As 2015 comes to an end I sit back, take a look at the wild journey I had and let the feels flow. Every drift season since my first in 2010 I say was the best and 2015 is no different. It is interesting to look back to the beginning of Manji Cartel in 2014 and see how this all started. I asked my buddy Rob Taylor one day if he would be interested in shooting Street Life Tour with me. We had already been working on a motorcycle project called Because Motorcycle where we first met and developed a friendship. Rob jumped on the opportunity and thus the Cartel was born. We literally had no plans to do anything with it other than use it as a platform to release content that we had both worked on because neither one of us wanted to take credit and post it on our personal portals. Little did we know this little side project would turn into something so awesome, so crazy, and so big.
We descended on Round 1 this year cameras in hand and produced a video that really put us on the map. We never really even announced Manji Cartel as an official media outlet so after the event I will never forget when Edgar from MDU shot us a message “who are you guys?” Little did he know that he had already been working with some of us for years and little did we know that this would be the start of a wild 2015 season.
Rob took the video lead for the season with some help from myself, Brandon Reinert and a few other people throughout the season. We recruited Same Igel in the photo department along with myself to produce stills and we also brought on our friend Austen Verrilli to take the editor lead with his background in journalism. The Cartel had grown into a team of super talented individuals who all brought their skills to the table. The idea of Manji Cartel evolved into creating a group of enthusiasts who could work together to produce awesome content.
I want to thank each and every person that helped us throughout the season with footage, photos, and interviews. Without you and without you amazing fans we would be nothing. The support throughout the season blew me away. You guys truly bring up emotions deep within. I appreciate you all for what you’ve done.
Looking forward to 2016 has me super excited. We have many awesome ideas in the works and while I can’t make any official announcements yet I want to express my enthusiasm for what is down the road. We will be ramping up our video content next year as well as a new way to present event coverage in photo form that I think you will all love.
Stay tuned here and on all of our social media outlets for announcements for next season. I wish you all a happy new year and hope you have an amazing and prosperous 2016!
<3 Josh and the Cartel
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