People Like Me – sharing cycling stories
For many of us at Fusion our interest in cycling is more of a 24-7 than a 9-5pm. Being part of a community of cyclists feeds much of the creative work we do.
When we were tasked by Shimano to come up with a series of people focused videos for Shimano Lifestyle we knew straight away that we wanted to share stories that are representative of the diverse cycling community we knew. It’s given us the chance to look at the role cycling can play in people's lives both as an inspiration and also a support during times of crisis.
Here are the first two from the series.
Mental health and cycling
One of the pieces of video work we are most proud of this year was produced with rider and founder of the New Normal mental health charity, Ben May.
Ben is deeply passionate about the work he does creating safe spaces for people experiencing loss. He is also a passionate bike rider. His video, created by Fusion for Shimano, has resonated with viewers because he speaks with total honesty and sincerity about his emotions.
We met Ben through riding, he is an accomplished racer and well-known on the local scene. Talking to him about how he had discovered cycling, the difference it had made in his life and the growth of his charity, we knew it was a story we wanted to share.
A new way of seeing the City
Ben Moore is an incredibly talented architectural photographer. We initially spotted his eye-catching images on Instagram but what really stopped us scrolling was when we realised he accessed his locations by bike.
Ben goes deep into the city to capture the angles and shapes that make his work unique. An e-bike gives the perfect balance of speed to cover ground but slow enough to look around. He says riding gives him new perspectives and reveals the hidden spaces that can’t be found by driving through an urban area.