Corsa Luna

Details

• Style: Road course
• Total length: 47 ft.
• Lanes: 2
• Built by: Gamma_Chad

About

I recently turned 51. I have a wife and two teen sons, own a video production/content data/marketing agency and like most people my age, I often wondered, “Is this really it?” Not to go full midlife crisis on you, but I love what I do, I have great clients, wonderful employees, I have had decent personal career success in the past and yet, I felt like I never did anything to “just make me happy.” That is until now.

A little backstory: About a year ago, I pitched a client on doing Hot Wheels (yes, the toy cars) races on TikTok. It was a complete, way out of left field idea thrown in at the end of several, more fleshed out, more “safe” ideas. My team actually thought it may be too “out there” for them, but reluctantly threw the boss a bone and let it in. Well, they bought it. I was over the moon with the excitement of doing something fun and creative. We launched and took their TikTok channel from literally 5 followers to over 27K. A couple of months ago, halfway into the campaign, (a campaign that as each month went on, got neutered more and more because one person in particular never “got it”) we got a call and were informed that they were killing the campaign, mostly because they were tired of fighting with the “I don’t get it” guy. I was crushed. It felt like a good old-fashioned kick in the crotch.

The track I built for it took up a good chunk of our studio and as I started to strip away the trees, rocks and grass to dismantle it, I noticed that it kinda looked like the moon. Then it hit me. What if we repurposed the track and did a full on Moon/GameStop/Ape themed race series? I wrote up a treatment, we shot a promo and started shooting the 32 episodes I mapped out in what may, or may not have looked like the manifesto of madman. It is a full on, stupid, meme-filled, inside-joke laden series. It is being made by us for us. No clients to say “I don’t get it.” Just unadulterated fun and stupidity to make ourselves laugh.

After the initial “oh shit… I think Chad’s finally lost it, better get the ol’ resume updated” looks from the team, they dove in headfirst. We’ve been laughing our asses off at the ridiculousness of what we’re doing and the mood around the office has definitely been elevated and I’m no longer a moody, miserable SOB. Well, let’s say LESS a moody and miserable SOB.

 Here’s the synopsis:

“Tomorrow is today. The Great MOASS has occurred and a sentient race of diamond-handed apes have found themselves on the moon. With bank balances looking like phone numbers and their space-garages overflowing with cars, the apes do what comes naturally. They race for lunar glory! Sixty-four of the moon’s bravest apes put their lives and cars on the line to settle once and for all which ape takes home all the bananas and is crowned the Racin’ Space Ape Lunar Drivers’ Champion.”

TL;DR: Ape loses client, has mini-midlife crisis, plays with toy cars and makes YouTube show and NFTs around it. Has all you apes to thank for it. Thank you!