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Mini-Doc

Charter (Original)

The Second Run

Chicago, Illinois, give it up for Matt Wilhelm. [APPLAUSE] [CHEERING] Illinois, give it up for Matt Wilhelm. [CHEERING] He is the epitome ofAmerica'sGottalent.An absolute legend, Matt Milhelm! [MUSIC PLAYING] Praise the Lord. You are my strength. Yes, you are my strength and concentration. [AUDIO LOGO] As a kid, I was obsessed with Hot Wheels and cars and just anything on wheels that went fast. [CHILDREN CHATTERING] [MUSIC PLAYING] One time when I was a kid, I built a whole recreation of the South Side of Chicago out of cardboard. I cut up Pulaski Avenue, Kedzie Avenue, 95th Street. I made a grid, and that was pretty cool. I wanted to play traditional sports, but I just wasn't that great at a lot of them. I was on the T-ball team for two years. And then that third year of baseball, where they took the tee away, it didn't go well. I remember the first time, I was picked on because of my ears. A kid at school was calling me ears, and he was this big guy. The principal was like, oh, he's just being a bully. And I was like, oh, what? I never heard that word before. We used to trade Hot Wheels. And I remember a kid I was trading Hot Wheels with-- and I think he was just trying to be nice, but he said, they can do a surgery for that. And we were probably in second grade. And I was like, a surgery for what? And he's like, for your ears. And I was like, ah. But it would just be those little things that just stick with you all day. And you're like, yeah, this isn't the end of the world. I still have a normal life. I'm doing well in school. I have friends. But there's always just this little thing in the back of your head like, ah, there's that ears thing, or I'm going to see those kids after school on the way home. And it's like you get a little anxious and a little stressed. And it's just that always little pit in your stomach is in there. Do you start to blame yourself for this? I think it's a natural thing that all kids do. They shouldn't be doing that. But when you're a kid, you don't know that kind of stuff. There were some nights where you cried yourself to sleep and just-- that's just how it is. I learned to ride a bike just like any other kid did. You know, I had the training wheels. I still remember my dad pushing me in the driveway and all that. Freestyle was in its infancy a little bit. It was a little bit popular. And so I knew what a ramp was. I remember my dad saying, oh, well, you want to do that? OK, yeah, let's build a ramp. And then I just kept flying over it in the driveway every day. I love that feeling of going fast. And it made me feel almost invincible. [MUSIC PLAYING] I remember being at school and just being in the hallway and pretending I was on the bike doing tricks. People were like, what are you doing? I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm in this position. I'm doing this. And I probably looked like a total wacko, but it's just what I thought about all day. I was just consumed with it. My pencil was like a bike. I'm making a little ramp out of my math book, and it's going up, and it's coming down. And it's just all I thought about. When you're in the middle of a trick, you have to be present in the moment but also in the zone. It's a hyper-focus on one thing. And in that moment, nothing else matters. It's just you and the bike. And it doesn't matter what else is going on in the world, what happened at school that day. It's just complete freedom of your mind. I wish every kid could feel how you feel when you ride. [MUSIC PLAYING] At the time when I was growing up, BMXers were not cool. We were the outcasts. So here you got five guys sitting at a park. We're dressed a little bit different. We're doing these weird tricks on bikes. We're actually not that good, so we keep crashing. So of course, you're going to make fun of us. But we had each other. That was the thing that I loved about bike riding, is we were our crew. This is what we did. And I was like, I found my tribe. These are my people. As I started to get better and better on the bike, it made me feel special. It showed up for me at a time when I really needed it. It gave me that sense of confidence and accomplishment. And it gave me that brotherhood and that social aspect, which I desperately, desperately needed in that moment. [MUSIC PLAYING] Throughout high school, as my skills were developing and I was getting better and better, the X Games was starting. And that whole scene of extreme sports was getting its foot in the door. And so it was right place, right time. [MUSIC PLAYING] I was getting better. It was getting more popular. And then right as I was about to hit my peak, it felt like the roof blew off and like, it's your big opportunity, your moment to shine. From Chicago, Mr. Matt Wilhelm! [CHEERING] I can't believe this happened? [CHEERING] The guy makes me dizzy. I don't know. So I was racking up points that year, and I qualified for the X Games, which is the big show. That's like the Super Bowl of our event. You have a good run, it can change your life. My time to shine, and I go out there, and it was just-- I was completely overwhelmed by the moment. I got last place my first year in the X Games. And it's complete and in total heartbreak, and there's really no other way to say it other than that. My whole life was leading up to this moment. What happened? Did that really just happen? How did that happen? And then the self-doubt, it doesn't just creep in. It opens the door, and it's like, here I am. Here's the self-doubt. You're just trying to pick up the pieces and figure out where do you go from here. At that time, I didn't know if I would make another one. I think what got me over the edge of the self-doubt and what helped me overcome it is just the love of writing. It's like, well, I'm still going to do this, whether I can make a career out of it or not. And it was day after day of just getting wrecked. And the bike's going flying. You're hitting the ground. You're slamming hard. And you get back up, and you try it again. I know what it feels like to be the underdog. As a kid, I felt like the underdog my whole life. So it's like, oh, you threw this at me? I'm like, underdog again. Here we go. Let's work harder and rise up. I was about to graduate from college. And so this is make or break, right? You're either going to get a job or you're going to make a pro career out of riding a bike. And I won the X Games trials. I had my shot at redemption. I ended up having just some amazing riding at that competition. I just felt like I was coming into my own. I managed to pull my stuff and win a bronze medal that year. And after going from last place to standing on the podium, I just felt like-- it felt like winning the whole thing for me. [CHEERING] Getting last in the X Games was the best thing for me because it lit the fire. Getting third in the X Games was also great because it kept the fire going. I had room to improve, but it built up some self-confidence. So I developed my own voice on the bike, my own voice on the instrument. And I was doing tricks at nobody else could do, which was really cool. And so from there, I won the ESPN year-end tidal. Only American invited to the Red Bull Circle of Balance in Germany. I went to Japan and stood on the podium there in the World Championships. I got second. I got third, Brazil, Portugal, Korea, all over Europe. There were some years where I think I made the podium at almost every single contest. [CHEERING] [MUSIC PLAYING] Matt Wilhelm. [CHEERING] When you win a big competition, you think that's everything. Nothing can top this feeling. But it turns out there is something, and it's when you help others, and especially when they're kids. I realized that my story could help others and help kids. When I go to a school, I do a 45-minute show. About half of it's talking, and half of it's tricks, and it's interwoven in there. The main message I share is just about bullying and standing up for others. Another thing I talk a lot about at schools is kindness and the difference that one person can make. And I talk about resilience and grit and not giving up. When a kid comes up to you afterward and is like, you changed my life, I'm like, I just was at your school for 45 minutes. But maybe in that moment, that was the words that they needed to hear. To anyone who's reached any level of success, that's amazing, but there's this whole other world of taking your success and sharing it with the world and helping others with your success. I never won a contest and someone said, you changed my life. That never happened. But when I do a school show, sometimes that happens. There's really nothing better than that. [MUSIC PLAYING] [CHEERING] [CHEERING]

Industry

Sports

Film Style

Mini-Doc

Agency

Charter Original

Director

Jason Knade

Matt Wilhelm

This mini-doc tells the story of Matt Wilhelm, whose journey from a bullied kid searching for belonging to a world champion BMX athlete reveals the power of finding your passion and the people who help you become yourself.

Matt’s story is one of resilience, identity, and purpose. As a child, he struggled to find where he fit in until he discovered BMX, a place where he could escape, express himself, and connect with a community that shared his passion. Though BMX was still far from mainstream, Matt found his people and began pushing the limits of what was possible on a bike.

His path was far from easy. After an incredibly fast and promising rise in the sport, a devastating setback at the X Games forced Matt to question whether he still belonged. But through hard work and an unwavering love of riding, he fought his way back, earning a podium finish the following year. What followed was a career that took him around the world, cementing his place as one of the most accomplished names in bmx flatland.

Today, Matt’s greatest accomplishments are no longer measured by trophies or titles. As a speaker, he shares his story with students, encouraging them to be kind, embrace what makes them different, and never give up on their dreams. His journey is a reminder that the moments that define us are not always the ones where we win, but the ones where we help someone else believe they can.

“It was an absolute honor for Charter to bring my story to life. I’ve been in many productions over the years, and this was the most professional team I have ever worked with. They had the vision of what the finished product would look like. The attention to detail was meticulous, bringing out every little nuance to tell an authentic story.

Everything from lighting, sound, cameras, and backdrops was set up correctly on the first try. It is sometimes stressful and daunting to keep trying the same tricks over and over, hoping the camera angle or lighting is correct. I’m happy to say we did most of the shots in one take. This made for a smooth, stress-free video shoot.

The studio at Forge is state of the art. The virtual studio made it a breeze to look like we changed locations without having to go anywhere. While it would be near impossible to get permission to shoot in person at some of these locations, the virtual studio brought the locations to us.

The entire team was talented, friendly, and easy to work with. Everybody’s ego was left at the door, and everyone worked together to create an amazing piece of work. I can’t thank Charter enough for the opportunity to share my story with the world.”

Matt Wilhelm, Pro BMX Athlete

Director’s Note

I’ve always enjoyed extreme sports (an X Games poster still hangs in my childhood bedroom), so getting the opportunity to work with Matt was awesome. My younger self would have never believed it.

From a directing standpoint, though, I’m drawn to stories where people find their identity through unexpected and difficult paths. The athletes—and people—I admire most are rarely defined only by what they accomplish; they are defined by the challenges they overcome and the things that drive them forward. Matt’s story checked all of those boxes; beyond the tricks and victories is a complex and deeply human story.

Creatively, it was very fun to play with different narrative and visual approaches. The piece contains a mix of archival video footage, original footage shot on location, and a variety of scenes shot in our virtual studio (using both 2D plates and immersive Unreal worlds). There is also a sequence in black and white, archival photos presented in a unique way, and moments where we intentionally break the widescreen aspect ratio for dramatic punctuation.

An Immersive Archive

A big creative challenge in documentary filmmaking is finding fresh ways to present archival material—especially photographs. Rather than relying on familiar techniques, we wanted to create something more immersive and visually unique.

The result was a virtual gallery dedicated to Matt Wilhelm's childhood. Filled with photographs from his early years and sculptural columns displaying his many trophies and awards, the space became both a tribute to his past and a place he could physically explore. As Matt rode his bike through the gallery, he was quite literally riding through his own memories.

To bring the concept to life, we combined practical set construction with virtual production. Custom-built foreground walls and columns showcased the photographs and trophies, while an expansive Unreal Engine environment seamlessly extended the space beyond the physical set. The result was a blend of practical and virtual filmmaking that transformed archival imagery into a living, cinematic experience.

Producer’s Note

I loved biking growing up; it was a cornerstone of my freedom and joy as a young girl learning to navigate the world. BMX played an equally significant, if not more so, role in Matt’s life. When times were tough at school; it’s what helped him through periods of bullying and self-doubt. Matt’s ongoing dedication to speaking at schools and helping kids find their own sense of independence, and to cultivate kindness, is the true core of this story.

Now, I can’t do any of the tricks Matt can; I am nowhere near that level of dedicated to my bike. But I can appreciate what biking does for a kid going through a hard time. And I can appreciate the freedom and creativity that a bike represents: especially for my young son, four-year-old Simon, who is just now feeling brave enough to try.

Creatively, I’m very proud of the mix of archival, live action, interview, and virtual production footage with this piece. Our team worked together to ensure they blended together in a visually compelling, story-forward way.

We are so grateful to Matt for trusting us with his story.

"Every decision and detail of this project from ideation to execution, and certainly the virtual art design, was incredibly authentic and thoughtful, much like the interviews and life story of Matt Wilhelm."

Ricky Bolt, Technical Production Assistant – Forge Virtual Studios