In our final blog post of the year, we wanted to take a look back at 2023 and discuss the ups and downs we experienced as a Parkour brand, our favourite parts of the year, and our hopes and goals for 2024...
We are so grateful for 2023, even though it has brought in some of the biggest challenges we have seen as a brand, it has also brought some of the best experiences too. Keep reading to find out exactly what these are...
SM SOCIAL v1
Earlier this year in May, we put on a grassroots event called the STREETMEDIA Social v1.
The idea of this event went back into 2021, where we had this thought of getting as many people as possible together in our home city of Sheffield for a gathering.
As time went on the idea developed from a social gathering to a true street Parkour event including a competition with cash prizes, afterparty and pop up shops from independent brands.
The SM Social v1 was in short, a success. We brought together people from all over the globe, provided a free space for independant brands to set up their shop, hosted our circle of DJ's, and threw a successful competition.
We are truly honoured to have so many amazing people show up, put in work, and help make the SM Social v1 as special as it was.
We are already planning the STREETMEDIA Social v2... stay tuned.
Big shoutouts to:
Joe O'Brien - @earwigjoe
Novacity Rotherham - @novacitycentre
Resonant Sound Systems - @resonant.sounds
Jai at Pariah Clan - @pariahclan
Fifthunit - @fifthunitparkour
Isaac Harwood - @keep_going_isaac
Storror - @storror @storrorstore
Mel - @melmelades
Muru - @muru.00
Mellow Mac and Batfunk - @djmellowmac @batfunk_
THE CREWS HIGHLIGHTS
This year has brought STREETMEDIA and the people involved some incredible experiences. Admittedly, we haven't been particularly active on YouTube as a collective this year, and thats mainly due to all the people involved in SM being on their own crazy little ventures. Lets start with a big one:
RACHEL AND ELISE AT SPL 2023
SPL (Sport Parkour League) is a grassroots Parkour competition which is growing in size and popularity each year. Based in the States, SPL returned this year with its 2023 edition, with multiple competition categories for male and female athletes.
While the majority of us couldnt make it out there, our own Rachel Gough and Elise Bickley made the venture over the pond to enter into the womens skill and womens style competitions.
The result?
1ST PLACE LETS GO GANG
GATECRASHER
Another highlight for the SM people is GATECRASHER - the first female only Parkour film to be released.
GATECRASHER was a concept thought up entirley by our own Lisa Schnieder as well as Renae Dambly from the USA. Travelling across multiple countries, Lisa and Renae have truly changed the game with this concept, and recruited a lot of very talented athletes and creatives to make the project a reality.
With a total of 11 athletes, 4 videographers, 2 producers and an editor, GATECRASHER is something very special we are all looking forward to. Not to mention it features all 3 of the female SM athletes in one video!
Keep your eyes peeled for the release, which is due around April 2024.
STREETMEDIA SOCIAL v1
We won't spend long discussing it, but an obvious highlight for us this year was the SM Social v1 in May 2023. Running our first event has left us highly motivated to continue to push our own events as well as supporting the growing network of grassroots Parkour events that are happening across the globe.
PRODUCT RELEASES OF 2023
This year, we made the decision to release less clothing, so we can focus on our event, and ensure we don't run the finances into the ground!
Even so, we are proud to have dropped a total of 6 products this year:
THE "MIRROR" TEE
THE "SOCIAL" TEE
THE "HOT" SOCKS
THE "INTERBAE" PATCH
SM FLIGHT TAG
SM BUMBAG 2.1
OUR FINAL HIGHLIGHT OF 2023: PROJECT NEXT GEN
Project Next Gen is a feature length Parkour film containing 50 athletes from 9 different teams from all over the world. Organised by Max Ward and recorded over 2 weeks in beautiful Bilbao, this film was a first of its kind, as the scale of the operation was so massive and had such a range of talents involved. Each team created their own 5-15 minute section of the film, which was then edited into the long format film by Max and a team editors.
Sadly, only Noah and Rachel were able to attend from STREETMEDIA, and so we needed to think on our feet. We linked up with Arthur Franks and Devon Mcintosh from team PHAT, and decided the best route of action to take was to create a collaborative piece! And so, the SM x PHAT segment for Project Next Gen was created!
Be sure to purchase and watch the full film and support SM, Phat, Max Ward, and all the other talented people involved with this project.
Project Nextgen from Max Ward on Vimeo.
THE STRUGGLES WE FACED THIS YEAR
This year has truly tested us as a team and a Parkour brand. We have never felt the effects of financial struggle until this year came around, and it has forced us to take action in order to continue running the brand as we want to.
Running a clothing brand is not easy as i'm sure everyone can guess. With the effects of an awful economy, Brexit forcing us to pay more, and suppliers increasing costs on every front, we found ourselves in a position of vulnerability. Halfway through the year as we entered summer, I (Noah) was questioning the viability of continuing to run STREETMEDIA. Even the thought of that makes me feel incredibly sad, as this brand ties in with every aspect of my life since 2010.
However, as a group we came together to discuss ideas and decide the best course of action to take, and came to the conclusion that we would release less new drops of clothing, and instead, focus on keeping costs down while we invest in our YouTube content, events ideas, and other new projects outside of product releases.
I am so grateful for the team we have, and after much planning, we are excited to share with you what we have in stock for 2024.
2024 - OUR PLAN
YOUTUBE CONTENT
Throughout 2024, we will be releasing 4 videos to our youtube channel. These won't be your standard Parkour vlogs or any of that nonsense. These will be 4 videos showing insight into our circle, the Parkour community, the inner workings of STREETMEDIA, as well as creative pieces and a group video. This will be the first time the new people involved with STREETMEDIA are showcased to our communtiy, and we are so excited to get started.
EVENTS
The STREETMEDIA Social will return to Sheffield in 2024. Cash prizes for competitions, a selection of brands and artists setting up pop up shops, music, food, and of course, the official afterparty. Stay tuned for more information coming soon.
CLOTHING
We will be releasing some very unique single product drops throughout the year, as well as some capsules and collections. With the whole team collaborating and designing their own products to bring to the table, 2024 will see a wide variety of drops, all with the classic STREETMEDIA look and utility.
The first and newest release will be early Janurary, and the next will be in mid-late February.
TO FINISH
We will finish the year by saying: Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to support us through this testing year. Thank you to everyone who supported the STREETMEDIA social in any way. If you have purchased our products, donated, or just turned up to one of our cities to train, thank you.
Stay tuned for a hectic year!
We hope your 2024 is filled with goodness xxx
