SoCal surfer Mike Losness’ has built his freesurfing career on determination, hard work and crazy airs. He first appeared in an Under the Influence montage with Joel Centieo and Mike Todd; then shared some Campaign space with Keith Malloy; and later earning his own full sections in Campaign II, Stranger Than Fiction and Days of Strange.

In previous interviews, he’s told me how he’ll start saving clips up to a year in advance when he knows Taylor Steele has a project in the works. But when it came to Innersection, he was caught a bit off guard. He quickly flew to Bali to start collecting his clips and maybe check in with Taylor. That’s where I caught him…. —NM


INNERSECTION: Does it bother you that you have to compete to be part of Taylor’s next movies?

MIKE LOSNESS: It doesn’t bother me. Even before it was never guaranteed that I would get a section. Taylor never told anyone, ‘Hey, we’re having a movie in two years and you’re in it.’ It’s always been a competition to get the best footage. Then you would find out during the editing process if you made the cut. So, it’s always been a competition.


So, you’re saying this is no different?

What’s different is that instead of just our group of guys voting each other in, now it’s up to the public. I’m just curious to see what people like. What are they gonna vote for? Do they want a Campaign-style section or will they vote for Conley’s tube-riding footage. Cause those are two totally different approaches to surfing.


Are you changing your approach to please people?

Obviously I want to get good waves and good footage, but as far as moves, I just want to surf like who I am. Some airs. Some turns. Try to keep it good style. Just try to be myself. I’m not trying to be a different surfer to win an audience.


This event came up fast. Is that exciting? Or too much pressure?

Taylor told me about this a while ago, but I kinda only half believed that it was true. Then when the website came out it was like, ‘Oh man, I only have two months.’ I was filming for the Reef movie all last year, so now I literally have two months to get my footage together. And that stresses me out.


So what’s your approach?

That’s a whole different topic. All of a sudden I’m my own producer. I have to hire a filmer, find an editors… Before, Taylor was the producer and I didn’t have to worry about who was filming or editing or where we were going. I just had to surf. Now I’m organizing trips, finding my own filmers, looking for new spots. And it all costs money. Before I just had to focus on my surfing. I could take this filmer down to Mexico and the waves could be flat, and then I’m just out on that money. Or I could do all this and not get voted. It’s stressful. But you have to take risks to get rewarded.


You could fly to Norway to compete in a 4-star WQS….

And lose in the first heat. Same thing, I know. And I would way rather spend money on a filmer and try to go somewhere new and different, than spend money going to a WQS. So, that’s what keeps me going.

But yeah, this project demands more of people. 
And that’s cool. I see it evolving as a new forum for surfers and filmers. Guys like me, we could organize a couple friends, a filmer, and an editor, go on a trip and put together a cool little movie all on our own. Surfers can become their own producers and post videos on Innersection. And even aside from the competition, there could be a place people can go and check cool video. Maybe even download it. I just think this is gonna be the next place to watch surfing on the Internet, with fresh footage and new surfers. Everyone’s doing blogs these. Everyone wants to see new shit every day.


Exactly. But a personal blog is too hungry. It’s too hard for one guy to keep feeding that thing new footage week after week. Eventually, the content gets diluted. Guys start slapping together half-ass footage just to put something on their site. And once you start seeing too much c-grade crap, you start to lose interest. 

There’s a lot of ways this can evolve. Surfers becoming their own producers is what I find interesting here. I mean, it’s always been a competition, because we always need to come up with the footage. But now surfers need to come up with the vision for it, too. It’s exciting. It’s going to be interesting to watch.


Yeah. So, whether you make the movie or not, people are going to watch your section. And if you make something memorable, people will remember when they make their votes. You have to earn your recognition.

I’m just doing it for fun and for the challenge. I just want to make something good. If people like it, maybe they’ll vote for me. If not, they’ll vote for someone else. But why wouldn’t you do it?


You already have some experience making sections. Does that give you an edge?

This is totally different than my experience. I was never behind the scenes editing my part. Taylor chose the waves and I’d come over and maybe make one little suggestion. Now it’s all my job. The other day I brought some footage over to Taylor and I was trying to get him to say which waves I should keep. He was like, “Yeah, you got some pretty good stuff there.” So, it’s up to me to decide what waves are good now.


It’s going to open things up a bit.

Before, a Conley section or a soul-y section might not make it past Taylor, but maybe that’s what people want to see. 
At the end of the day, this movie could be a mixture all different typse of surfing. Big waves, airs, tricks, tube riding, style. It could be 20 totally different sections. Young guys, older guys. Big wave guys. People might like to see Ross Clarke Jones pulling into massive Tasmania…who knows.

That’s the dream: that it ends up being diverse and balanced. The nightmare is that we attract one type of person and they only vote for one type of section. 

Well, that’s your nightmare to deal with. [laughs]

You filmed your stuff for Castles in the Sky almost three years ago. You must be stoked to see that finally come out this summer.

This year is crazy for me. After three years of filming, the fruits of all my labor s are finally coming out all at once. The Reef Movie is coming out. Tim Curran’s movie Union Express is coming out. Castles in the Sky is coming out. The Drifter Sessions is coming out. And then Innersection. So, I’ll have potentially five movies next year.


Is it frustrating to put in all that work and then have to wait so long?

I don’t focus on that. I just focus on making it good. Then when you finally see it and it is good, the worry goes away. I don’t have to think about it anymore. To be honest, the last year, I haven’t even thought about Castles. But it’s such a timeless movie, that stuff doesn’t get old.


Well, we’re looking forward to watching you section next month, Mike. Good luck.

Thanks.