“Into the Spotlight: The Jake Ilardi Story” – a documentary about the Osprey resident turned professional skateboarder who became a member of the first U.S. Olympic skateboarding team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – is a passion project created by Jake’s twin brother Nate Ilardi and their longtime friend Liam Jordan.
Nate Ilardi served as cinematographer and an editor on the film, which was directed by Jordan, a Ringling College graduate.
Both men gave credit to Rick Ives, an Atlanta-based freelance editor who also works with Marvel Studios, for taking 90 hours of raw footage and producing a two-hour editor’s cut.
“We’re too close to Jake to be able to cut a whole movie together,” Jordan said during a panel discussion moderated by Benny Ray of The Compound Boardshop.
The 93-minute film made its theatrical debut Feb. 4 in a private screening at CMX CineBistro Siesta Key. The trailer can be found on YouTube at https://bit.ly/3uvDd7B.
Ives, whose initial knowledge about skateboarding consisted of knowing that Tony Hawk is a legendary skateboarder, turned out to be a perfect counterpoint to the filmmakers’ knowledge.