The Bonafide Moto Show - A New Frontier

Just before the South African lockdown went into effect Alan and I had a phone call to chat about wtf we were going to do. We’ve always been used to connecting with you through our events which have all now been postponed or cancelled. 

For me, Bonafide Moto Co and what we do has always been about the connections and memories we get to share with other people. Just this morning, I was tagged in a Facebook post from over 5 years ago and it was a picture of one of the first Motorcycle Movie Night’s that we used to hold at our buddy Yoav’s house. For those who joined us you know how special it was. Back then it was a selfish way for me to get to meet new people, give them a place to hang out, and have a good time all around motorcycles. 

Photos above by Yoav Dagan, Rudi Jeggle & Joe Fleming.

With lockdown looming it was really important to us that we keep those connections strong but we didn’t know how that was going to be possible. We had seen that there was an increase in Instagram Live videos from friends and other brands and that’s what sparked the idea for the Bonafide Moto Show. 

Years ago, I used to make videos, I dabbled in the thought of VLOG’ing but there was something about it I just couldn’t get behind. In college I studied Communications and Public Relations and had also done a decent amount of work in broadcasting. Just before moving to South Africa I worked for a Military Defense contractor where I was a Public Relations lead for the US Navy’s unmanned helicopter, Fire Scout. During that time I did my fair share of interviews with a wide variety of executives in our company, politicians and industry leaders. 

So I’d say that if you add those things together it gave me a good chance of survival at hosting an Instagram Live show don’t you think?

What really got me sold on the idea was that I had nothing to lose. We owed nothing to anyone and this was ours to own & mold into something if we wanted. There are various partners and friends that we have at Bonafide Moto Co that I thought would be great to have on the show to get me warmed up, and when we first came up with a list I had a solid 2-3 weeks of people I could interview. 

I think it was a bit rough for me at first, it may not have been noticeable on the show but I was just kind of winging it in the first week. The first 3 guests (Bruce Allen, Mercia Jansen & Scott Brady) we had on the show are also friends of mine so I was very comfortable going live with them. 

Behind the scenes the show became really important to me and after each interview, Alan and I would chat about ways to improve the flow, better practices of asking questions and the whole time I was open to critiques as I wanted the show to do well and wanted it to be as professional as possible on our shoe string budget. 

I think when the show really shifted for me in a positive way was when Kingsley Holgate committed to joining. He is someone that I’ve looked up to and admired for years, and I was really honored that he was going to take the time to be on the show. From that point on, I started spending at least 2-3 hours researching and finding information about each guest so that I was prepared as I could be and not waste their time.

One of the many things I love about the show is the variety of guests that we’ve had. Each one of them has their own unique stories to tell, and I had to make sure I could adapt to each person to ensure they felt comfortable to tell their story. I’ve not been tough on myself, but I’ve been very aware of how each interview could have improved and I make sure I try to not make that mistake on the next show. 

Throughout the 6 weeks of the show life has been extremely difficult. Separate from Bonafide Moto Co; my wife and I own Bonafide Barbers & Bonafide Beards and both of them have obviously ceased operations during the lockdown period. This also means that no money is coming in from there and that’s not easy to deal with. Add to that no more adventures with Bonafide Moto Co for a while makes things really tough and if you know me you know I have an adventurous spirit and need to get out. I also have control issues (I’m working on it) and not knowing what to expect for our near future was extremely difficult for me. I’d say over half of lockdown I was legit depressed and starting to lose my mind. 

Sometimes before the shows I would have terrible anxiety and huge doubts about doing the show just minutes before we went live. It wasn’t easy, sometimes I didn’t want to do it, but I never missed that 7:00pm Live Show. I made a commitment to our audience to go live and I didn’t want to let you down. That anxiety and doubt would pretty much diminish shortly after the Dallas theme song ended, because hey, the show must go on right!?

The biggest reason that has kept the show going for me, was you. It was everyone who showed up every Monday/Wednesday/Friday night to watch the show, it was all the text messages, all the comments and all the phone calls from you all thanking me for doing the show. For some people out there it’s become a new ritual for them and that is really special to me and I’m really grateful to know that. 

I’d like to copy/paste a text message I received last night after our show with Rich Mulholland from our buddy Zander that sums up a lot:

Hey dude. Lauren and I watch the show in the bath tub on Wednesdays and around the fire on Fridays. It has become our new tradition in this weird time, but also gives us time to bond while watching it. And while watching tonight’s show we said that as much as this show has taught us a helluva lot about motorcycles and trips, it has thought us more about how to tackle this crisis we are faced with. Work has been tough lately and i swear to god whenever I felt like quitting, I remember something that has been said on some of the shows that has helped me push through. Tonight’s show has just reaffirmed that we must just soldier on and aim for the hole shot. First out of the gates!!! Thank you again for doing this show bro. You have no idea how much it means to both Lauren and myself!

That alone is why I’m grateful to be able to host the show every week and bring on guests from all over the world. If I can take an hour out of my day to spend with you and you find it to be something positive than hell, I’ll keep at it!

We’ve all had to adapt to this new world we are in and I had no idea what creating the Bonafide Moto Show would do for me personally, and especially how much you would enjoy it. I haven’t been shy to reach out to people and invite them on the show, and I’m going to keep at it to find you some great folks! 

Thanks again to everyone who’s been watching the show, listening to the podcast and following along the journey. I really look forward to riding with you all again and especially for those hugs (when the time is right). 

Also, the show wouldn’t be possible without the support from our partners at Motul & Jack Black who have stuck with us through these difficult times, we greatly appreciate it!

If I can take an excerpt from episode 17 from Rich Mulholland, I’m glad we (Bonafide Moto Co) came out the gate strong and moved as quickly as we could to make something happen! This has been one hell of a new ride and it’s only the beginning of the show. Lot’s more to come!

Here’s to the next adventure!

~Joe