Latest Vodafone First sees skaters join one man’s mission - to refurbish Europe’s biggest outdoor skate park and re-launch Budapest’s skate scene
- Professional skateboarder Balázs Jassek recruits hundreds of skaters to make his first film and revive skateboarding in Budapest
- Vodafone has created a documentary about Balázs’s filmmaking and his drive to refurbish Europe’s largest outdoor skate park
- Skateboarders, brought together using mobile technology, travel over Budapest landmarks in epic scenes
One man’s dream – reinvigorating the Budapest skate scene - has been made a reality.
Balázs Jassek, 39, became a professional skateboarder before video games and consoles were the hobby of choice for teens all over the world.
Fast forward to 2014 and skaters at his home city of Budapest have seen their skate park, previously the biggest and most celebrated in Europe, experience a sad decline. A lack of investment in the right facilities, coupled with skateboarding being outlawed in many public parts of the city, has made it harder for the sport to thrive.
Now, in the latest Vodafone First, Balázs has staged a skate revolution. Balázs used mobile technology to crowd source hundreds of skaters to appear in his movie, which was filmed using a drone camera. Footage was stored and shared through the Vodafone Cloud, which Balázs used as a production tool.
Hundreds of skateboarders responded to his call-to-action, taking to the streets of Budapest and skating over monuments and landmarks as they put their sport back on the map.
Once he had united his fellow skaters, Balázs embarked on his grandest plan yet - to refurbish Görzenál, Europe’s largest outdoor skate and leisure park which, for years, has lain derelict in the heart of Budapest.
After 700 square metres of Birch Plywood, new ramps, paintwork and repairs, the revamped skate park was unveiled over the weekend, packed with cheering skaters who now have a new, safe and inspiring place to practice.
The documentary of Balázs’s quest to reclaim the streets for skateboarders and to regenerate his city with a new skate park launches today. As skateboarders around the world often use video to communicate, Balázs and the hundreds that took part in his film hope it will be seen globally.
Balázs Jassek said: “Skateboarding is about fun and freedom. For too long in Budapest, skateboarders have struggled as city officials neglected our facilities or even tried to ban us. “With our film, we hope to kick-start skateboarding in Budapest, as well as remind people around the world what a force for good skating can be.”
Vodafone Group’s Brand Director Barbara Haase said: “It has been fantastic to support Balázs in achieving his dream of reinvigorating the Budapest skate scene. As well as the creation of an inspiring film, the refurbishment of the skate park means this is a First which will be enjoyed by future generations. This First is an example of how our technology can help people mobilise communities and celebrate their passions.”
The short documentary film will be shared on Vodafone’s social media channels celebrating Firsts. To find out more about Vodafone Firsts, visit www.firsts.com
Vodafone is also asking people what they want to do for the first time. To find out more about Pitch Your First, including information on the entry terms and conditions, visit: www.firsts.com
For more information, contact:
Vodafone Group
Media Relations
groupmedia@vodafone.com
Note to Editors
The Vodafone Firsts programme has already helped surfer Tom Lowe ride his first 40ft wave in Mexico’s Todos Santos, Dutch grandmothers An and Ria take their first-ever flight and Olympic Boxer Mary Kom help women in India learn self-defence techniques.
Further details of Vodafone Firsts can be found at:
About Vodafone Firsts
Vodafone Firsts is Vodafone’s global brand programme, activated across the world from 2014. A social media-led programme, Vodafone Firsts is about inspiring people to do something remarkable for the first time using mobile technology. Vodafone began by recruiting a series of inspirational people to help them achieve their Firsts. Vodafone is also asking consumers what they would like to do for the first time, helping to make their ambitions a reality.
About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies and provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile operations in 27 countries, partners with mobile networks in 48 more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of 31 March 2014, Vodafone had 434 million mobile customers and 9 million fixed broadband customers. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com
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