Happy 2011!

Happy New Year World! Wishing all of you a blessed new year full of happiness, success, and deeper connections with the ones you love! It’s gonna be a spectacular and fun 2011!

Rockin' the Slopes!

red bull gave me wings...

On the rare occasion that there’s a little bit of free time between the busy seasons of the entertainment business, I like to take mini-adventures to unwind. This winter I flew to the east coast to spend some quality time with my family and plummet down the snow capped mountains of Pennsylvania. Three straight days of awesome conditions, heart-pounding thrill rides and good times with great people! Living is good!

...to dive down mountainsides!

Asian Cup 2011: Morocco and Spain!

One of the best things about the work that I do is that from time to time, I get to travel to some of the most amazing locations in the world and meet incredible people!

An email popped up in my inbox asking if I’d be interested in coordinating and starring in a commercial with my teammate Fernando Chien for the Asian Cup 2011 Soccer Tournament. Without hesitation, I jumped on the opportunity!

We spent a week in Marrakesh, Morocco (I’ve always wanted to go to Africa!) and Madrid, Spain (I love Spain and put those six years of Spanish lessons to good use!). Our stay was richly colored by the beauty of the culture as well as the people’s charm, and the shoot was undeniably fun! Check out some of our videos from the trip and the commercial for the Asian Cup 2011 Soccer Tournament!

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BEHIND-THE-SCENES with ReelKick

ACTION PRE-VISUALIZATION & OUTTAKES

ASIAN CUP 2011 “WARRIORS” FINAL COMMERCIAL

do something everyday that scares you!

making friends with locals who taught us how to sell like pros

our welcoming committee at the desert shooting location

desert nomads

entertaining strangers

Reelkick: Me, Thayr, Fern

preparing to fly!

Funny or Die

It’s the weekend, what should I do? Well what else but shoot a sketch for the comedy website Funny or Die!

My big brother James Lew put together a team of riff raffs to battle it out with one of his buddies for the online short. I can’t divulge his friend’s name until the video is released, but let’s just say women were and still are drooling over him from some of his notable roles on television. What I can say though is that he’s a classy guy and really fun to work with!

My role in the video is definitely some ‘below-the-belt’ humor. When you watch the video, you’ll feel my pain. No really, it’s a good kick in the pants, but it’s also pretty darn hilarious!

Aim High!

Me and my homies: Jackson Rathbone, Myself, Frosty Silva, Holland Diaz, Chris Brewster

Reunion with my crew from Airbender...and what a coincidence!

I just booked a role on the Warner Bros. webseries called “Aim High!” My buddy Jackson Rathbone stars in the show, and my Reelkick teammate Chris Brewster will be coordinating the stunts.

The really great part of this story is that the casting department was magnificently accommodating to my busy schedule.

 I couldn’t make it to the session with the director because I was working on a TV show so they brought me in to put me on camera. After the session, they showed the producers and I was given the thumbs up for the role! I’m super excited to be working with my friends again, this is gonna rock!

Climb On!

Let’s face it: I’m sheepish around heights.

So when my awesome friends (and fellow stunt folks) Matt Berberi and Tara Macken asked me if I wanted to go rock climbing, I was slightly hesitant. They said that if anything, I could hike with them to the rock wall and just enjoy the day outdoors. So in the spirit of living every moment of my life as a new adventure, I accepted with open arms.

take a moment, just breathe...

We met up with our guide, stunt rigger and climbing legend, Jeff Constine. Upon introduction, he fitted me for a harness and had me carry rope up to the climbing spot. Once we were there, there was no backing down…get on that wall!

My friends are so tricky.

The first climb was rough, shaking off nerves mostly, but after that one was out of the way, climbing some of the other routes was somewhat of a breeze. Then came the real challenge…Jeff set up a route that spanned a hundred foot vertical, and it was no breeze.

look up, smile at the sun...

The first 50 feet was extremely difficult. A nearly vertical incline, it was mentally taxing because you really had to make solid moves. The next 25 feet was slightly simpler but physically exhausting. At 75 feet above the ground, my body wanted to give up. At this point, all the ghosts of my past, my pains, and my inner critic tried to flood my mind and make me give up.

keep climbing up toward greatness!

But my friends weren’t going to let me. I wasn’t going to let me. Never back down...gotta live fearless! So after fighting and defeating my inner demons (and a couple fist pounds to the wall), I took it one step at a time. Focus on the moment, look at what’s in front of you and make your educated moves with faith in something greater and believe in yourself. Get a good footing, don’t look back, just keep climbing up toward the sun. I stayed centered and took one great leap of faith to grab a stronghold, and as I pushed up, I noticed I was at the top of my line. I had reached the top.

Hanging off the side of a gloriously challenging rock wall 100 feet above the earth tested my outer and inner strength. As I exhaled and relaxed my body, I opened my eyes to what I had just accomplished and took in the view. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

I never thought in my life I would have done anything like this, but with the support and encouragement of really great friends, an awesome guide, and an unstoppable spirit inside me, I did it. I can do anything!

Love Bites

My most favorite person that I’ve ever doubled is The Hangover and Community’s Ken Jeong…hands down!

NBC has a hilarious new show coming out called Love Bites, which focuses on the ups and downs of romance in the modern world. Myself and a group led by the direction of the legendary stunt coordinating team Al and Brett Jones were given the task of imitating zero-gravity, as the episode we were shooting takes place in space. Ken, along with Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13) and Isaiah Mustafa (the Old Spice guy!) were the astronauts we floated on the earthly set.

Ken is a tremendously talented actor whose imagination is just as vibrant as his comedic chops! I can truly say that his personal character inspires me not just for its professional quality but also because of his encouraging and positive nature. Even though the show’s called Love Bites, I’ve got nothing but love!

Talking to the Moon

When I was a kid I used to think the moon was Planet Heaven. I’d look up at it and wander off into conversation with my mom. I still do this to this day, and usually after I've finished talking I wave and send my love.

It took almost 25 years, but someone finally wrote a beautiful song about my mom and me. So when I got the phonecall to work with Bruno Mars on an online viral short, I was honored.

One of my favorite sounds in the world is laughter, and when I’m hanging out with my friend DJ Mando Fresko of Los Angeles’ Power106 FM, the room is filled with it! He and I are jokers by nature and we’ve been collaborating on comedic side projects. When we got the call that Mando’s friend (and also Billboard chart topper) Bruno Mars wanted in, we got to work!

We only had a couple hours to put together an idea, but I cranked out a storyboard and we were on our way!

I’ll post up a link to the video when it becomes public. In the meantime, check out Bruno’s new album, Doo Wops and Hooligans (“Talking to the Moon” “Count On Me” and “Today My Life Begins” are my personal favorites) as well as my homie Mando on Power106 every night!

SOLO

Brawling…in space?

That’s one of the elements behind an exciting new season of one of the web’s most unique online series, SOLO. The series creator, Jonathan Nail, offered me the opportunity to dust off my Fight Choreographer hat and sport it proudly...and I jumped on it!

Look out for the episodes I choreographed on watchsolo.com!

Treasure Hunt

It’s like digging for treasure. Treasure that makes a great meal!

I took a short vacation to visit my family in Virginia and we made a trip out to the beaches of Hampton where we met up with some friends who owned a seafood company. We all boated out to a private island to spend the day, and after working up an appetite we jumped into the mushy muddy waters to dig for dinner.

I’ve never done it before, but emerging from the water with around 3 dozen clams in your arms feels like a pretty sweet accomplishment!