Stoked Vision connected with Peahi Surf Media to learn about the company and to get some tips on how to pursue dreams of becoming a photographer and filmmaker in the world of Surf. “Shoot your passions, and look for emotion. Nurture your creativity through music, drawing, reading, writing and nature – it’s all connected.” In other words, being Committed To Boardriding is a given and a very good start.
Filming on location with Discovery Channel.
PEAHI SURF MEDIA
Peahi Surf Media is a Maui based movie production company. They focus on producing quality content that is true to the nature of the Islands and its people. We were interested to know a little bit more about this company, that we have seen popping up on social media, and connected with the current owner and director at Peahi Surf Media, Wangdu Hovey.
WHO IS WANGDU HOVEY?
Born on the Big Island of Hawaii and residing in Haiku Maui, 35 yr old Wangdu is the founder and current owner of Peahi Surf Media. He is a filmmaker, photographer but also a surfer, father of two, husband and owner of two dogs.
Wangdu Hover, owner and director at Peahi Surf Media
BACKGROUND
Wangdu is raised on the north shore of Maui (what an awesome place to be raised) and graduated from Maui High School. He is a USCG veteran and served in Iraq as a diver and Quartermaster. Wangdu also graduated from the University of Hawaii, at Maui.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO PHOTOGRAPHY & FILMMAKING
My father and older sisters are photographers and they passed down the interest to me. I learned videography while in Maui High School and produced an award winning project with some of my friends during our senior year. After the Coast Guard I was looking for a trade and I gravitated back towards videography.
“Being inspired by the films shown at the Maui Film Festival, I made a determination to have a film presented there.”
I traveled to NYC in 2005 and attended a 4 week intensive digital filmmaking work shop at the New York Film Academy, producing small projects throughout the city, and more mini docs when I returned to Maui.
“When surfers started to paddle into JAWS, I knew the world wanted to see it, so I pointed my lens that way.”
I’ve shot nature and lifestyle stills for fun since a youth, throughout the Coast Guard and traveling around the world. This is the first year I’ve focused on still photography at JAWS. I’m really enjoying the simplicity and the beauty of capturing a single frame.
JAWS: CHANGING THE GAME
“It is an incredible story about a group of surfers paddling in to some of the biggest waves ever ridden.”
In 2012 he directed and produced Jaws “Changing the Game” – a 42 minute documentary giving the world it’s first JAWS paddle in movie. Wangdu says: “We screened at Maui Film Festival, New York Surf Film Festival, San Sebastian Surf Film Festival, and many others. The film was distributed internationally through X-treme media.
In other words, he produced and directed Jaws “Changing the Game” which was selected at multiple international film festivals and received international distribution on TV and digital platforms.
Watch full movie here: JAWS: CHANGING THE GAME
TIPS FOR FUTURE PHOTOGRAPHERS & FILM MAKERS
PERSONAL GOALS
Wangdu’s personal goals are to work together with surf companies and surfers to help build their brands and social media followings. To become a brand ambassador for a socially conscious label that helps use photography to inspire people creatively to make positive changes in their lifestyles and local communities.
PEAHI SURF MEDIA GOALS
The goals for Peahi Surf Media would be to work seamlessly with larger media outlets like WSL, Surfline, and Surfer Magazine to bring high quality surf media content instantly and directly to iPhones as well as traditional print media and to continue to be at the heart of big wave progression at Jaws and around the world year round.
Thank you Wangdu for taking your time and sharing your story & visions with us. We are Stoked to connect with you!
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