What Never Was

Welcome to the 24th installment of the Beneath The Surface Podcast. 

Sometimes things just don’t come to fruition. Even with the best intentions, some projects just don’t see the light of day. In this episode, Corey and Sean discuss one such project: the creation of the Rover (OG) / Wake SUP board and the video shoot surrounding it. Shot with Billy Rossini and friends in North Carolina, this was one for the books. 

About five years ago, Billy came to Corey with an idea for a wake surf paddle board hybrid. Something that was small and maneuverable enough to catch waves, but once downtime rolled around, could also be used as more than a mere flotation device (like a normal surfboard). Corey and co. responded by taking this idea and running with it in the BOTE DarkRoom, and a few months later the Rover was born. 

A few more months after that, and it was time to head to Billy’s lake house in North Carolina to launch the product with a video and photo shoot. What ensues is a surreal and strange shoot with strobe lights and superhero suits. 

The product itself, for one reason or another, was never actually released. But who knows—maybe after you listen to this episode—it can be. The decision is in your hands. So, get listenin’.

Links from the Episode 

Deck out your board with strobe lights from NOCQUA. 

Refamiliarize yourself with the DarkRoom. 

Follow Sean on Instagram (he wants more followers).

Give us a comment on Facebook about whether you’d like to see the Rover in action.

Who’s in the Episode

Lead Designer, Co-Founder, and CEO at BOTE, Corey Cooper is a licensed engineer hailing from Auburn University. Corey is the pioneer of the DarkRoom, assisting with the design of the machinery, concepting the layout and ultimately developing the workflow used in DarkRoom production. Corey’s passion for this project is so strong that on any given day, regardless of how busy things are at BOTE, you will often find Corey working in the DarkRoom.

Sean Murphy is the Director of Photography at BOTE and a world-renowned photographer based in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. After spending most of his career based in Los Angeles, shooting for brands like Adidas, Red Bull, and Toyota, just to name a few, Sean moved back to the Redneck Riviera. You can find Sean capturing gritty America and spontaneous moments that translate into visually stunning photography. 

Sound Bites

“If you stood there and stared at those flashes just as a normal person, you’d be so screwed. Meanwhile, Billy is having to navigate a black wave at night, in the dark, staring into a strobe light, in a morph suit, with one eyehole.”  — Corey Cooper / BOTE CEO and Co-Founder

“We’re about to talk about a product we’ve never launched that we didn’t think was going to be commercially viable and put it back out there for public commentary.” — BOTE Corey Cooper / CEO and Co-Founder