BALLANTINE’S PRESENTS KILIAN MARTIN’S ‘CARMEN’

World renowned freestyle skateboarder Kilian Martin takes his board to the stage in a stunning re-imagining of opera classic ‘Carmen’ in new online feature by Ballantine’s 

Ballantine’s, the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky, has today launched a new online film featuring one of the world’s most skilled and creative freestyle skaters – Spanish-born Kilian Martin – taking his board into the rarefied world of theatre, to create a stunning reinterpretation of Bizet’s classic Spanish-set opera ‘Carmen’. 

Kilian Martin’s ‘Carmen’ is a collaboration between the 26 year-old boarder and Ballantine’s, which sees Kilian taking on a unique challenge as part of the new global marketing campaign recently announced by Ballantine’s, ‘Stay True, Leave An Impression’. The resulting film sees Kilian using all of his talents in a one off experiment which taps into his unique backstory, heritage and ability in a wholly unexpected way, with the goal of inspiring viewers to Stay True to themselves.  

Shot on location in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the film reveals Kilian’s own ‘Stay True’ story. Deeply rooted in his Spanish heritage and an early love of gymnastics and artistic expression that has informed his dance-like skateboarding style ever since, we see Kilian arrive at a grand theatre and his story unfolds as he prepares to take on an ambitious experiment. Fusing all of the experiences and influences in his life that he has stayed true to, the film builds to a climatic and kinetic finale; Kilian’s reimagining of the ‘Toreador Song’ from Bizet’s ‘Carmen’, full of creative flair, skill and a technical mastery of his craft which continues to inspire and delight millions around the world. 

Kilian Martin commented on the film: “For me, skateboarding is the ultimate way I express myself, my passions and who I am. I’m a strong believer that you should stay true to yourself and where you’ve come from, so combining all of my life’s passions into this film and paying tribute to ‘Carmen’, has been so rewarding.”   

The film is available to view on YouTube here http://youtu.be/XzEAj5nBhec

Kilian and Stay True

Kilian is the embodiment of what Ballantine’s means by ‘Stay True’; someone who expresses themselves with honesty, informed by life experiences – someone who is living their life and challenging themselves not for adulation and applause, but out of self-belief and a dedication to who they truly are. The inspiration for the film featuring Kilian was directly born out of his own ‘Stay True’ story. Previous skateboarding films featuring Kilian have been viewed over 10m times online by fans around the world. 

About Stay True

The film is part of Ballantine’s recently launched ‘Stay True, Leave An Impression’ global marketing campaign, which features across the Ballantine’s brand and serves as an invitation to express ourselves in a genuine and authentic way, applauding self-belief and conviction. An accompanying advertising campaign is rolling out globally, with a TV commercial ‘The Drummer’ showing in selected countries around the world. 

Peter Moore, Global Brand Director for Ballantine’s commented: “Kilian is not only hugely talented and amazing to watch when he’s on his board, but his is a truly inspirational story that really demonstrates what it is to Stay True. He’s full of conviction and belief in his own ability, but at the same time he’s humble and isn’t doing what he does out of any sense of vanity. Whilst we’re not all going to ever be able to skate like Kilian, what he has achieved by staying true to himself and to his own unique style is truly inspirational.”  

Notes  

About Kilian

Kilian, whose skateboarding films have been viewed upwards of 10 million times online, was approached by Ballantine’s to collaborate on the film after learning about his unique backstory, which has led him to become the skater he is today. Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, and immersed in Spanish culture, Kilian’s first exposure to sport was through gymnastics, a discipline he took up at the age of 10. Gymnastics unlocked a deeply creative side of his personality, teaching him about movement, strength and balance, and importantly instilling in him a love of creation. At the same time, he had his first experience of surfing but, with the nearest beach over 6 hours away, he initially took to skateboarding on the streets as a way of improving his surfing ability. 

Surrounded not by water, but concrete and the urban landscape, skateboarding soon became his obsession, and he quickly learnt that his gymnastics background enabled him to create a unique skateboarding style that employed all of his technical and artistic ability, mirroring the type of creative ability embodied by heroes such as the Bones Brigade and Tony Hawk. 

With a passion fast becoming a calling, Kilian made the move to California to hone his craft, all the while maintaining his passion for gymnastics, which ultimately led to him to creating his own dance-like, athletic, skate style – a combination of all his earlier experiences – with a level of technicality that puts him in a class of his own. Now a fully-fledged legend of the skate world, Kilian’s passion has taken his around the world, creating skate videos as a creative outlet and he is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern freestyle skateboarding, all whilst staying true to his heritage and experiences that have made him the person he is today. 

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No. 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky by volume, and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 120 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827. 

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport. 

For further information please visit http://www.chivasbrothers.com/