Marketing and Media Relations, Low Pressure Studio and Freelance Videographer
It seems ‘industry veteran’ is the defacto term used to reference the subject of any press release regarding a Boardworld shake-up or hire. Ryan Scardigli might be the only person under the age of 30 that is, perhaps, worthy of this cliché descriptor. Diggles, as he’s more often referred to, grew up in Tahoe before it dried up for a bit. Pointing his camera at the region’s up-and-comers during that period parlayed into a marketing role with Bataleon. Now residing in Amsterdam, where Bataleon, Switchback, and Lobster are headquartered, Diggles has had his hand in more projects than many ‘vets’ ten years his senior, from his day-to-day with the aforementioned brands to his behind-the-scenes roles with just about every Helgasons-affiliated project. The man is an international move and shaker.
—Taylor Boyd
What does your current position in the snowboarding industry entail? Describe a typical day on the job.
I handle marketing and media relations at Low Pressure Studio, which is the parent company behind Bataleon, Lobster and Switchback, but I also freelance as a videographer and get the opportunity to shoot on different projects each season. It’s a great balance and keeps me in the snow most of the year which is awesome. When I’m in the office I work on marketing campaigns, produce content, schedule social media and maintain our relationships with all the snowboard media. I have to keep up on those tasks in season as well, but I do it mostly from the road. I’m really thankful that LPS gives me that freedom to travel and shoot.
Where are you from and where do you currently call home?
I grew up in Tahoe City, California and currently live in Amsterdam. I was offered a video position at Method Mag in Barcelona back in 2011 and haven’t looked back. Living in Europe has been amazing and I can’t picture what my life would be like if I hadn’t taken that opportunity.
How did you start snowboarding?
I was lucky enough to grow up in Tahoe surrounded by mountains. I was around 10 the first time I went snowboarding, but I actually grew up ski racing at Squaw Valley and didn’t fully switch to snowboarding until the end of high school. I had already begun filming with some of my sponsored snowboard buddies and realized how much cooler snowboarding was and made the switch.
At what point did you realize that you wanted to work in the snowboard industry?
Growing up, all I ever asked my parents for Christmas was snowboard and ski videos. I can remember getting TB6 Carpe Diem when I was 9 and watching it over and over. In high school I would enter these little film festivals and loved photography class. There’s so much history in Tahoe with Fall Line Films, Standard Films and countless pros coming from there so it always seemed within reach.
And how did you make that happen?
After high school I moved to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah but didn’t even finish the first semester. I wound up back in Tahoe working at a shop tuning skis and snowboards and felt pretty defeated. I worked at different shops and for my friend Chapin’s event company as a karaoke and wedding DJ, haha. Eric Messier and I got a place together in 2008 and I started filming with him and making little edits. I was able to contribute a lot of his footage to the first Videograss movie, which was rad. Eric introduced me to Corey Smith and I had the opportunity to work on three projects with COMUNE, including the first ‘Spring Break’ video that Kevin Castanheira directed. I was introduced to Thomaz Autran Garcia (TAG) at Method Mag after that and moved to Barcelona in the fall of 2011. It was an amazing time in my life and I met a lot of the people I work with now during that season. The next season I moved to Munich, Germany and began working freelance. I had met Kevin Backstrom and Tor Lundstrom the previous year and we wanted to work together. We came up with BYNDxMDLS together, which I produced with them for three years. I did my first job for Bataleon in 2012, shooting with their team at Superpark 16. A few years later they were looking for someone to take over their social media who was also a content producer. I did BYNDxMDLS and LPS social for a season and then transitioned into a more regular role with LPS and Bataleon. Looking back on it, there were a lot of steps involved, but everything happened very naturally and I’m stoked on the team and LPS and I love working with them.
Who did you look up to in the industry for inspiration?
I always looked up to the content producers and riders who I thought had their own style. Guys like Jake Price, Joe Carlino, Olav Stubberud, Cyril Müller, Eric Messier, Halldór Helgason. There are so many people who inspired me, but that’s how the industry is. It’s full of creative people out there doing what they love.
What do you feel has been your biggest impact in your line of work?
Making this list, hahahaha. I’m really proud of what we did with BYNDxMDLS and where Kevin and Tor have taken it since, and I was so happy to get back out with them again this past season shooting for the upcoming TransWorld movie Arcadia. No matter where I end up, I will always think back on BYNDxMDLS and everything I learned from it. A lot goes into producing and I think we created something special.
What do you want to accomplish that you haven’t yet?
I’m pretty happy with where I am in the industry. I just want to continue growing and creating more unique content and working with people I enjoy spending time with. This is a unique community we are part of I think it’s important to make the most of it while we can.
Anyone you’d like to thank?
First and foremost, I’d like to thank my parents for supporting me and allowing me to follow my dreams. They always had my back and it paid off. I want to thank Eric Messier for helping me get my start and Corey Smith for giving me an opportunity when I hadn’t done much to prove myself. All the guys at Method Mag: TAG, Chriso, and Alexis for helping me get established in Europe. Everyone at LPS: L’Arrogs, Danny, Dennis, Rubby, Ronald, Mel, Britt, Tine, Bernie, and Khadija for being great colleagues and pushing me to do better work. Kevin and Tor for everything, Halldór and Eiki for being badasses, Adam Dayson for all his guidance, Johannes Brenning, Cyril Muller, the Lobster Six Pack, the Bataleon team, Stan, Gray, Fletch, Sani, Weaver, Henry, Goodwin, any riders I’ve ever shot with and so many others I can’t think of right now. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.