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O.K.
wow. Warning: This post is going to be extremely long. But i'd rather try to address all of the issues in one post.
I would seriously not recommend reading it all in one sitting.----------------------------------------
Hey, my name's Eric Tergerson, I go by the handle "cloudkap" on youtube and email, or "windellsproduction@yahoo.com". I was the one heading up the video program for the last 4 summers, this one would have been the 5th.
-Sorry it took me so long to post on here, I dont frequent this site (seeing how i primarily snowboard) - but I have just spent the last 3 hours reading every single post put up on here. (and after proof-reading it, the last 3 hours writing this...)
First of all, i appreciate all of those who put the brakes on assuming anything, after only hearing the story from one side, even if that one side was arguing for me. It's important to not make snap decisions off of one thing you hear. No matter how credible the source can sometimes be. -On the other hand, some of the posts made by seemingly mature and intelligent folks, ended up making some big assumptions on my part- as far as to deliver a "play by play" of a supposed conv. between myself and Tim.
As for the author of this post, he did a damn good job last summer, and his only fault is sometimes having entirely too much heart about things he's involved in, which can sound like ranting sometimes, but, nothing false was said. Plus, im pretty sure he was wasted- haha.
There is alot to clear up.
I was contracted by tim to work for camp 4 or 5 years ago. This meant: I would sell "camper dvds" otherwise known as the "DVD Package" to individual campers that had already signed up for camp. -If they signed up for this separate program, they were provided with a filmer to accompany them for the entire duration of the camp. The resulting product would be a 10-15 minute personalized video. The prices go between $395 up to $595 depending on winter/summer and the session.
In order to set up this program, i have been renting out an entire house near the camp, on my own dime, in order to house my interns. I also contribute $250 to $290 towards their passes for the summer, leaving them with a flat $500 to cover the rest. (passes being $790 this summer) Their food is covered by camp, and in exchange, they are required to come up on hill every day at camp, and film little shredders and/or gapers, and then they get to ride when their kids leave. Or any other time.
-btw, When we talk about "passes" - we are talking about the pass price for Timberline Ski Area. That is the ski area that Windells, HCSC, MHSSC operate under. The private camps do not charge to ride in them per se, you have to sign up w camp or be an employee/ have privelages in order to ride the private parks.
In exchange for the privilege of operating a buisness through Tim's camp, I was required to pay Tim 10% of all of my gross earnings, plus provide edits for the windells.com website. Anything you see from windells on youtube, or on their website has been from me, or my interns. (excluding the current videos on windells.com main page. I believe those were done by AdrenelineGarage and/or something related to them. (Guessing) -Plus, those videos killed it i thought......) -Hi you guys.
Whether or not my edits suck or whatever, thats up to you. Ha. They probably do.
In the following years, i started a podcast for camp- with no compensation, (2 yrs ago) (and btw, it sucks i know. ) -And last year I started the Session DVD for no compensation either.
*********Session DVD.
Last year, i asked 2 of the interns that had done an excellent job in 2006, to come back and shoot Session DVD's for summer 2007. These would be shot and edited during camp, and printed and ready for sale at the last night of camp. I wanted the session dvds to be available to every camper, for like $20 instead of $500- $600 (for the DVD Packages). I thought that the $ they made from selling the dvds would compensate (Adam and Tyler) for their work, but the most they ever made out of an 8 day session was $120 or something. With an average being more like $50 or $60 bucks.
These are the session videos you see on youtube and on NS, They killed it. It was a big success, to the campers, to the staff, to everyone involved w windells. We were all stoked on it.
**********This Year.
Tim approached ME, this winter/spring, telling me, that he wanted the session videos, to go home with every camper, every session, for free. He then immediately followed up on that by saying he would compensate my sess. video filmers, along w providing their passes to Timberline.
I then spent the next month lining up the people best suited for the job. -Keep in mind this is completely seperate from the DVD Packages that i sold individually to campers, who's videos are shot by my (unpaid) -but hooked up interns.
-After settling the details w my sess. video guys, i came to tim w a figure for THEIR compensation, which came out to $250 per session (7 sessions) plus their $790 pass. This is for 3 guys. This adds up to roughly $2500 each for 2 1/2 months of work. If you dont know the details, it involves filming every day, logging footage and posting updates every night, then on the last night, editing from noon to noon the next day to create a 20 min. professional DVD, NO SLEEP. Tim was in agreement for this level of compensation. -At least in words....
**********
-A few weeks before camp started, i came to tim w a finalized budget, including the SAME $ for session filmers, and the media costs for printing the dvds. -The total $ for media costs for the entire summer ranged from $1126.60, up to $2103.00 for more customization. -Tim then balked at the media cost, and said; "I cant cover that in my budget" He then said:
"We're just going to put theses edits up online"
Period. There was no; "you are responsible for providing these dvd's" There was no; "You are not allowed to sell hard copies"
I was bummed, we had geared up for the previously discussed program, and i told tim, that i would be trying to find ways to provide this service to the campers in the future. I also said, that this meant i would come back to tim around sess. 2 or 3 and see how budget things were going , and present a reduced media cost. I ALSO SAID: that i might even end up financing the whole f#cking thing myself, just to get the dvds out to all the kids.
O.K. -We made the session dvd for session 1 this last week. We premiered it in the NIke 6.0 lab. we did burn copies, just as we did last year, and 7 kids bought them for $15 bucks a piece. Our (the sess. filmers) agreement, was that the money would go into a fund, that as soon as it reached the 1/2 way point of that minimum $1126.60, i would kick in the other 1/2 and we would provide the dvds to campers for sessions 3 or 4 ect. In an attempt to prove to tim the program was viable and worth it.
Tim came in, (after the video, he didnt even watch it) , we had a word outside, and after meeting him about 1 hr later at his house, he said he had no interest in the whole video program, and to "go home"
O.K. I will clear some things up, and then present my opinion.
*First of all, the weather for session 1 was insane. The first day was fine, but there was heavy snowfall the day or two before? Anyways, the important thing is, they werent even running the lift that accesses our camp, so there was no way for park crew and/or campers to get up to camp. Camp was not set up. Somewhere in here we had a foot of freaking powder and strong winds. That willl bury any work that any cat has done previously. Second day, was the same deal, except is was straight snowing all day- No Mile or Palmer lifts open. The NEXT 2 DAYS - the entire mountain was shut down. Period. No go. Now, with that said, the last two days, i believe camp should have been available to be open, yes, it would have taken alot of work, but maybe at least the last day of the session they could have had some kind of park for the campers. The fault lies more on the weather/timberline for not being able to run the lifts to access windells park area.
*2 I truly believe Windells camp, just like any other legit snow camp, if f*ing rad. If you are a camper, you are going to be stoked. Our beef here is working w tim on a (somewhat) professional level. I have personally seen hundreds of little (and big) kids come out here, and completely fall in love with the place. If you come out w a positive attitude, and willing to learn new tricks, you will walk out of camp, killing it. This last winter, brought record amounts of snowfall to hood, and we are in for a sick summer. A really really sick summer. As for lift access and hiking, this means there will be much less hiking this summer. The later it gets in the summer, the more hiking involved, but this time around, i think only sess. 6 and 7 will be hardcore hiking it. I have never seen the park crew at windells truly blow it. And i agree that last years park was the best ive seen in 5 years. Even if i agree that $Mike looked like he was on the juice....
*3 Actually, for a camp originally designed for snowboarding and skateboarding, i would have to say Windells has a solid program for skiers. Plus, from personaly experience, i know Tim has a f*ing hard-on for skiers, if not only because of the potential $ invovled with your sport blowing up. I also have a lot of respect for ya'll skiers, thats why i ski a few times a year just to learn a couple things.... Skiers almost have a better deal out here than the snowboarders, because of the better coach/camper ratio, and level of stoke with the skiers ect.....
*4 Tim's dog, dexter, is a dick. Just like Tim. -Haha
*5 The session video money i left on tims table, as he was telling me I "went behind his back", and that i had been "underhanded", he told me twice, that i "would be needing it more than him". -After the 3rd time he said it, on my way out the door, i was like, ok, fuck it. -And had him give it to me. Thats why im drunk right now. -And me and dan got burritos after riding today...........
*6 Tim originally told me in an angered state, that he was going to revoke all of our passes, until i informed him (after 4 years of working w him) that myself and my interns have always paid for our own passes. I think this is where the "banned from camp" thing came from. But after our final talk at his house, we left on more or less congenial terms, and he has expressed to others that "our relationship is fine" _Although i have perhaps not expressed clearly to him that i have lost all respect for him personally, and will have nothing to do w him from this date foward.
*7 The whole MTV deal, by the way, there is ALWAYS some film crew, from fuel tv, or mtv, or eatadick xtremesports TV or whatever. That will never change. I am not hollywood. Nor did i ever intend to be. That has nothing to do with the video/dvd program.
*8 As for my internship position being shitty- ask them. I think you've heard from a few of them already. Also, you may want to look up Sam Kuhn, Tyler Malay, Tyler McCloud, Jake Zalutsky, just to name a few. Yeah, sometimes i work them a little too hard.....
*9 sltkid- i dont know who you are, but you have your head on straight.
papawhatever, i respected your moderation in previous posts, but recent ones were , (deep breath) way off. and way too presumptive.
casual- i couldnt even finish reading your post. it made me sick to my stomach
AdrenalineGarage - I think i may have met you, known you (briefly/slightly) and you had taken a measured approach initially in your comments. - your comment about veteran filmers, -is quite likely true. I will address in a sec. But the comment about "continue to write diatribes"? This is the first i have posted on here, and all previous posts by my interns were made without my knowedge, and if i knew what was going on here, i would have cleared up things earlier.
*10 I have a general idea (guess) as to what happened here, and what the underlying causes were. but one thing must be mentioned: The (verbally) agreed upon compensation for my session filmers? NEVER HAPPENED. Not a single dime. Dan, I paid for his pass. Jake, my ski filmer, paid for his pass. The $250 for the session? -Never happened. Why? because every time i confronted Tim about the agreement he would bring up something about being busy or ???? i dont even know. it was always something new. More hoops to jump through.
********************Here it its*********************
Tim has been firing a bunch of people/ people have been quitting this year. This is because he is now filling the camp director role again, something which i know he doesnt necessarily want to do, and he tries to hire people to fill that role usually. This lasts like 3 yrs at a time, at which point he freaks out and thinks everything is going to hell. I have recently noticed that there are very few employees that make it longer than 3-4 years, with one or two exceptions. I know there are others that have been there longer, but they are also no longer at camp. I suspect tim views the world as being absolutely cut-throat, with everyone eyeing each other, ready to stab each other in the back at the slightest opportunity. When people stay at camp for longer than a few years, they are DEmoted. He seems to suspect people who fit into and start "getting comfortable" w camp. Promotions happen up front, or after the first year. Long-term employment, involves some wierd interaction w a person i have no reason to interact w anymore. i dont even know how to deal with a person like Tim.
Except to say: Fuck you.
I know there is not alot of $ to go around in this particular part of the industry. You see the top pros sponsored by redbull and non-industry corporations, and that is MEGA$$$. But parents sending kids to camp??? Not so much. He DOES have to take advantage of all the kids/folks (you and I ) who are willing to come out and work for free and/or small $. All of you who think tim is making major bank, think again. I know quite a few things about his $ status. I can tell you straight up, look at his camp- thats where his money goes. That camp is the only thing he knows/cares about. But thats it, his CAMP. not the employees.
I havent heard anything credible about selling the camp. Even if it is true, i sympathise w him, its a nightmare dealing w the details logistics involved w running that beast.
I am a bad business person. I know this. Partially, because if in order to be a good businessman/person, I have to act like/think like Tim? -----No thanks.
We never had formal written agreements. Because i trusted him. I now do not have that trust for anyone anymore. Lesson learned. -The hard way.
*******************************************
My video program provided a service to the camp, cost Tim NOTHING, and actually made him money. It was solely funded by myself, and required investments by my internts/sess. video guys. Tim x'd it out of nowhere, IN THE MIDDLE OF OPERATION, possibly (probably) while talking behind my back w others and previous interns, lining up a program that didnt involve me. After accusing me of being "underhanded' He spread rumours among the staff (apparently) that i had stolen from him, while conveniently neglecting details about what happened. leaving others to think i stole snowboards or pillow cases or some stupid sh*t.
Kids- Skiing is fun. Snowboarding is fun. Going to ski/summer camps, SUPER fun.
Dealing w little bitches like this. - Not fun. And not part of my game plan anymore.
I'd offer some snarky advice to Tim, but i know old dogs don't learn new tricks.
Eric, the facts of your story seems to match very closely with the other side that I have heard. Obviously, there are different takes on how or why things happened and over whether or not it was understood that you were not supposed to sell DVDs.
Just to clear up where I am involved, Tim did not discuss having other people run the video program behind your back before this went down. I mentioned that only because I was hoping your interns would be constructive and, per your suggestion, come up with a proposal for how they can still be involved since it sounds like there will be a video program of some kind.
And at some point everyone has to learn that everything needs to be in writing. It's always painful, but it's something everyone has to learn. I've learned that good people respect you more when you demand things be in writing.
Good luck.
Eric,
Thank you for having the patience and willingness to clear up this whole mess. I want to apologize for making assumptions and speculating as to what took place. Clearly, my understanding of the situation was off the mark. To be fair, those speaking on your behalf (apparently without your knowledge) did less than perfectly in explaining the situation. It's evident through the passion of your interns that you are a stand up guy, a fact that is supported by your explanation. I truly hope that some other opportunities open for you. It's been my experience that good things happen to good people. I never meant any harm, I was simply trying to wrap my head around what took place. All the respect in the world.
-Chris
that is highly unnecassary
