URBNSURF Melbourne — Building a Culture Around Australia's First Surf Park
URBNSURF opened Australia's first surf park in January 2020 — and then COVID took two years of it. By October 2021, the park had a world-class set of waves, but lacked a story behind it, and had everything still to prove.
Olliepop came in as their exclusive video production partner and spent the next eighteen months documenting the growth of a park and the culture forming around it — from the everyday joy of first-time surfers to international professionals, from safety inductions to music festivals, from sunrise aerials to inclusivity days. The goal wasn't just content. It was building the visual identity of a place worth belonging to.
The Approach
The partnership was built around a flexible content ecosystem that could serve multiple needs at once — marketing campaigns, everyday social storytelling, event coverage and community building. Rather than producing content to a brief, we operated as an embedded partner, present across seasons and occasions, capturing what was genuinely happening at the park.
This allowed the visual library to reflect the full breadth of the URBNSURF experience — not a curated highlight reel, but an honest, ongoing portrait of a place finding its identity.
Content Created
Six seasonal destination campaigns across 18 months
Wave setting showcases for all eight wave settings — from beginner to pro
Community storytelling including Women's Celebration Day and Inclusivity Days
Private surf session shoots for individuals, groups and families
Seasonal campaign shoots featuring international surfers, professionals, amateurs and families
Coverage of the Winter Jam — surf, snow and music festival
Live music performance coverage
School program and community event documentation
Educational safety video for new guests (runs continuously in-park)
Social content series for each wave setting, product and experience offering
Hero films and social edits across Meta, YouTube and digital campaigns
Impact
The partnership helped build a strong visual identity for URBNSURF Melbourne while supporting record visitation and international awareness.
Aerial content from the partnership generated several viral moments, with a trio of sunrise videos reaching more than 6.5 million people globally.