"Have you seen it yet? The new Sleeper Shreddit is out!" - Among downhill fans, the action clips from the English are an absolute highlight immediately after every World Cup. The short full-throttle clips enjoy cult status in the scene. But who are the guys who deliver the action to us free of charge, what drives them, how do they earn their money and how do they manage to be everywhere and summarise the craziest moments in 3.5 minutes in the shortest possible time? We asked one of the Sleeper bosses, Max Rendall.
Interview with Sleeper boss Max Rendall
BIKE: The Sleeper Shreddit fan community is getting bigger and bigger. We here at BIKE are also big fans and look forward to every new shreddit. How did this come about?
MAX RENDALL (29): There's a funny story behind it. We were at the World Cup in Fort William at the time and we had taken on a young trainee. He had a lot of talent but little experience. We took him to the first World Cup. Mr Intern then suggested we put together a lively edit from all the footage of the World Cup. It was a good idea, but our crew was stretched to the limit. So he realised his idea himself and actually edited the first shreddit.
How? It was the intern's idea?
Yes, damn it, it wasn't even our idea, it was his. The idea of an 18-year-old intern. His name is Archie Macdonell.
Crazy. And what was your mission in Fort William?
We are a film crew of four, the Sleepers. We filmed for Pinkbike Racing in Fort William. You know: the series by Ben Cathro. But we also film for other clients during the World Cup. For example, for Red Bull or various manufacturers.
Your company is called Sleeper, Schläfer in German. A strange name for film makers. Who wants to hire sleepyheads?
"Sleeper" also means railway sleeper. The word came to me because we used to romp around on a railway embankment as children. We spent so much time there that we looked like railway sleepers - always on the tracks. I liked the word because I had also heard it used to describe an outwardly normal car with something special under the bonnet - a VW Beetle with a Porsche engine. It made me realise that everyone has something special or unique about them and that everyone has a story worth telling. I find stories of outsiders the most inspiring.
What happened to your intern?
Archie is currently studying at a film school, but he will certainly join us again.
How did the shreddit become a series?
Our intern's opening clip was well received, so we just kept going and at the end of the season we put together a best-off. That was at the end of 2023, if I remember correctly.
A success, I would assume.
And what a clip it was. The clip was viewed 1.7 million times. We hadn't expected that at all.
But it also involves a lot of work. Can you earn money with it?
We did it just for fun. For the bike scene. However, you can buy merchandise from this year onwards. We earn the money by making films for clients. The shreddit is a by-product that we enjoy a lot, so we want to continue with it.
The clips remind me of the early jump and Earthed films. A mixture of slapstick, full-throttle action, falls, comedy and sideways glances. Did these films inspire you?
I'm too young for that. I only got into downhilling in 2012, so more in the Aaron Gwin era. That was a bit late for the Earthed films. They were before my time.
Don't you know them at all?
Yes, we watched the films as a team afterwards. Unfortunately, this type of film has disappeared. We now want to close the gap. Our approach: if we managed to release the clips immediately after the World Cup, ideally one day later, people would certainly enjoy watching them. So more than one day of editing was not possible.
One day only - wow! I bet you have a lot of footage to sift through. How big is your team?
There are four of us. So four filmers on the mountain. So we get to see a lot of the races. We shoot 3.5 to 5.5 terrabites per World Cup at the weekend. But we tag immediately, which means we tag immediately: crash, rider, team or sleeper. Everything tagged with sleeper goes into the shreddit. This is the only way we can put together a shreddit quickly. Otherwise we would have to sift through everything again, which would take ages. In short: editing is a one-man job in the shortest possible time.
One-man act?
Yes, we rotate through. Everyone in the team gets a turn to put together a shreddit. This has developed into a kind of competition. Of course, everyone tries to make the most successful shreddit.
Who is currently leading?
(Laughs) Me. Last year, I offered €100 for the winner. Thank God I don't have to pay that now, because I won it myself.
Which was the winning shreddit?
In addition to the annual reviews, which get the most clicks and run out of competition, Poland and Red Bull Hardline - I edited both. (laughs) My business partner Glen Thomson - we each have a 50 per cent stake in the company - edited the Les Gets edit last year, which went through the roof. But the number of viewers doesn't really do the edit justice. It's the quality of the whole thing and how it makes you feel.
Wouldn't you say that the clip that grabs you the most is the one that gets the most views?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. A clip can be super edited, but the music doesn't exactly meet people's taste. What's more, we don't always want to do the same thing just to be successful. We also want to choose a different style from time to time. Our motto: no rules, no limits, do what feels good. Sometimes there's a clip that not everyone likes, but some people love and vice versa.
The motto of your Mechandise products is: Hesitation kills. In other words: hesitation kills. Who came up with that?
A World Cup spectator in Fort William told us about it. I think it was 2024. He had slippery shoes on and I shouted to him: Hesitation kills. That was as true for him as it was for our sport. Because it's often safer to be decisive or even over-decisive than to hesitate.
Do you get feedback from the drivers?
Most riders love the shreddits and are happy to be featured. Ronan Dunne, for example, came to us and thanked us for the shreddit from Les Gets in which he was featured.
Ronan Dunne is a grateful protagonist, I suppose. The guy is usually super sketchy and right on the limit.
Yes, Ronan makes it easy for us. The junior racer from Canada Bodhi Kuhn is also extremely stylish. Jackson Goldstone can also look damn stylish. Amaury Pierron looks insanely fast on film - also great for the shreddit. But that changes from race weekend to race weekend, depending on who's on top form at the time.
If I want to share the fascination of downhill racing with someone, I send them a shreddit.
This year there was even one from the Red Bull Hardline. How did that come about?
Yes, that was the first time. It was because we were filming a project with Asa Vermette on behalf of Red Bull. We asked Red Bull if we could do a Shreddit and got the green light. The Red Bull Hardline is made for Shreddit, because every feature has Shreddit potential.
Can you imagine applying the shreddit concept to enduro or even cross-country?
I think it's a great idea. Enduro needs something like this for its image. But we are fully focussed on downhill at the moment and have our hands full with it. It would completely blow up our schedule if we had to fit anything else in. But I would love to try it out with Enduro.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
