Ever seen a full length, that’s not only been filmed and edited by a couple, but also includes footage of both of them? We can’t really think of one… Might not be NBD (cause what’s really NBD these days?), but this lovely power couple from Germany, that is Katja Michelle and Ole Schalla, made such a full length happen. Featuring many of their friends: Antoine Wohlgemuth, Andre Finster, Benny Vogel, Chris Kendon, Daniel Clausen, Eric Ulrich, Fin Mielke, Harry Bulgrin, Jan Hlawatschke, Johannes Meier Bohe, Jonathan Simon Weidner, Joshua Fricke, Julian Tellschaft, Keyan Cay, Lauritz Erichsen, Leonid Yanevskiy, Louis Taubert, Ludwig Hitzing, Magnus Birch, Matti Schalla, Michi Barzel, Mike Brauer, Nelles Arp, Ole Vorberg, Paul Joa, Piet Hesselmann, Ruslan Barsegian, Sven Gindorf, Tim Rohwer, Timo Meier, Tobias Schmidt and Viktor Riemer.

Katja Michelle: I went on our trip to Athens with an ankle injury. So, I was mainly behind the camera, petting cats or playing Pokémon Platinum on my old Nintendo DS. Oh, and I won some drawing contest. Not being able to skate any of Athen’s spots, I was kind of jealous of the guys, yet stoked at the same time, cause we got some really nice clips. This one day, we hiked for two hours through a forrest to get to a spot at the University of Athens. Once arrived, nobody was really down to skate, though. It was way too hot, we had just walked way too long, plus there were way too many people around. So, we decided to take the bus to another spot. On our way to the bus stop, I saw some signs warning of the increase of poisonous caterpillars in the area. We had actually seen quite some during our hike already. There was even some sort of caterpillar snake… dozens of caterpillars crawling behind each other. It was absurd. Of course, once we were on the bus, I found one of these caterpillars on Ole’s hoodie. At the next stop, he went outside and flicked it off with his cell phone. But as soon as we got to our destination, he already had some red spots all over his wrists. Some sort of allergic reaction? The closest medical practice turned out to be located in a private apartment. We basically waited in the doctor’s living room with a bunch of other people. First come, first served. Eventually, Ole got to see the doctor in his storage closet-sized office and got some cream prescribed. He would have red spots all over his skin for the next three weeks and returned back home with a caterpillar trauma.

Mike Brauer: The good people over at Lobby asked me to get a few easy clips in the new Nike SB Air Max. I was down, but as usual, it was raining in Hamburg. Checked the weather forecast for Kiel and it was supposed to be dry there, at least for the next two hours. Hit up Ole and got going. But I ran into one of my university professors, who happened to be in Kiel as well. We ended up having 45 minutes of a conversation. Anyways, got a quick warm up in, after we were done talking – or rather after he was done talking (laughs). Then, we went to this rail and stacked a few clips for the Lobby edit. The weather was still holding up, so I started battling the switch frontside crooks. Eventually, it worked out and I was so stoked. I asked Ole, if we could use that one for the Lobby edit, too… his jaw dropped. I was only joking, though. And then, at the premiere, I couldn’t believe that Ole and Katja blessed me with the ender of the video.

Tobias Schmidt: Ole and I are team mates on Über Skateboards and I couldn’t be more stoked to be part of this video project with him and Katja, with Viktor (who’s one of my best homies) and all the others. I had just gotten off an injury when we started filming and honestly, my motivation wasn’t really there yet. But the Barcelona trip really got me sparked again – even though it was raining for five days straight and I got injured again. Got off this one as well and we kept paying each other visits throughout the year. Kiel-Paderborn connection! And wherever we went, we would always run randomly into friends of mine (laughs). Then, for the premiere of the video, all the guys from Kassel rented a van and drove up to Kiel. So sick!

Ludwig Hitzing: What really sticks out to me, is Ole’s trick on that curved ledge. I wasn’t there for the make, but for many of the sessions that he had tried it before. It was such a battle, but Ole didn’t give up, kept coming back to the spot and powered through. I still remember when he told me that he had finally gotten it. I was so stoked. That’s what skateboarding’s all about.

Piet Hesselmann: It’s always really nice to come back to Kiel, it’s like a little vacation. I’m still surprised by how many friendships I’ve made during the relatively short time that I’ve lived there. What really sticks out to me, when I think about the video, is Timo’s nollie backside flip. It was so painful to watch, but he ended up rolling away from it. Tobi and the homies from North Rhine-Westphalia were there too. I’ve known the guys since 2018 and it felt like a full circle moment.

Magnus Birch: I missed my flight from Barcelona and that’s how we got to meet each other (laughs). Ever since all these sessions at Parallel, we kept in touch. It’s one of the best things about skateboarding that you can just randomly meet someone and instantly develop a friendship. I’m super stoked to be part of the video and equally as excited to finally watch it.

Keyan Cay: I first met Ole at Heikendorf Skatepark during the pandemic. Pretty quickly, I got his videos on my radar and I always wanted to make it into one of those. Ole took me on my first few street sessions and really taught me how to roll with a full crew out in the street. I even ended up getting in front of the lens and battled it out on a six stair, hyped up by all the homies. One of the best days of my life, for sure! And I ended up getting into the video. Dream fulfilled!

Viktor Riemer: We were on this Barcelona trip and it started to rain again. So, we hung out under a roof in front of a spot and this dude joined us. He took three or four empty bottles out of a trashcan. Live and let live. We kept on talking and having a good time. Guess he thought we were laughing at him… he walked up to Paul, got pretty mad and started threatening him with one of the empty bottles in his hand. We took our boards and bounced. I was the last one in line and only heard a bottle smashing onto the ground somewhere pretty close to me. Good decision to leave the spot.

Eric Ulrich: Ole and Katja managed to bring so many people together with this project. On our last trip to Hamburg, shortly before the deadline, we still had to pick up a new bed for Katja – as a side quest, so to speak – and then, we went to this crappy spot, that only I wanted to skate. Got a clip with matching board and shoes, though (laughs). Quite an achievement!

Ole Schalla: Ludwig’s darkslide that had started out as a joke but turned into a clip. Keyan’s trick for the video, everything else that went down this day and the sunset we’ve enjoyed all together that evening. Our trips to Barcelona and Athens, my caterpillar trauma, … There’s just so many memories that come to mind, when talking about this project. Shout out PJ (Paul Joa). Man’s a legend, if you know, you know. The premiere was wild, too. So many people came out to Kiel and some even brought their friends and families. It was a humbling experience. When Katja and I watched the video for the very first time, here at home on our little TV, we didn’t say anything, we just sat there and smiled at each other. Seeing the clips, hearing the stories, and above all, the memories that we’ve created… That’s what we’re doing this for. A puzzle only forms a picture when all the pieces are there.