MEET THE JUDGES: JP

Founder of The Selvedge Yard Motorcycle Blog

“Its a good goddamn sign when people take it upon themselves to create an event (that holy shit, doesnt even exist?!) like the Motorcycle Film Festival,” bellowed JP last year when tapped to be a judge.

JP grew up in a biker household and was obsessed with the imagery, style, energy, and influence of movie classics like The Wild One, Easy Rider, Billy Jack, Rebel Rousers, and more! JP described his father as a “pretty fucking hardcore biker—a machinist, dirty, no whining, take no shit, get er done, kind of guy.” JP was expected to do his part: wash the bike, dump the used oil, hold the timing light, pass the tools without having to be told what tool was needed next, and “most importantly—watch his motherfucking Harley.” This upbringing made it easy for JP to shoot holes in many biker films for their inauthenticity: “Many of these movies are more someones idea of the motorcycle lifestyle than the reality, because they really had no idea what the lifestyle was about.” JP knows about style. In the menswear business for the past twenty years, JP is highly in-tune with the influences of the iconic motorcycle films. Not stopping there, he has gone to great lengths to learn about those bikes, those who built them, the sound and score of the films, and the style and clothing that continues to inspire to this day. “Its all a beautiful menagerie of what I love and where Ive come from.”

We’re proud to have JP, the man behind The Selvedge Yard, return this year. JP’s love of movies, photography, music, bikes, culture, style, history, and whatever else piques his interest that day is what The Selvedge Yard is all about. JP confides, “The MFF brings it all together on the big screen and it’s a huge honor to be part of it, let alone a juror.