Go Guetter
Dan Guetter
The Business half of the Guetter Bros.
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You may have heard the name Jon Guetter before. You know, the guy that actually back flipped an ATV? Yeah him. You may even have heard of his little brother Derek Guetter, who just might be the first to barrel roll an ATV off of a jump, but have you heard of Dan Guetter? The brother in the middle that swears he'll be the first Guetter to NOT flip an ATV. Dan has devoted everything he has into promoting his brothers and their place in the ATV industry, freestyle ATV motocross. The Guetter boys used to work with Wes Miller and H Bomb Films. Recently they decided to go their own way and formed a company called Akraix. With that, let's ask Dan a few questions...
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| I was in the pen when i took that shot, almost got ran over....the dangers of filming |
ATV Scene: First thing's first.
What is Akraix? And why have you named your new company after it.
Guetter: The
name stems of off the Greek definition (Akrasia) which means - weakness of will
(CRAZY). We named our company Akraix because we wanted something unique and
different. Akraix is all about getting more
people involved in the quad industry, entertaining crowds and getting new upcoming
talent involved with contests, demos and action packed DVDs. We’re all
about setting new trends in this industry.
ATV Scene: Who's on your new
team? What are their roles?
Guetter: I don’t
like using the word team. This is how we got into a bind with our last employer.
We’re like a family. Each person can do what they please with no strings
attached. We’re here to help and support each other. For riders we have
the loco freestyle combo of Jon and Derek Guetter, Dirt Riot poster boy, Garret
Engelstad and the crazy Hawaiian, Kelly “Steelrod” Chang. It’s
an all-star FMX group that can’t be stopped - in my opinion. We just picked
up Sage Baker for a MX sponsorship. He has faith in us, and believes everything
we stand for! I think Sage is a force to be reckoned with in '05.
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| Dan rolls tape on the 2005 GNC opener Glen Helen starting gate. |
ATV Scene: What are Akraix goals?
Guetter: To establish
our company and credibility within the ATV industry. To become an international
market leader providing quality action films and apparel, as well as welcoming
new upcoming riders that hope to turn pro. Our goal as a company is to provide
national growth and awareness for, in our opinion --"the best sport on
the planet".
ATV Scene: You were employed
by H-Bomb Films and most of your new team was a member of H-Bomb's "Bomb
Squad". It seems like the Bomb Squad was just taking off pretty well.
Guetter: No. I
think this just gives someone else the opportunity to be a part of that.
ATV Scene: Does that mean your
guys won’t be in any more of H-Bomb's Huevos series?
Guetter: That’s
not my call.
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| Dana Creech bustin out on his drz 110. |
ATV Scene: What's on your schedule
this year? Do you have anything cool to announce?
Guetter: We have
a busy schedule. In a few weeks we have Jon flying to Bangkok, Thailand to a
MXI Freestyle show, then two days later the guys are flying to Australia and
New Zealand on March 1st to tackle the Crusty Demons of Dirt World Tour. Go
to crusty.com for more info.
When the guys come back, we’ll be hitting the USA with a handful of shows.
East coast get ready! I’ll announce all the show dates this spring at
our new webiste. akraix.com.
Also, check in for for X-Game updates!
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| Derek Guetter cools down his sled in Canada. |
ATV Scene: What's it like when
your brother Jon enters a stadium full of freestyle
motocross fans?
Guetter: It’s
a rush. I'm usually down on the floor with him. The weird thing is, out of all
Jon’s back flips, I think I’ve seen one with my own eyes. I’m
always behind a camera.
ATV Scene: What typically goes
down after the show?
Guetter: Depends
if we go to the hospital or not. For the most part we celebrate.
ATV Scene: Are there any ATV
groupies following you guys around yet?
Guetter: (Laughs)
No comment.
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| Derek Guetter hangs from a Eureka, CA cliff. |
ATV Scene: We hear Jon is getting
mad props from the biggest names in freestyle
motocross. If he never did the back flip on a quad do you think those guys would
give ATV
freestylers the time of day?
Guetter: Honestly,
no. The Freestyle quadcross world really wasn’t going anywhere. It was
only time till someone would pull a trick that would grab the bike pros attention.
He did it, and it's opened massive doors.
ATV Scene: Who do you think will
be the second person to land a flip?
Guetter: I have
no idea. There are people who are flipping in foam pits, but there hasn’t
been an individual that has claimed dirt. I’d really like to see Kelly
Chang knock it out. He has the drive and will power to do it. Kelly will have
the opportunity to try this feat in the next few weeks!
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| Derek Guetter huckin a huge 70 foot dune at Glamis. |
ATV Scene: Will the flip become
common place in freestyle quad cross?
Guetter: I think
so. The industry is finally getting to the point where more people are taking
interest in ATVs and Quad Freestyle. With that being said, I think more nuts
will come out of the woodwork!
ATV Scene: Have you started your
first film yet?
Guetter: We sure
have! We’ve been very busy the last two months filming all over the world.
We’ve filmed up in Canada, Hawaii, California, and Mexico. We’re
really looking forward to this summer. We have a lot of unique shoots scheduled
for 2005. A good handful of pro GNC riders also came up to us and expressed
there interest in filming. The positive reaction with everyone has been outstanding!
ATV Scene: What can we expect
from Akraix videos?
Guetter: For the
last three years we’ve been finding out what video buyers like and dont
like. Trust me, this video series will not disappoint. I will do my best to
make our first video release a classic!
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| Garret Engelstad getting huge extension on the cordova. |
ATV Scene: Go back five years.
Did you have any idea that you guys would be doing this for a living?
Guetter: Yes. It’s
been a dream of mine since I was a kid. If you have the drive and will power
to succeed, it will happen. I’m fortunate enough to have family and friends
backing me 110% which is a huge!
ATV Scene: What's the strangest
thing that has ever happened to you guys?
Guetter: Moving
to California. Being from Minnesota, I never thought that would ever happen!
ATV Scene: What's a typical day
for you?
Guetter: We'll
from 10am till 5pm is all business, on the phone, emails, meetings, ect. After
business hours is where the fun starts. I usually eat lunch at 5, take a little
break then hack on Photoshop till the late hours. That’s my life in a
nut shell. Typical day is 10am to 2am. I know it’s not healthy, but I
don't mind it. The hard work pays off. Weekends are a different story though!
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| Old school freestyle meets new school freestyle... Tavis Cain, Dana Creech, Derek Guetter and Jon Guetter - |
ATV Scene: How did you get so
good with Photoshop?
Guetter: Hard
work. I went to college for three years in Alexandra, Minnesota. In my opinion,
they have the best graphic teachers in the world. I lived with another graphic
designer, Martin Olson, who I look up to and admire. We pushed each other everyday
till we got to the point of mastering Photoshop.
It's more than just using the program, you have to be artistic and influential
of your surroundings. I think Southern California is ahead of the design world,
and I’m glad to be apart of it!
ATV Scene: What would you be
doing if you were not involved in the ATV scene?
Guetter: This
is my life. I wouldn't be doing anything other than what I’m doing now.
I'll be in the industry till the end!
ATV Scene: Quick,
what comes to mind when we say...Sony PS2?
Guetter: MX vs
ATV Unleashed
ATV Scene: Champion?
Guetter: Doug Gust
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| Kelly Chang, Jon and Garret Engelstad take a breather from an epic day of filming in Hawaii. |
ATV Scene: Role model?
Guetter: My brothers
ATV Scene: Baja?
Guetter: Getting
robbed
ATV Scene: Ohio?
Guetter: Quad riders
ATV Scene: College?
Guetter: Party
ATV Scene: Computers?
Guetter: Photoshop
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| Here's something original, - close up - on coming helmet cam shots! |
ATV Scene: Football?
Guetter: Randy
Moss
ATV Scene: Snowmobiles?
Guetter: Back flips
ATV Scene: California?
Guetter: Women
ATV Scene: Women?
Guetter: California
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| Sage Baker age is the newest member of the Akraix team. |
ATV Scene: Rental cars?
Guetter: Limo
ATV Scene: NASCAR?
Guetter: Number
3
ATV Scene: Friday night?
Guetter: Party
time!
ATV
Scene: Hotels or RVs?
Guetter: Weekend
Warriors
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| Kelly Chang shows us why he's the man! |
ATV
Scene: Sponsors?
Guetter: Denton
Racing, IMS, Roll Design, Maxxis, Four, O'Neal, Kicker, PEP, SRH, Douglas Wheel,
Laker Custom, Rath Racing, Weekend Warrior, Blur Optics, and Rotten Inc.
ATV Scene: Any parting words?
Guetter: I’d
like to thank everyone who believes in us. If it wasn’t for people like
Dana Creech or Tavis Cain, this whole dream wouldn’t have happened. My
parents, Clete and Tami Guetter for the 110% support, Wes Miller for our start,
and my friends who help out on this wonderful program! My brothers, Jon and
Derek Guetter and Trent Teigen for pushing me to do my best.
For more info on Akraix Entertaintment, check out akraix.com
or email Dan at danguetter@akraix.com
Akraix Teaser Video 2/05
.mov 10 MB
