Samsung Electronics, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, launched a new documentary series designed to spotlight skateboarding, breaking, and surfing on the Road to Paris 2024. The series, produced in collaboration with the Street League Skateboarding (SLS), Pro Breaking Tour (PBT) and World Surf League (WSL), will feature three short docu-series: “Concrete Dreams”, “Breaking Boundaries”, and “The Next Wave.”
“Concrete Dreams”, which spotlights the skateboarding community’s journey to the Olympics, and The “Breaking Boundaries” is now live on Samsung’s YouTube Channel. “The Next Wave” will be released on May 21, and premiere at PBT’s Atlanta event and WSL’s event in Tahiti.
Starring sport legends Shaun Tomson, Eric Koston and David “Kid David” Shreibman alongside Olympic athletes Johanne Defay (Surfing, France), Sky Brown (Skateboarding, Great Britain), Grace “Sunny” Choi (Breaking, U.S.) and many more, the project celebrates the communities that lie at the heart of each sport as they get set to open themselves to the world this summer.
This new project is a key part of Samsung’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 campaign, ‘Open always wins,’ which claims that with an open mind, anything is possible — a motto these communities live by every day. Produced in collaboration with the SLS, PBT and WSL, the docu-series explores the iconic subcultures of each sport, their shared belief in openness and the impact that being part of the Olympic Games has on their communities — past, present and future.
The synopsis of the skateboarding documentary unveiled today is as follows:
• Concrete Dreams: From the birth of street skateboarding in the 1980s to its consecration at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, this is the story of a community built on one unspoken rule – respect. It encourages you to see the world a different way, to go create and always get back up, no matter how often you fall.
The synopses of next documentaries in the series are as follows:
• Breaking Boundaries: As breakers get ready for their Olympic Games Paris 2024 debut, this is the story of a global community born from the streets and shooting for the stars. It is a celebration of breaking as an explosion of energy and soul that gives you a sense of expression and belonging and encourages you to do something we’ve never seen before.
• The Next Wave: Surf legends and icons in the making share their story as they embark on their journey to Paris 2024. It is the ultimate love story between them and the ocean as they prepare to take that leap and a celebration of surf as a way of life, passed down to generations, and a culture that’s not only survived but gotten stronger.
“Samsung is excited to support the skateboarding, breaking and surfing communities on their incredible journey to Paris 2024,” said Stephanie Choi, EVP & Head of Marketing of Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re honored to tell their stories and help shine light on these communities to wider audiences through this docu-series. We hope they inspire many to push boundaries, support each other and always stay open.”
“We were really excited to partner with Samsung on this docu-series and share our story and our culture with the whole world,” said Tim Greenberg, WSL EVP, Content Strategy and Production. “Surfing is unlike any other sport on the planet. This is such an amazing opportunity to open up our community and celebrate what brings us all together.”
“This is a big year for us and our sport. The future of women surfers is really bright, and the Olympic Games give us that long-term vision,” said Johanne Defay (Surfing, France). “They are a chance for us to really show the world what surfing is all about. Not only our skill on the waves but what we stand for as a community — committed to giving back to our sport and to our planet — and ‘The Next Wave’ truly honors that.”
“Everyone looks out for each other, that’s the special thing about having this small community,” said John John Florence (Surfing, U.S.). “It’s exciting to be able to open our community to the world with this documentary.”
“Finding Skateboarding was like falling in love for the first time,” said Rayssa Leal (Skateboarding, Brazil). “I’m so excited to share our story with this documentary and show young girls what skateboarding is all about.”
“Skateboarding is a chance for people to show 100% of themselves and really push their own limits,” said Jagger Eaton (Skateboarding, U.S.). “What if you’re one morning away from making all your dreams come true? You never know how close you are to success. Hope you guys love the documentary as much as I did! I’m stoked to share our journey with you.”
“Skateboarding is all about freedom, you can just pick up your board and go anywhere. It’s like becoming a kid again,” said Aurelien Giraud (Skateboarding, France). “I hope our story inspires you to pick up that skateboard and enjoy the ride.”
“Breaking is special. When I’m dancing, it’s like nothing matters in the world except for me just being me,” said Grace “Sunny” Choi (Breaking, U.S.). “There’s going to be a lot of great opportunities coming out of the Olympic Games from the added awareness and hopefully also more parents wanting to put their kids into breaking. I hope this documentary makes you as excited as we are to share this culture with the world.”
“This was such an exciting project to be a part of,” said American skateboarding icon and entrepreneur, Eric Koston, who lent his perspective to “Concrete Dreams”. “Our sport has such a deep connection to film. To see these voices come together to celebrate our sport, our journey, and our heritage is huge.”
In addition to the screenings at SLS, PBT and WSL events, the docu-series will go live on Samsung’s YouTube channel. Visit here to watch “Concrete Dreams” and check out the trailers for upcoming documentaries.