“Jeep is synonymous with adventure, but translating that adventurous spirit into marketing magic takes a special kind of studio. What truly sets Free Radicals apart is their ability to seamlessly connect the Jeep brand with our sponsored athletes—embodying the brand’s adventurous spirit.”
Carla Longerbeam
Group Account Director
“Shaping A Champion” was a long-form branded content piece created for the WSL and NBC Sports Olympics Programming. Free Radicals developed the concept, produced and directed the film, and designed and built a private training/shaping facility in Chiba, Japan–for Jeep surf Athletes to rapidly design, test, and iterate the surfboards that would help them win Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Jeep Project 7 Facility /
Free Radicals repurposed an existing private photography studio and built two custom-shaping bays from retrofitted shipping containers. The facility featured a full physio room with world-renowned physical therapist Terry Romine on hand to keep the athletes tuned up. We also built an AV/Video review room to break down daily board performances.
The project aimed to help Jeep athletes prepare for the first-ever Olympics surfing competition in Tokyo 2020.
It is somewhat uncommon knowledge that all elite professional-level surfboards are handmade to each athlete's exact specifications and designed to perform in specific types of waves.
Free Radicals was dropped in two twenty-five-foot shipping containers by crane, and the interiors were built to the specifications of renowned shapers Britt Merrick and Graham Smith. We then spent two weeks prototyping surfboards, reviewing board-testing footage, and scrutinizing every aspect of the surfer and surfboard performance.
It is somewhat uncommon to know that all elite professional-level surfboards are handmade to each athlete's exact specifications and designed to perform in specific types of waves.
Fuel.
World championship surfers typically compete in the world’s best waves, but the first-ever Olympics surfing event venue, Chiba, Japan, is notorious for small, weak waves. This created a challenge for athletes to develop boards that would perform in lackluster conditions.
Spark.
We believe the best thing a brand can do to support ambassadors– no matter the sports or creative discipline–is to support them in achieving their goals. We asked Jeep surf ambassadors Jordy Smith, Filipe Toledo, and Nikki Van Dijk what we could do to help them perform their best, and they all pointed to one thing: Surfboards.
Fire.
All surfers at the highest levels ride 100% custom, handmade surfboards. Like golf clubs, each has a specific purpose and is designed to perform based on the shape, size, and power waves found at particular locations. We built a private surfboard shaping and training facility in Chiba, Tokyo, Japan, where Jeep athletes could rapidly prototype and test surfboards at the Olympics surfing venue.
