Monster Energy's Short Film Highlights the Unshakable Pull of Soul-Defining Dreams

X-Games-Medalist-turned-director Clayton Vila helms Finding Monsters, the latest short film for Monster Energy’s YouTube channel. Vila is a roster director at Brooklyn and Los Angeles-based Greenpoint Pictures. The film, which was executive produced by Josh Bishop, captures the unshakable pull of soul-defining dreams with the look and feel of a contemporary indie film. 

In Finding Monsters, we glimpse the big dreams and aspirations that motivated Monster athletes Lizzie Armanto (skateboard), Taka Higashino (motocross), and Clayton Vila (freeski) in their youth. As their stories are retold, intimate portraits of children’s faces are juxtaposed against footage of their respective families and environments, demonstrating that no obstacle is insurmountable once a big dream takes hold.

The idea behind the film came from conversations Vila had with his mother about how she handled his innate daredevil nature when he was young. These talks made him wonder whether other athletes on Monster Energy’s roster grew up in environments, like his, that weren’t conducive to their ambitions. The concept took shape after Vila became fascinated by the backgrounds of Armanto and Higashino, realising that these were stories that needed to be told. 

“I hope the film inspires anyone who is in the difficult situation of raising a talented little daredevil to let them give it a shot,” says Vila. “These days, with companies like Monster out there looking for the next big thing the odds are more in a kid’s favor than ever before.” 

Los Angeles-based writer and director, Clayton Vila, is a long-time professional skier who has garnered Bronze at the X-Games and starred in dozens of the world’s biggest ski movies. He developed a passion and fascination for filmmaking at a young age while playing with his parent’s home camcorder, making the official jump from pro athlete in front of the camera to a career behind the camera while filming the bizarre and amazing characters of the ski industry...who also happened to be his colleagues.