Db x Looking Sideways Fund: the winners!
Meet our winners, and learn more about their hopes for their projects.
One of my favourite things about this whole Looking Sideways gig? Being able to pass on what I’ve learned in the three decades I’ve been making a living as a writer, podcaster, co-owner of my agency All Conditions Media, and freelancer.
That’s one reason I started Insights, the Looking Sideways section exclusively for my paid subscribing community, in which I share blogs, pods, guest posts and videos on this theme.
Here are some samples to get you started:
That same impetus to share the wealth was the inspiration behind the Looking Sideways x Db Fund, through which we’re offering a practical way to help creatives and storytellers bring their dream projects to life with funding (a none-too-shabby €5000 for each winning entry); and mentoring from me and Db ambassadors such as Chris Burkard, Pacha Light, and Cuban Lu.
Earlier this autumn, we whittled our initial 300 entries down to a shortlist of six. Now, our judging panel has chosen our final two winners.
Read on to meet them, be reminded of their ideas, learn why they entered, and understand what they hope to get out of the Fund.
Use my code LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db luggage
The winners
1. Tristan Kennedy and Will Nangle
Idea:
We want to make a short film about Gaver—a ski resort, abandoned because of climate change, that's incredibly visually arresting. It looks like Italy's answer to Chernobyl.
Our "main character" would be Stefano Marca, 56, who refused to leave. Instead, he started a small, but successful ski touring business among the ruins, showcasing a more climate-friendly approach to winter sports.
We hope to shine a light on wider issues affecting the winter sports industry. Dozens of Italian ski resorts have been forced to close in recent years—a harbinger of what’s to come all across the Alps as the climate crisis worsens.
Currently, Europe’s ski towns are dependent on what activists label “a mountain monoculture.” Sticking plaster solutions, like building more snow cannons, or new lift infrastructure at higher altitudes, won’t help, according to those we’ve spoken to. Gaver provides an inspiring alternative model (albeit on a small scale).
We would feature interviews with grassroots Italian organisations like The Outdoor Manifesto (who lead a campaign against building new ski lifts in Italy) and Legambiente (the Italian equivalent of Greenpeace).
To avoid the unrelenting bleakness of the topic, we would also focus on the hopes of future generations, as embodied by Marca's daughter, Vanessa. She grew up touring at Gaver and is aiming to compete in next year's Milano-Cortina Olympics where ski touring will make its debut.
Our film’s working title is “The Last Resort?”
Judge’s feedback:
“I really vibe with this, addressing climate change, run down old ski resort with a character who stayed for change”. - Luis Meis
Interview
Tell us a little bit a bit about yourselves
Will: I’m a Scottish filmmaker and photographer who’s spent much of my career covering action sports in adventurous destinations. This project is new territory for me - a film with an important message that I really want to do justice to!
Tristan: I’m a British journalist based in the Italian Dolomites, specialising in stories about adventure, outdoor sports, and the climate crisis. I'm basically a words and pictures storyteller, so this would be the first proper film project I've worked on, and I’d be venturing into a completely new medium. So that'll be a huge challenge, and a real opportunity for me to stretch myself creatively.
Where did your idea come from?
Tristan: We’ve known each other for years, having met near the start of our careers—we went on a couple of trips and covered events together and got on super well.
Independently, we both got into splitboarding (following the inevitable path of the aging snowboarder) and, because we’re both based in the mountains (Will in Morzine; me in Trento), we’ve had a ringside seat as the climate crisis has begun to wreak real havoc with winter seasons.
An Italian riding buddy of mine, Andrea Lucchi, mentioned Gaver to me first. It’s about two hours away from us, but not somewhere we’d normally ride. I drove down with my wife Simona and wrote a couple of stories for different titles about it. I was blown away by the warmth of the welcome from Stefano Marca and his family; and the eerie, post-apocalyptic vibe of the place.
I was also amazed by their choice to stay when everyone else had left - and inspired by the fact that they seemed to be making a success of it: renting out touring skis, and filling their hotel with backcountry skiers and splitboarders.
Will and I had always talked about doing a documentary together, so when I got back I messaged him. There was a cinematic element to the abandoned infrastructure that I thought he’d love.
And the story of Stefano and his family touched on a lot of the issues that interests both of us - the devastating impact of the climate crisis on mountain communities, the future (or otherwise) of winter sports, and whether alternatives to skiing’s conventional business model, like backcountry touring, might provide a way forward. I think I said something like: “It’s got this David vs Goliath vibe—the little guy refusing to give up in the face of this massive global change.”
Why did you enter the Fund?
Will: I saw the details of the fund and sent them to Tristan saying “We should enter this, it might help us get the project off the ground”. We were interested in the financial support, but also the mentorship aspect - being able to draw on the creative minds behind Db and Looking Sideways was a big part of why applying was appealing.
How are you hoping the Fund and mentorship can help with your project?
We’re looking forward to bouncing around ideas and sense-checking our assumptions. It’s easy to miss obvious pitfalls when there are just two of you working closely on a project.
As well as their creative input, we’re hoping that the Db & Looking Sideways teams’ involvement will help open doors in terms of getting the film out there.
What are you hopes for this project?
Will: Our ambition is to create something that could get picked up by film festivals. If we manage, that we’ll see where it goes!
In terms of the treatment, we don’t want to shy away from the seriousness of the issues but we’re not going to pretend that we can change the dial on climate with one short film.
Tristan: We just want to tell a really strong, human story as best we can. If we do a good job on that, people will draw their own conclusions.
Any advice for people in a similar position to you?
Tristan: We felt like it was the strength of this story that helped us win this grant - and good stories can come from anywhere.
Read lots, watch lots of films, ask people questions to the point of annoying them, and make sure you actually listen to the answers.
I’ve started a Looking Sideways book store! Yep, inspired by the fellow book geekery of my Looking Sideways listeners and readers, I’m now listing my favourite books of the year on the new LS bookshop here.
Buy anything from here and you’ll be supporting independent UK book stores (ie not paying for Jeff Bezos’ next rocket), as well as helping finance Looking Sideways (I get a 10% commission) in a really simple way. Big up everybody who’s already joined the virtual club, especially those who’ve joined this thread to discuss their own 2025 reads.
Come join - I would love to know what other members of the LS community are digging this year. And because I’ve had a few people asking me this same question once again, I thought I’d reshare the below post. Which is, insanely, one of my most popular posts ever.
2. Emily Cooney
Idea:
My film project is about people with type 1 diabetes doing remote outdoor sports. Paragliding, climbing, surfing, alpinism and ultra-running. The aim of this documentary is to break limitations and raise awareness. By sharing fun experiences and stories of success with type 1 diabetes in outdoor sports we hope to encourage those with T1 to access natural landscapes and strengthen their self-belief, self-reliance and independence that are inherently learnt in these environments.
Judge’s feedback:
“Getting people outside and fostering interaction with nature/adventure is great mission - if a film about type 1 diabetes outdoor inspires other people with the same challenge to improve their quality of life and step into the outdoor world, that is an amazing impact to support”- Chris Burkard
Interview:
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I’m a North Wales-based filmmaker specialising in outdoor sports content and documentary shorts. Through my work, I’m dedicated to preserving our natural landscapes by encouraging people to enjoy and connect with them. As an activist for equal rights, I try to use her platform to promote social justice and inclusivity. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 5.
Where did your idea come from?
The idea for Type 1 Fun came from personal experience, and an ongoing curiosity on how others manage their diabetes within their chosen sport. I want to explore remote outdoor sports in diverse environments—such as water, air, earth, rock, and snow—and examine how each one affects diabetes management. For me, outdoor sports are all about having fun, and the aim is to get people excited about doing outdoor sports without it feeling inaccessible.
Why did you enter the Fund?
I applied to the Fund because I’m committed to bringing this project to life - but limited finances and the lack of a second opinion had started to slow my momentum.
Up to this point, everything has been self-funded, and everyone who’s participated has done so because they believe in the film’s message and want to be part of it. That’s why I’m especially grateful to now be in a position—thanks to the Fund—to compensate those involved for their time and commitment.
How are you hoping the Fund and mentorship can help with your project?
As a solo filmmaker, mentorship during the editing process is incredibly valuable. After spending hours (or weeks) with the footage, it's easy to become too close to the content, and something that makes sense to me, might not resonate with everyone. I’m really looking forward to bringing the film to life with help from the Fund. It’s a great initiative that genuinely empowers creatives to keep creating!
What are you hopes for this project?
I hope this project will help people understand what Type 1 diabetes is and what the additional challenges are when it comes to remote outdoor sports. For those with diabetes, I hope it becomes a source of empowerment, to encourage them to reflect on their own goals and envisage how these can be fulfilled.
On the whole, I’m just genuinely excited to get people psyched for outdoor sports. Adventure shouldn’t feel exclusive—it should feel possible and fun, no matter your starting point.
Any advice for people in a similar position to you?
My advice is to persevere with your goals. Don’t let the idea slip away, even when things feel slow, stressful, or uncertain. Explore your niche and lean into what genuinely interests you.
I admire people who are passionate about something—anything—as long as it puts a big smile on your face. Be open to feedback and accept that killing your darlings is part of the process.
Stay curious and remember kindness goes a long way—whether you’re collaborating with others or debating with yourself. I’m my own biggest critic and have to remind myself to acknowledge progress. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong, but if nothing ever did, there’d be nothing to learn from. Planning is important, but leave room for spontaneity—some of the best moments happen unexpectedly.
Huge thanks to everybody who took the time to enter the Fund, and congratulations to our winners!
If you have any questions, please let me know below:
Type 1 Fun will be perfect for Katie and the paediatric diabetes team here in Cornwall and beyond.