Stab’s Best Original Flicks Of 2018

How satisfying to pivot momentarily from Stab‘s unrelenting march forward, and indulge in a little self-reflection in the digital rearview mirror. 

This year, Stab produced its broadest and most diverse range of feature films, thanks to the incredible efforts of its growing stable of filmers, directors, editors, and more often than not these days, Predators—ace lensman more than proficient in all three.  

Australian stud and Jack McCoy disciple, Jacob Wooden; bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Dylan Roberts; our beloved Sam Moody; Dan Scott, Jason “Mini” Blanchard, Beren Hall, and one of the most well-rounded and narratively talented young guns operating, Michael Cukr. 

This year our original offerings benefited from the delicate, caring hands of Stab‘s Creative Director, Shinya Dalby, who on top of his nack for striking imagery and slick typographic treatments, brought Mr. Walter Warm’s understaded grooves into the fold, his tunes lending many of our projects some moody consistency. 

With our production calendars already filling up well into late-2019, we hope you enjoy clicking through Stab‘s best Originals of 2018 as much as we did. 

The Unrelenting Relevance of Bobby Martinez

Our man in Oz, Dan Scott, spent a few days bouncing around with Bobby Martinez, at the Ventura southpaw’s second-home, where his wife’s family live in Australia, and came back with gold. 

“While many find it easy to associate the man with 60 seconds of audio 7 years ago, truth is, he’s not jaded; in fact, he’s more vibrant than ever,” Stab‘s Rick Snowden wrote of the profile film. “Does he hold strong opinions on surf matters? Yes. Does he ram them down the throats of every active scroller? No. In fact Bobby doesn’t care for connecting on social media at all.

According to Bobby, “The best things in life are private, so why share that with the a bunch of people you don’t know?”

No Contest: Red Bull and Stab’s Regular World Tour Salvos

This year, Jacob Wooden, Dylan Roberts, and Sam Moody spent the year behind the scenes and hot on the trail of the WSL World Tour, and we’ve looked forward to each and every dispatch. 

Producing the travel series for our friends at Red Bull, the boys have consistently delivered radical free surf amp reels, intimate insider’s guides to iconic locations like the Gold Coast, Tahiti, Europe, Hawaii, and our personal favorite, West Oz.

After the event was called off due to concerns around surfer’s safety in the face of two shark attacks nearby, Jay Davies dragged us through the lovely WA town of Margaret River, and did little to ease our worried minds before a four hour gorge on sandy, spooky pits: “They’ve always been here. If you’re scared of sharks, don’t go surfing. And if you start thinking of sharks, go the fuck in.”

A Short And Unapologetic Story Of A World Tour Overachiever

If you missed “A Short And Unapologetic Story of a World Tour Over Achiever: Or, The Kai Otton Story As Told By Taj Burrow, Joel Parkinson, and Mick Fanning,” well, here’s your chance to make amends.

Thank Jah for thick skin and good friends. 

Culture Shifters: Saturday’s NYC’s Morgan Collett

Working with our friends in Santa Monica at House Beer, our Culture Shifters series has given us the opportunity to profile some of the most interesting and successful cats we’ve encountered in this little world of surf. 

While we thoroughly enjoyed premiering ever episode with the House Beer boys, our evening with Saturday’s founder Morgan Collett stood out from the rest. 

Texas Made: The Five Hour Surf Trip, Or: Two Hundred Air Sections In Five Hours

After Seth Moniz’s Waco backflip reveal blew our minds, we had Michael Ciaramella, Sam Moody, Michael Cukr, and Sam McIntosh on a plane to Austin post-haste, with Baron Mamiya, Ian Crane, and Albee Layer right behind them. 

The resulting film, Texas Made: The Five Hour Surf Trip, Or: Two Hundred Air Sections In Five Hours introduced the surfing world to the concept of the Texas Day Strike, as well as to Stab‘s beloved Johnny, the unofficial voice of Waco. 

Kanoa Igarashi: A Tale of Four Surfboards

Scaled replicas of four of the most iconic surfboards in US Open History, as told (and ridden) by Huntington Beach’s hometown heartthrob, and US Open winner in his own right Kanoa Igarashi. 

Radical Humility: A Nathan Fletcher Documentary

Nathan Fletcher is a Stab favorite, a living legend, icon, a damned good father, brother, son, and one of the most quietly influential surfers of the last thirty years, pioneering everything from Acid Drops to quads, really long, high-volume paddle guns. 

He’s also just the most down to fucking earth dude on the planet. 

Michael Cukr and Sam McIntosh spent some time getting behind Nathan’s grizzly mystique, and the resulting film, “Radical Humility,” was a highwater mark for Stab‘s short original narratives. 

Stab’s Guide To Yepoon

We came uninvited, we left a little confused. 

The Electric Acid Surfboard Test

I think we’ve said just about enough about EAST, the thoroughly over-loved baby of Stab‘s Editor, Ashton Goggans. As we promised on the note we left on this Christmas package: Not another word.