Pay Dirt: The Story Of Supercross Heads to Streaming Platforms

For those who may have yet to view Pay Dirt: The Story of Supercross, Taublieb took some time to address the true spirit of what the film centers on.

“The spirit of Pay Dirt, or the idea, comes down to one thing,” explained Taublieb. “Every movie I make, and I’ve made quite a few of them now, boils down to: What is it really about? You spend a lot of time figuring out what that one thing is. In this case, it was that this is the toughest, craziest, gnarliest, and most underappreciated and least understood sport on the planet. Once I had that idea in my head… And it was personal for me. I’m a sports fan, and I was one of the creators of the X Games, where I worked for 16 years. I’ve made feature films and documentaries and so on. I had been involved in a parallel world doing freestyle motocross for many, many years. So for me, it was like, ‘Wait a minute. What is this sport?’  Frankly, I was a little dismissive of supercross. It felt like the square sport of racing. I was the X Games guy, where the future was. It was unfair to supercross because it was just as gnarly as freestyle motocross, but it was more intense, and it required more dedication, had more history, offered a richer tapestry, and had more culture and great stories. I became exposed to that, and that’s what really inspired me on Pay Dirt."

Paul is always clear that he makes films about the people and their stories. Supercross was not shy on those.

"It was about how we tell this heartfelt story of these characters. And again, it’s not a linear history. That was a challenge because documentaries tend to follow a straightforward timeline. It was really about, ‘How do we find these different stories and in-depth explorations of various chapters woven together?’ That was the inspiration. What you need is that spark in anything you do. You need to have this moment and this epiphany, and for me, it was being on the stadium floor at supercross, seeing the sport up close, experiencing the pits, and seeing the characters… Then I started learning about it and talking to you, EJ, Mitch Covington, Sam Pontrelli, and Mark Hall, all of whom are with Monster Energy. With Monster Energy, their dedication to the sport is authentic. Certainly, it’s a business consideration, but it is rooted in authenticity and true passion for the sport. If you understand Monster’s involvement, it’s not just about sending a logo over and then hosting people in a suite. They do that, but they are deeply involved in the riders, the sport, the culture. They don’t control it; I don’t want to misstate that. Their involvement is legitimate and authentic, and that’s where the film becomes an extension, which is why we did Pay Dirt. We also did Unchained and Blink of an Eye, and I had a series of big wave movies. These are all projects that Monster Energy supported by [essentially] saying ‘Go make the film.’ That’s the other thing that I want to say: As an independent filmmaker, they are the dream company. They say, ‘You do what you do.’ So I’ve been very fortunate and very grateful to make these feature documentaries. I also want to say that I believe Josh Brolin brings the poetry. You can’t discuss this movie without mentioning him. Josh, as a narrator, is extraordinary. But it all goes back to authenticity. Once you learn about, ‘Oh my God, their heart rates are 180 beats a minute for 20 minutes…’ and you talk to someone like Dr. G., hearing about the impact, the injuries, the grit, and the determination of the supercross riders, you realize, ‘This is a universal story.’ And that’s what we discovered. Then you find these incredible human stories.”

In creating Pay Dirt, Taublieb adhered to a fundamental objective of making the cast come alive as deep, three-dimensional human beings, not just motorcycle racers.

“The other underpinning concept is that people care about people,” said Taublieb. “In this sport, with so much drama, and because the stakes are so high and because it is so difficult and competitiveness, reaching the elite level is such a challenge. It inherently involves committed and competitive individuals. When you have that formula, you end up with drama, which is about how people act under pressure and manage conflict. That reveals character. What you have in these different stories we tell, from Bob Hannah all the way to Haiden Deegan, we find people with fascinating stories. Nobody reaches the pinnacle of supercross without a lot of blood, sweat, tears, guts, pain, suffering, and triumph. All these elements contribute to success in the sport. Everyone involved faces challenges because it is so difficult, dangerous, expensive, and complex. In Pay Dirt, we aim to show that by going to Loretta Lynn’s."

"While the industry understands it, the broader world may not grasp what happens at Loretta Lynn’s, especially regarding these young kids, their efforts, and the stakes involved," he continued. "We also explore lesser-known aspects of the sport, including a section on the privateer. We follow one individual near the end of his privateer journey as he strives to make a name for himself. His story is rarely seen. We also present famous figures in a different way. It’s not just about winning. A prime example is how to tell the story of Jeremy McGrath, clearly the greatest supercross racer of all time. He’s a genuinely nice person, and his racing was clean; he didn’t make a lot of enemies. As a dramatist, how do we had to frame his story beyond just showing him crossing the finish line jump and waving and the fans going crazy? So it was putting him in context with someone who was kind of his rival Jeff Emig, highlighting their battles and their issues. This brought out a side of McGrath that people don’t often see, and Emig was thrilled to talk about it. Emig allowed us to put McGrath in context and tell the McGrath story without merely focusing on how many races he won. That’s not human; it’s just checkered flags and statistics. Their rivalry illustrated so much. One of the other significant stories was about Bob Hannah. He was very difficult to get, which delayed the film. Eventually, he agreed to participate because he doesn’t care much anymore—his legacy is secure, and he has a great personality. He laid it on the line in a super fun way that has never been seen before. After the screening, several industry figures approached us to say, ‘We’ve never seen this human side of the sport before.’ That was the goal. We aim to be authentic for the fans. The key is to work on multiple levels, and I believe we achieved that.”