa: https://www.instagram.com/fiveoclockmommy?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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In today's episode we sit down with former professional motocross racer, Nick Evennou.

In today's episode, we dive into Nick's career sharing his journey into racing, growing up riding with Travis Pastrana, winning a Loretta Lynn's championship, riding for Yamaha of Troy, MotoXXX, his time in Canada, and so much more.

This is a fantastic conversation sharing the ebbs and flows of a turbulent career, battling mental health, injuries, family struggles, and finding a new path in the world of creative content creation.

We will be back with part two in a few weeks!

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A Bakersfield, CA native, Kyle Crabb is a filmmaking within the motocross industry. Most recently, Kyle released his long form passion project on YouTube entitled, YOUNG BLOOD, which highlights the amateur motocross scene. It's a modern twist with old school sensibilities. Essentially, think a modern day version of Mini Warriors.

In today's episode with Kyle, we dive into his years growing up in Bakersfield, CA, struggling with a speech impediment, how and why he got into filmmaking, cleaning pools, the mental and emotional battles he fought trying to figure out how to make a go at a career in the motocross industry, the inspiration for YOUNG BLOOD, getting away from the Instagram 9x16 trap, taking a chance on making a long form film, and so much more.

This was a great conversation with an individual that decided to throw caution to the wind and make a long form piece. And, a long form piece that truly maybe the best thing done since the original Mini Warriors films of the late 1990s. If you haven't already, you can watch Kyle Crabb's film, YOUNG BLOOD, below and I hope all enjoy this conversation with somebody he took a chance on himself.

The Failed Experiment on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheFailedExperiment

Watch YOUNG BLOOD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUFYkqEQMMI&t=30s

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https://www.instagram.com/kcrabb223/

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Originally from the Thousand Oaks, CA area, Corey Martin is a Los Angeles County firefighter who is married with two children. Corey grew up riding and racing motocross with aspirations of racing professionally. However, injuries hindered that goal and, eventually, he found his way to becoming the transport driver for the TLD/Red Bull racing team during their tenure with Honda and KTM.

In today's episode, we dive into Corey's early years of racing motocross, the journey to becoming a transport driver for the TLD/Red Bull racing team, how and why he decided to transition into a career as a firefighter with L.A county, the mental health aspect of the job, some wild stories about fighting fires, dealing with a gang member shooting, and so much more.

This was a rad conversation with a genuine human, and I am very thankful that Corey was so transparent in sharing his ebbs and flows within the fire service and navigating some challenging times because of the things he sees and deals with on a daily basis. I hope all with enjoy this conversation and walk away with some new perspectives about the fire service and Corey's story.

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https://www.instagram.com/coreyjustcruisin/?hl=en

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Allie Anderson is a stand-up comedian based in Los Angeles, CA. A Las Vegas, NV native, Anderson grew up with a very unique family dynamic that spilled into a very unique academic career where Harry Potter Club was the biggest club on campus. Yes, seriously.

Today, we dive into Allie’s upbringing with a father who had wild conspiracy theories and identified as a sovereign citizen, how she eventually found her way to California and comedy, her first time performing comedy and forgetting her set and running off stage, to eventually performing at the historic Comedy Store in Hollywood, CA, her writing process, free speech and cancel culture and how it affects the state comedy, her influences and so much more.

This was truly a fascinating and transparent conversation with a kind human and one of my personal favorites. I hope all enjoy this episode and will get watch Allie perform at their local comedy club in 2024 and beyond.

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https://www.instagram.com/allie_anderson96?igsh=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

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