Editor's note: Just a few minutes ago, PokerStars' Team Online released its newest short film. This one, about Mexico Jorge "Baalim" Limon is the best yet. If you don't know this race car driver and online poker pro, you need to take ten minutes to watch. There are more life and poker lessons in it than I could count. Oh, and if you think you can make a better movie, Team Online is giving away a $15,000 PCA package in its Team PokerStars Online Film Festival. The short film is below, followed by Limon's behind the scenes account of how it came together.
Behind the scenes of my Team Online short film
About 14 months and 20 extra pounds ago, Ryan Firpo's film crew was on his way to Mexico to make my Team Online video. The schedule was a bit tight because they arrived just before a big international gravel rally event I was going to race in my rally Clio.
Everything was going according to plan. We were fixing the last details of the car one day before the race. My co-driver took the car for a mandatory pre-rally inspection, and I got a call from Ryan telling me they just landed in Mexico's City airport. Just as I hung up, I got another call. It was my co-driver telling me he just crashed the rally car hard into a water truck! Needless to say my heart skipped more than one beat.
I arrived at the scene, and it was bad. The front was totally smashed, plus the water truck driver had no insurance, so both vehicles ended up being towed to the police station. It was a total disaster!
The race was going to be a big part of the video, and I saw no way we could race. We miraculously got the car out of the impound, and with the help of a ton of duct tape, wire and Velcro, we managed to get the car running with a couple of hours to sleep before the race start.
I took it easy on the rally. After all, the radiator was hanging from a wire and gravel events are really tough on the car. Plus last year I rolled the car several times in this same event. So, cautious looked like the best way to go.
Everything went great. The duct tape didn't let us down, and we made it to the finish line in 3rd place while tossing a few Poker Stars water bottles to the crowd.
The next day was far more relaxing: a couple of interviews at home, and later dinner and drinks with friends who were nearly impossible to interview because, as most good friends are, they were trying to troll me in everything they said. I bet editing that was rough.
We went to a "rock-pub" where a friend's band was playing. I mentioned I used to be the vocalist of a band. The film crew insisted relentlessly that I should go and sing with the band. Hell no. I'm way too rusty and self conscious to immortalize that performance, so you wont get to see it.
The whole thing ended up as everything should...with a party. We had a few tequila and weird flaming shots with my friends, Ryan, and his crew. Everyone had a great time.
