eBay Motors Celebrates Ken Block in New Short Film Directed by Merman’s Ritesh Gupta
Ken Block was a cultural icon who personified the joy of living on the edge. He is remembered for founding the skate brand DC Shoes, becoming a world-class Rally driver, co-founding Hoonigan Racing and launching the viral Gymkhana video series which has garnered over 550M views. His amazing life has been captured in a spectacular fast-paced short film directed by filmmaker and commercial helmer Ritesh Gupta, who is on the roster of the global production company Merman. The film promotes an auction of one-of-a-kind items from Ken Block’s collection that has been launched exclusively on eBay Motors in partnership with Block House Racing (BHR) and the 43 Institute (43i), a foundation created by Ken’s family as a tribute to his life (43 was Ken’s racing number). 43i exists to carry on Ken’s legacy, creating paths of opportunity in motorsports, action sports and creative arts for driven people, who may lack the proper support system for growth and success. 100% of proceeds from eBay’s From The Collection: Ken Block will go to 43i.
The film transports fans back to Ken’s most iconic moments, driving home that this isn’t just an opportunity to bid on car parts. It’s an opportunity to be part of Ken’s legacy. As part of the shoot, Ritesh interviewed Ken’s wife Lucy Block who shared Ken’s story and the backstory of many of the auction items. Ritesh staged and shot an interactive museum installation with video projections, combining parts for sale from the auction with original footage of Ken and his remarkable life.
“The production was partially technical and partially artistic, but mostly it captured Ken’s tremendous humanity,” said Ritesh. “We filmed car parts that had been damaged in races and are up for auction, and suspended them in front of installation screens that projected images of the source vehicles in action. We lined them up to create magic moments in which you see the suspended items in the foreground matched up with the cars. Lucy Block and the family loved this technique so much they asked if they could recreate this process down the road for future installations. It was so great to create this for someone whose life mattered to so many people - his family, friends and his devoted fans.”
A former award-winning journalist turned Emmy nominated filmmaker, Ritesh has become renowned for crafting some of the most watched, thought-provoking and culture shifting brand films in the world. His work as a storyteller is in pursuit of two meanings: Truth and Identity. His approach is to layer a truthful authenticity ingrained during his time as a journalist – along with an emotional intelligence he honed storytelling in the documentary world – to craft his own evocative and unique cinematic style. He joined Merman’s roster of award winning directors in 2023.
The Ken Block auction is currently online on eBay Motors and active through April 13. It is an opportunity to take home pieces from no. 43’s legendary career, like Gymkhana wheels to the door of a rally car, race suits and signed memorabilia. Inventory includes worn race suits, rear bumpers, front lips, crash wheels and other car parts & accessories used and wrecked during some of his most iconic drives and videos. The mix of items that can be bid on and includes limited-run merch and apparel fans can purchase directly.
