Meet Michael Costello

Michael Costello is the young producer of a soon-to-be launched television series in Australia called Inline Plus, coming to fruition after a long and sometimes difficult journey. As if creating the show, gathering sponsors, and obtaining the rights to air on Australian Community Television weren’t hard enough, Michael also had to overcome a devastating loss in January of two and a half years of editing work on the computer (with the slip of a careless finger, the hard drive was wiped!). However the master videos were still OK, and he had to re-do the edits from scratch.

It was January 2006 when Michael first contacted me, about six months after he'd taken up the sport of inline skating. Impressed by the media kit he shipped to California, I joined the mailing list and saw steady progress toward his dream over the following months. Then came the appalling video loss. But surprisingly, in mid June Michael reported a near-complete recovery. “The Inline Plus community TV project is up and firing after a brief break in production,” he wrote. "We are now on track to launch our pilot episode next month, with a full series from December." I am honored to add that Get Rolling will be hosting an early episode of Inline Plus!

The aim of the program is to show as many different aspects of skating as possible, present Australian culture and events in the skate community, and offer serious and funny content that will appeal to current skaters and those interested in learining. Here is a look at episodes in planning.

What's it like to be a Community TV producer? From what I've read, Michael has had his hands full! I learned about fund raising to acquire cameras and other equipment, setting up forums and mailing lists, and establishing web and mobile avenues to communicate with a wide-spread network of volunteers. To expand the program’s format and audience appeal, he joined forces with Know Rolling, producers of the show's aggressive skating segments. In November, he submitted applications to air on Community TV stations across Australia.

More recently Mike started work towards forming the new Inline Sports Media Cooperative. Ltd. He plans to support his fellow members by producing and sharing community, pay, and commercial TV and radio content; sponsoring sporting events; selling skating and sport-related merchandise (books, DVDs, T-shirts, etc) to members and the general public and much more. The new cooperative should be up and running in late August 2007.

Here’s wishing the best of luck to Michael’s great new series! Follow his progress yourself on the InlinePlus.TV web site.

Other August 2007 Stories

4Wheeler (Dream Brake) Benefits - Why this disc braking system could rock skaters, inline instructors and the industry.

Skating Pre-Requisites - Not a natural athlete? Here’s how to build the three advantages they have as beginners.

SF Inline Marathon - The
San Francisco full and half marathons benefit the Savant Group.

Dan Skates Shanghai - Taking to the streets means going with the flow of bikes, scooters and more.

Passing on the Left - Success stories from past and present Get Rolling Skate School students.

Perfecting the A-Frame Turn - Written for Inline Planet, bio mechanics any skater can use.

Santa Clara’s San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail offers smooth pavement with views of wildlife and distant mountains ringing the valley.

Skating Accessories - Consider a GPS or a pair of sports sunglasses for your next outing.