I first met Sam Sosnowski at Mammoth Mountain on a DC team trip. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was one of his first snowboarding trips as the DC snow team filmer. I remember being hyped on the individual perspective that he brought to filming and editing snowboarding; his videos were creatively uncommon and I think much of that stemmed from his background as a skateboarder and skate filmer first. Over the years, Sam dove deeper into snowboarding, making the DC Transitors series with Bobby Meeks, working on Travis Rice and Justin Taylor Smith’s Depth Perception , then directing award-contending team videos like Dead Center and Hotbox . In 2022, he joined the ranks at Quiksilver and filmed and edited SEQUENCER . He also started shooting surfing—( check out that Griffin Colapinto/Matthew McConaughey WSL finals collab ) which has brought him to much warmer destinations than street snowboarding, though he still ranks trips to spots like the Upper Peninsula of Michigan among his favorites. But no matter what the subject matter is, Sam is the definition of a Swiss army knife behind a camera or in an editing bay. His drive is matched only by his dedication and he goes full-bore, propelled by passion in every step of the process and it shows not only in his finished work, but in how fun he is to be in the trenches with. And full disclosure, I spend a lot of time with Sam, so I’ve gotten a front-row seat to the BTS of his work, but even if that wasn’t the case, I would still classify him as one of snowboarding’s finest to hit record.
Name : Sam Sosnowski
Hometown: from Michigan but I live in Southern California
Years filming: 10 as a job, 20 as a hobby
Gear: Red Gemini, Canon C70, Panasonic DVX2000—the best camera is the camera in your hands
Website : www.samsosnowski.com
Instagram: @sam_sosnowski_
How did you get introduced to videography?
When I was 12, I started skating with my older brother’s friends. They’d make full-length skate videos and have these premiere parties every year. I was never invited because I was so young—they always told me it was past my bedtime—but eventually I was invited and it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I remember going to their house once and seeing the edit bay: big computer, dual monitors. I was pretty fascinated by it. That was my first introduction to video production.
When did you start snowboarding?
It’s kind of funny. My mom actually made me start snowboarding. She recognized my passion for skating and was letting me pursue that as my “organized sport” requirement, but I would get depressed in the winter. So, by the time I was 17, she literally told me I need to get into snowboarding. I started going to Mt. Brighton in Michigan with my friend, Scott, and I was pretty shocked at how fun it was.
How did growing up in Michigan affect your perspective and experience as a filmer?
We’d go down to Detroit at a young age and see all sorts of unorthodox behavior—crazy people and artists, someone would come up to the camera and start rapping, etc. Filming stuff like that and having it go in the video felt so shocking and exciting. I always remember that feeling and have tried to recreate throughout my life in videos.
What and who were early influences on filming and editing?
Biggest influence by far was watching Transworld skate videos ( The Reason , Modus Operandi , and Feedback ). The editing, the music, the 16mm montages—I couldn’t believe a world like that actually existed.
How did snowboarding and filming come together for you?
Through a friend, I started doing some entry-level work at DC Shoes in the film crew. I noticed they didn’t have an in-house filmer for their snowboard program, so I just walked up to the snow marketing director, Bobby Meeks, and told him I was his new employee. He was a one-man show, so he desperately needed help, which was perfect for me. I got to learn how to plan, budget, produce, and deliver marketing material for whole seasons. It was like getting paid to go to college. I learned so much. Thank you, Bobby.
You worked for DC for a decade. What was it like filming for a brand with such an iconic reputation across action sports, especially during a time when being an in-house filmer was becoming more rare?
Working for DC was amazing, it felt like I had the golden ticket. I always looked up to that brand as a kid because of what it stood for: they were flashy, chased big ideas, and money wasn’t an issue if someone had a good idea. So, when I got the job there and saw on the inside how it worked, it was totally a dream come true. They just really empowered everyone to do what they wanted. Ken and Damon had already left by the time I worked there, but it still had the energy it started with, which was skater kids owning a global brand that generated enough money for them to do crazy stuff. For example, one of my very first projects at DC, we were driving to the airport and the project manager gave us each $9,999 cash to carry on our person and sent us to another country to make this crazy video called Pipe Dream . Look it up. Then when I started doing only snowboard projects, they just trusted us to do whatever we thought was best for the brand. Usually when a brand get that big they lose the ethos it was started on, but DC kept it going for a long time. God bless DC. RIP Ken Block. Thank you for those times.
If you had to pick, do you have a favorite trip or project you did with DC?
One time, we filmed Dinosaur Jr. play seven nights in a row in at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. Don’t get me wrong, filming snowboarding and skateboarding is the dream come true, but that was a whole different level of cool. One night we went in the green room to film an interview and it was so packed with famous people—my mind was blown. Henry Rollins was there every night.
You have always moved easily between subject matter in your career, in action sports, alone, shooting snowboarding, skateboarding, and more recently, surfing. How does filming a wide variety of subjects play to your creativity and your enjoyment of your work?
I’m just a huge fan of all of it, so rarely will I pass down an opportunity to film something. Skate, snow, and surf are really all very similar, in my opinion; it’s just the geography that changes.
Give us a little compare/contrast on a snowboard trip verses a surf trip.
From my experience, surf trips have been one million times easier, ha. I know there are circumstances where this isn't the case, but on the surf trips I’ve been on, you basically chill and eat poke until the waves turn on, then you go film. And it's really enjoyable filming while sitting on a beach. Snowboarding requires a lot more work, no matter what environment you’re doing it in. It’s a labor of love.
What or who are influences on your work and style now?
I think Justin Taylor Smith is my North Star of who I dream to edit like one day. Watch his documentary, Omoiyari . His editing is mind-altering.
What has been a really memorable trick, shot, or session you recall shooting? Ben Bilodeau, backside 50-50 in Lahti, Finland. There was a car parked at the bottom of this spot for so long that by the time the car moved, all the snow had melted and our photographer had flown home. The universe was telling us to give up. But the spot was so cool, I kind of got obsessed. I ended up paying a construction worker 100 dollars to plow some snow for us. At that point, the spot was looking so good, I was kicking myself that we didn’t have a photographer. Then the cops showed up and told us we had to leave, but luckily said we could come back at 5pm after business hours. This gave me enough time to hire a random photographer on Instagram (who became a good friend) to drive two hours from Helsinki to come shoot the photo. That photographer was Keke Lepaleu. He showed up a couple hours later and shot an incredible photo about five minutes after getting out of his car and setting up flashes. The video clip ended up being the last trick in the DC Shoes Hotbox video.
Learning on the fly is a big part of filming snowboarding. Can you share an instance where you feel like you learned something really valuable that helped or shaped you as a filmmaker?
I learned everything about snowboarding on the fly. I really had no background in it before I started, but I was passionate and showed initiative, and that makes people excited to help you learn. I’ve just always asked questions and looked at making these videos as a team effort; you’re all after one goal, which is to make it look as stunning and exciting as possible. So if you are questioning how to shoot a specific trick or what to pack in your bag—I’ll just ask. Leave your ego at the door and be a team player and everyone becomes a winner.
What's the mindset shift from filming to editing, if there is one?
I’ve found my best results by keeping the filming and editing as united as possible. I make much better work when editing immediately the day or night after filming something because the energy and excitement is still fresh. On trips, I’m logging clips and putting them to music every night while I’m still feeling that initial emotional investment in the footage. That’s way more productive to me, rather than waiting till mid-summer to look at your movie project when your mind has already moved onto a completely different state.
Who are some of your favorite filmmakers?
Motion Clubhouse, Tristan Warren, 251 Michael Rodriguez, Cooper Voorsburg, Buster and Hunter O’Shea, and Justin Taylor Smith.
Give us your top three Instagram accounts that you would recommend follow.
@hidden.ny , @socialclubofficiel , and @carharttfinalboss .
How do you think Instagram and social media have shaped what it means to be a professional filmer and editor compared to ten or fifteen years ago?
I feel like it takes the value away from it. Not bitter, but just saying—cinematic filming is kind of “out” right now and iPhone clips are “in.” Beautiful shallow depth of field is out, and straight-forward point and shoot is in. It will always change back and forth, but that’s how it feels right now to me.
You've shot with the best of the best. That being said, who are some of the new talent that you are stoked on working with these days?
Miles Fallon.
If you had never picked up a camera, what would you see yourself doing?
Infinite possibilities. I’m not so much attracted to the camera but more attracted to the feeling of working real hard on something and sharing it with people and making them feel something. That’s kind of the definition of art to me: producing work that makes people feel something. There’s a million ways to get there—filming is just the path that I found.
What would be some good advice to any of the younger up-and-coming videographers out there reading this?
Simple. Just say “yes” to every opportunity and don’t be difficult. You have to show your worth before someone will pay you for what you think you’re worth.
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