When the Vans Propeller video premiered in London a lot of people blew through town. We posted an exclusive interview with Greg Hunt yesterday. Today we have another one for you with Rowan Zorilla who had one of our favourite parts in the video…
How is England treating you so far?
This far it’s good man. We were supposed to hop on the bus to ride over here but we kind of know where we are so we decided to walk and see the city a little bit and realise how to get back to the hotel. We are staying on the water, probably twice as far as Southbank from here.
How and when did filming for this video start for you?
For me it started maybe a year and a half ago. Two years ago I went on my first trip with them besides little contests. We started here, did a demo at Southbank and then went throughout Europe. I’ve been here twice before maybe two days each time so I know my way around a little bit. So yeah, about a year and a half ago and I’ve been trying to make it happen ever since. I guess I had enough time and went on enough trips that it worked out and now I’ve got a part which I am too stoked to have.
Did you ever feel you would be filming for such an epic undertaking?
No, no way. Shit slowly started cracking and all of a sudden I was like maybe it’s a possibility. They told me it was possible and I just went full force at it. I’m stoked on my part, they made me look real cool.
What’s the most memorable filming trip you went on?
They are all too good. Maybe the US ones where it’s two weeks on the road when you have most of the team there. Any trip with three dudes is amazing but when you have twelve guys in two vans going across the country there’s never a dull moment. It’s always fun off and on the board.
Who did you go travelling with most?
Kyle, Dan Lu, Elijah and Tony. We kind of got tossed on all of the same trips together, it was awesome and Cody Green the filmer. I went on a lot more trips with Cody than I did with Greg.
What’s the reaction been like to the video so far?
I think people are stoked. Too much shit gets drained down the internet so quick or there’s issues with what songs you’re allowed to use. With this one the soundtrack is amazing and the skating is amazing. Greg made an epic video, we got put in good hands.
Had you seen your finished part before the premiere?
Maybe six months before but it changed so much. There’s some lifestyle shit that was in there and maybe ten tricks which I got afterwards. I never saw it finished, I saw it with black spots. I got an idea but after that I decided I wanted to do more. It was sick to be able to go to the premiere and see everything for the first time. It made me feel like I wasn’t even a part of it until I saw my part.
This video is going to be on repeat in a lot of houses. What’s the first video that you wore out watching?
The first ones for me were New Blood, Suffer The Joy, Slaughterhouse and Baker 3. They are what got me really into skating. After that with youtube I could just go backwards through the history. Go backwards in time and see how it has got to this point. I’m so young that I wasn’t around to see how it has happened. That’s one cool thing about the internet, I got to go back in time and watch that shit without trying to find a copy of a DVD in some thrift store.
Who blew you away the most on the team when you first saw them skate in the flesh?
Probably Rowley, I saw him skate at Southbank. It was sick to see him in his natural environment. You always expect pros to skate the same in person and sometimes they don’t but Rowley’s push, his ollie, everything is exactly the same and it’s epic to see and then to be able to talk to the dude and go on more trips is sick as well.
Who has your favourite part in the video?
AVE, Chima or Daniel. With AVE you know how much energy he put into the video, how much effort he put into every single trick to make that part amazing. He put his heart and soul into it. Chima has just always been one of my favourites. He skates to Iggy Pop who is also one of my favourites. Daniel’s part has loads of personality and such a good song. He is one of my better friends on the team, it’s cool to see someones part portray who they are as a person as well.
How would you describe the whole experience?
Surreal, a dream come true but you can’t let that scare you too much. You just have to run with it, it’s been amazing to meet all these dudes. To travel with them and have them kind of take me in as the younger kid on the team, they were helping me out. Tony took me on so many trips based around where he wanted to go which is amazing. I look to a lot of these guys to open my eyes to stuff and to help me out throughout it.
What’s your schedule like now, do you have some downtime or are there other projects in the pipeline?
There are definitely projects in the pipeline. I think Baker 4 is definitely next for me.