Pirate Bike Builds

The Series Treatment

by admin on Mar.08, 2009, under The Series

AMIDST THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BIKER PARTY, THREE DRIVEN BUILDERS RACE
AN IMPOSSIBLE DEADLINE TO CREATE AN OUTRAGEOUS CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE,
IN PIRATE BIKE BUILD

Pirate Bike Build
WGA #I62513

Sturgis, South Dakota…. A town that erupts each summer in a bacchanalia of high-octane motorcycle mania. Hard-core outlaw bikers rub shoulders with leather-clad attorneys, all drawn by a common love of hot chrome and the open road.

As you stroll the rows of artisans, mechanics, and vendors filling the streets, you could imagine assembling an entire bike from parts scrounged, traded, borrowed, and bartered.

This year, a team of driven bike builders did just that…

Rolling into town with just an idea, a box of tools, and a truckload of talent, three cycle-savvy industry veterans set out to craft a complete custom motorcycle in a week, using raw materials on offer in this two-wheeled metropolis. Their story comes to life in Pirate Bike Build, a High-Def video produced by My World Artists Productions. By the end of the week, the Pirates are riding Sturgis on a custom $35,000 machine built for the benefit of a needy charity. But it’s not always a smooth road getting there. Disappointments force their ingenuity, and tempers sometimes flare. Along the way, viewers get a feel for the mayhem that is Sturgis and meet some of the unique personalities and over-the-top dynamic that makes it the world’s biggest biker party.

The Pirates

Pirate Bike Build is a character-driven, gas-fueled drama. At center stage is Jerry Jackman, a respected master bike builder with years of experience and miles under his belt. Jerry is at once freewheeling and focused, a calm exterior with a core of intensity that sees the project through some shaky moments. Jerry is no stranger to the Blitz-build—before opening his own shop he‘d compete with friends to see who could build a bike in the shortest time, with parts scavenged from anywhere they could get them.

Steve Harbin is Jerry’s right-hand man, the hands-on talent turning the wrenches, and the stable foil for Jerry’s high-spirited style. At once patient and wryly funny, Steve keeps an even keel while Jerry occasionally seems to spin his wheels. Steve is unflappably rooted, anchoring the sometimes-chaotic action of the frenzied build.

At the helm is Dave Galinsky, producer and inveterate biker. Dave brings an engaged on-camera presence, subtly steering the build in the right direction while giving Jerry and Steve space to flex their creative muscles. Dave’s incisive commentary unifies; he is the Greek Chorus that oversees and defines the action, at once directing and providing subtle commentary.

The Build

As the pirate drama unfolds, things don’t go exactly according to plan. Tension builds as the three Pirates scramble to assemble parts, with little initial success. But the Pirates’ native ingenuity saves the day, and the boys rally to assemble a sweet custom machine.

More than just a gritty biker’s tale, Pirate Bike Build has a heart: After the drama of assembly, the bike is raffled off to benefit Hungry For Music, a 501c charity that enriches disadvantaged children’s lives through music. The Pirates host a blow-out party and barbeque, featuring live jams by Nashville’s Kevin Gordon (recently featured on HBO’s True Blood) and The Tommy Lepson Band, who perform their hard-drivin’ tune “Putty and Paint,” the show’s theme song.

The Series

Pirate Bike Build sketches a blueprint for a series, taking the concept of the Sturgis build on the road. The narrative of each show follows a similar dramatic arc: In cities across the country, the Pirates roll into town with just their hands and hearts, rolling out at the end of a week with a bitchin’ bike for charity.

Working with and scavenging from local vendors and artisans, the Pirates profile a local charity and highlight local flavor and personalities, sampling the food, music, and biking scenes on offer everywhere they set up shop. Each episode casts local personalities—from the arts, media, even politics—along with the Pirates. At the close of each episode, the local charity benefits as the bike is raffled off at another uniquely Pirate blowout.

The Pitch

Motorcycle-related dramas are a video staple. Shows such as American Chopper and Biker Build-Off pull in a loyal viewership. But Pirate Bike Build has a twist, a Unique Selling Proposition: Each week, the drama of trying to assemble a bike with a crushingly short deadline and an unknown quantity of parts. As the Pirates travel around the country, they’re our tour guides, sampling a bit of what every place has to offer.

The team is uniquely qualified to tell this story. Jerry Jackman is a bike-builder’s bike builder. He’s been designing custom bikes longer than some new-school builders have been alive. Steve Harbin is a subtle presence, but his sly wit and easy nature help keep things rolling smoothly. And with years of experience in the music business, Dave Galinsky is a singularly telegenic and articulate force, holding the action together without overpowering it.

What truly sets Pirate Bike Build apart is its heart of gold. While viewers thrill to the action—feeling the Pirates’ trials and triumphs as their own—they are left knowing that the build is more than just an assembly of parts. Each Pirate bike will channel $100,000 in donations to a local charity, making an impact that’s sure to resound throughout the motorcycling community. As much as the Pirates can be proud of each radical custom they shape with the barest of resources, the brotherhood of bikers can be proud of the contribution that the Pirates realize, and of the brilliant reflection they make on the sport that bonds them.

The Production

Over 40 hours of hi-def footage by Peak HD, shot on location in Sturgis. Editing and postproduction by Jeff Dills of Feister/Dills Images (ABC’s Extreme Makeover, and TBS’s Biker Women). Original soundtrack music written and recorded by Tommy Lepson.

Contact

Dave Galinsky
My World Artists Productions
301 523 6656

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