This episode is presented by Rainbow® Sandals
Born in 1984, Kai Neville came to surfing at age 11 on the Sunshine Coast, where his dad pushed him into his first waves. He loved it, aspired to be a pro, but soon realized he might be better off behind the camera rather than in front of it.
He got a job at McDonald’s, saved up for a High-8 Sony Handycam, and started creating short surf films, which led to a job making promo DVDs for Australia’s Surfing Life magazine, and then a gig working with renowned filmmaker Taylor Steele. Under Steele, Neville got a crash course in surf filmmaking when he worked on 2008’s Stranger Than Fiction, for which he was a videographer and editor.
Neville’s first major surf film, 2010’s Modern Collective, landed with a major splash. Not only did it announce a group of surfers that would define the decade to come—Jordy Smith, Dane Reynolds, Dion Agius, Yadin Nicol, Mitch Coleborn, Dusty Payne, and Craig Anderson—but it announced Neville’s singular vision as the lenspiece of a new generation.
Then came Lost Atlas in 2011, Dear Suburbia in 2012, and Cluster in 2015—all of them oozing with innovative surfing. The Neville thumbprint is distinctive: He has a love of unbridled aerialists. His musical tastes are broad and experimental. His titles are also as eclectic as his eye. For instance, his shorts: “The Quieter You Are, The More You Can Hear.” “Welcome Elsewhere.” “No One Knows Me Like the Ocean.”
Along with his surf films, Kai is an accomplished commercial director and photographer, working with brands like Corona, Nike, IWC, Schaffhausen, and Shiseido. He also loves print media, and co-founded What Youth with Travis Ferré.
Today, Neville lives with his wife and two boys in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, not far from Byron Bay.
In this episode of Soundings, Neville talks with Jamie Brisick about chasing creativity, learning his trade under Taylor Steele, the magnetism of misfit surfers, the art of titling and soundtracking, his enduring love for print, and the grind behind some of his most iconic films.
Produced by Jonathan Shifflett.
Music by PazKa (Aska Matsumiya & Paz Lenchantin).
Feature image by Trent Mitchell.
