We just finished with our 4th photo shoot gathering photography and video content for model year 2026. I have been a part of 27 years of photo shoots in this industry and I have learned they can either slightly accentuate momentum or completely stop it. I have never been a part of a shoot that seems to create its own. This year I am seeing this miracle of the marine industry take place. We are manufacturing momentum at photo shoots!
Photo shoots are simply a pain in the butt! They take months to plan, require the coordination of upwards of 50 people, not to mention a dozen boats, and can be brought to a full stop by a number of extenuating circumstances of which we normally don’t have any control. This year we have dealt with bad weather, Golden Muscle checks, talent/ athlete/ crew delays, boat challenges and lack of accommodations. These challenges do not take into account the normal rigors of a boat photo shoot, like being at the dock each morning by 4:50am and not heading to bed each night until 11 at the earliest. Plus somewhere in the middle of all of these challenges we need to execute our strategy for creating the content that will allow us to market Centurion and Supreme boats to create opportunities for boat sales through the next model year.
In spite all of this potential for difficulty, Centurion and Supreme brand momentum is being continually creating by our photo shoot team. This instrumental team begins with the Marketing Department, Ancelle Contreras, Ken Scribner, Taylor Manzanedo and Alexis Machado. The preparation and dedicated follow-through of this team serves as the example for everyone else who participates in a shoot. They lead by example and through service while making sure we accomplish the goal of creating content that showcases the customer benefits our boats provide to create enthusiasm for our brands. I know they are all amazing leaders because they manage to create enthusiasm with the rest of the photo shoot team in the midst of never-ending challenges.
The entire Marketing Team prepares for the photo shoots months ahead of time with a marketing plan that grows into a detailed shot list with very specific talent and location specifications. At the photo shoot, Ancelle manages the photo crew, while Ken, our cowboy-of-all-trades, drives the chase boat or the truck for photos. Taylor manages our amazing video crew during very long days on the water and Alexis moves back and forth between the two crews, when she is not facilitating meals and other accommodations. They do all of this while managing their daily Marketing tasks. All four of them would also say that they couldn’t do what they do without the unbelievable factory support they receive. From having Devin Wahlberg and Zach Haubrich in Product Development to Tino Chavez towing boats back and forth to Lavon Wallace prioritizing photo boat production with his crew, our factory team plays a huge part in the momentum of a photo shoot.
The partners we entrust Centurion & Supreme Boats content creation to are more like family than business associates. I have worked with Devon Uderitz, our art director, Rob Snow, our still photographer, and Dale Goff, our studio photographer, for 25 plus years. They are incredible individuals and amazingly talented, but they will be the first to tell you that photo shoots can wreck brand momentum and especially team moral. Bill McCaffray and Cole Vanthof from Alliance are newer partners, but they are no strangers to boat photo shoots and the challenges. Cole is a gifted videographer, but if conditions are not created for him to capture the footage he needs, video production sentiment goes downhill fast.
These partners are seasoned veterans when it comes to boat photo shoots, they have extremely high expectations and know there is a high probability of failure if a shoot is run poorly. Each of these discerning partners have made individual comments to me during these last four photo shoots praising the Centurion & Supreme Boats Team on a job well done. And I guess that could be seen as lip service since we are paying them, but considering their levels of production and demeanors during the shoots, I know their praise is genuine. Thanks to the efforts of our Marketing, PD&E and Production Teams these artists are able to execute the strategy we have laid out and they are excited about the content they are creating. This enthusiasm is infectious and it creates momentum that not only permeates the photo shoots themselves, but extends well into post production and publishing.
When photo and video crews are feeling this level of stoke in such challenging circumstances it infects our photo and video subjects with same enthusiasm. We would not have any content to capture without our dedicated team of athletes and in many cases their families. Ken and Alexis have coordinated approximately 40 of our athletes and their families to attend the on-water shoots. They take time out of their busy schedules to help us capture pro-level wake surfing, wakeboarding and lifestyle content centered around our boats. These athletes and their family members also help us keep the boats in tip top shape through the photo shoot by loading, unloading, cleaning, gassing and helping us maintain the boats. The entire Centurion & Supreme Boats photo shoot family also helps organize and cook meals. It is truly a team effort!
Thank you Team Centurion!
Mills Family (Marina)
Rolleri Family (Airbnb)
Devon Uderitz
Rob Snow
Alliance – Bill McCaffray and Cole Vanthof
Christian Purcell
Athlete/Talent:
JB Oneill
Chad Lowe
Zoey Montgomery
Cade Lybeck
Kylee Hassett
Skylar Sanders
Keenan Flegel
Tyler Stewart
Mckynna Bear
Ava Stewart
Estefany Esquivel
Korey Pettigrew
Morgan Rolleri
Miller Family
Singer Family
Kaili Mills
Lexi McDaniel
Gracie Anderson
David OC
Tommy Darnell
Hickey Family
Sammy Goncalves
Whitley Stewart
Sean Silveira
Luke Hutcherson
Taylor McCullough
Hall Family
Devin Wahlberg
Brooke Fricke
After having been with this group through the thick and thin of the photo shoot, I know it is this team that manufactures momentum for Centurion & Supreme Boats. The photos and video are of course incredible and they create momentum, but it is stories of tribulation and triumph that we all share after the shoot is over that grows our momentum exponentially!
It takes all of us and I could not be more proud to be a part of the Centurion & Supreme Boats Team continuing to manufacture momentum! I hope you all continue to tell these stories of manufacturing momentum so we can keep this thing going! Thank you all for everything you do to make lives better!
Amy Mauzy
Vice President, Marketing & Brand Direction