lore – SQUEEZE 86

WHO IS LANDIN WILLIAMS?

From Project Blackjack to Microsoft to Squeeze

It was a dark cold night in Ottawa, Canada as the flicker from my tube TV lit up the room. Hours felt like seconds as I memorized the layout of my favorite video game track - Fujimi Kaido.

It was 2007 and I was deeply invested in a specific game - Forza Motorsport 1. After discovering Kaido, I decided to make a video recreating a scene from Initial D. I had no idea this little idea would change my life.

The idea that started it all

PROJECT BLKJ

So I fired up my Black Magic capture card, coerced my friends into helping make what is now known as Project Blackjack: Stage 1.

It instantly caught fire, and through a stroke of luck a developer at Turn 10 (creators of Forza) found it. He was blown away and confused.

The developers name was Che Chou - community manager for the Forza franchise. He was a massive Initial D fan and just had to find out more about the person responsible.

WATCH BLKJ PLAYLIST

FROM OTTAWA TO SEATTLE

It was just another day. I refreshed my Hotmail like usual and that's when it appeared. An email from an official Microsoft address. The title read "Hello from Microsoft".

I lost my mind. A video game studio is e-mailing me?! How is this possible?! Nah no way it must be junk mail. But it wasn't. It was legit. This email sparked something in me I hadn't felt before. I was determined to prove myself, do whatever it takes to get hired by Turn 10.

It worked.

After a year of pumping out insane stunt videos with the best drivers in the community, Che finally got the green light to offer me a contract position on the Turn 10 community team.

THE FORZA CHAPTER

I spent the next 7 years working at T10 on Forza.

I was doing everything from launch trailers to in-game cameras, cinematics, demos, press pictures and more. It was a one-person show. I came up with the concepts, performed the stunts in-game, captured the footage and edited the final piece. The pressure of having to showcase the work of 400+ people in a minute long trailer forced me to level up.

The list of videos I created at T10 is deep, but here are a few of my favorites.

FORZA 3 KAIDO TRAILER
After harrasing the devs for years - they finally agreed to put Kaido back in the game. I gathered up the crew from BLKJ, flew them to Seattle and created one of the most iconic Forza drifting videos ever made.
WATCH HERE
HORIZON E3 LAUNCH
One of the biggest trailers I produced was for the launch of Forza Horizon 1. As usual I pushed tons of drifting into the mix and if you listen closely you'll notice my voice during the intro.
WATCH HERE
FORZA 5 E3 LAUNCH
A huge challenge. The game wasn't finished, and I was asked to make an E3 trailer with a single section of the track. I came up with the concept of an enhanced slo-motion action scene to show off the new graphics.
WATCH HERE

FROM FORZA TO HALO

It was time for a change, and Halo was hiring. I decided to move on from Turn 10 after a 7 year stint and landed a gig working with 343 on the (then) iconic Halo franchise.

I was adored for my ability to do it all - and by now I was QUICK! I was blazing through life, coming up with ideas, directing capture sessions and editing some of the hottest Halo videos to date.

Here are a couple bangers that you might have seen - now you know who made them :)

HALO 5 LAUNCH TRAILER
An iconic trailer for a not-so iconic game. I pushed back on the concept for this but ultimately lost the fight. I had to deliver regardless of the conditions - and this masterpiece is what I delivered. Thanks to MS for spending 500k on the MUSE song!
WATCH HERE
BUMPER SHORTS
Without question the most fun I had making videos at 343. I was my own client, and made whatever I wanted. They were used as bumpers during the livestreams. My voice acting skills again came into play. We even poked fun at the marketing of the game.
WATCH HERE
INFECTION TRAILER
After a hiatus I returned to 343 to help get the video squad inspired. I worked on training the editorial staff and providing creative direction. If you noticed a sudden change in the quality of the videos in 2024 - now you know why.
WATCH HERE

THE MACHETE GROUP

I've never been one to sit idle. If I'm awake I'm creating, learning or exploring new techniques. I founded MACHETE with my good friends Ian Dillon from Factory 83 and Joe and Justin from Tandem of Die.

Our goal was simple - make instagram shorts that went hard. MACHETE has become a thing of legend in the PNW, representing a time where nobody was safe in the automotive content world.

WATCH MACHETE PLAYLIST

THE STORY CONTINUES...

A LEAP OF FAITH INTO SQUEEZE FULL TIME

After 17+ years of working in the industry as a professional video editor, I decided it was time to dedicate my artistic skills to my own endeavor. I stepped away from my professional career to pursue SQUEEZE full-time.

Despite almost two decades of experiences - nothing has really changed. I wake up inspired every day to make ideas a reality, and work tirelessly to achieve them. SQUEEZE 86 is the next platform I've chosen and one that is very close to my heart. It combines the things that made my career possible in the first place - drifting and videos.

Thank you for riding with me this far - I'm exited to see what the next idea will be, and how the world will react. Thank you for all the encouragement and support. LET'S GO!

Country/region

WHO IS LANDIN WILLIAMS?

It was a dark cold night in Ottawa, Canada as the flicker from my tube TV lit up the room. Hours felt like seconds as I memorized the layout of my favorite video game track - Fujimi Kaido.

It was 2007 and I was deeply invested in a specific game - Forza Motorsport 1. After discovering Kaido, I decided to make a video recreating a scene from Initial D. I had no idea this little idea would change my life.

PROJECT BLKJ

So I fired up my Black Magic capture card, coerced my friends into helping make what is now known as Project Blackjack: Stage 1.

It instantly caught fire, and through a stroke of luck a developer at Turn 10 (creators of Forza) found it. He was blown away and confused.

The developers name was Che Chou - community manager for the Forza franchise. He was a massive Initial D fan and just had to find out more about the person responsible.

FROM OTTAWA TO SEATTLE

It was just another day. I refreshed my Hotmail like usual and that's when it appeared. An email from an official Microsoft address. The title read "Hello from Microsoft".

I lost my mind. A video game studio is e-mailing me?! How is this possible?! Nah no way it must be junk mail. But it wasn't. It was legit. This email sparked something in me I hadn't felt before. I was determined to prove myself, do whatever it takes to get hired by Turn 10.

It worked.

After a year of pumping out insane stunt videos with the best drivers in the community, Che finally got the green light to offer me a contract position on the Turn 10 community team.

THE FORZA CHAPTER

I spent the next 7 years working at T10 on Forza.

The list of videos I created at T10 is deep, but here are a few of my favorites.

FORZA 3 KAIDO TRAILER

After harrasing the devs for years - they finally agreed to put Kaido back in the game. I gathered up the crew from BLKJ, flew them to Seattle and created one of the most iconic Forza drifting videos ever made.

HORIZON E3 LAUNCH

One of the biggest trailers I produced was for the launch of Forza Horizon 1. As usual I pushed tons of drifting into the mix and if you listen closely you'll notice my voice during the intro.

FORZA 5 E3 LAUNCH

A huge challenge. The game wasn't finished, and I was asked to make an E3 trailer with a single section of the track. I came up with the concept of an enhanced slo-motion action scene to show off the new graphics.

FROM FORZA TO HALO

It was time for a change, and Halo was hiring. I decided to move on from Turn 10 after a 7 year stint and landed a gig working with 343 on the (then) iconic Halo franchise.

I was adored for my ability to do it all - and by now I was QUICK! I was blazing through life, coming up with ideas, directing capture sessions and editing some of the hottest Halo videos to date.

Here are a couple bangers that you might have seen - now you know who made them :)

HALO 5 LAUNCH TRAILER

An iconic trailer for a not-so iconic game. I pushed back on the concept for this but ultimately lost the fight. I had to deliver regardless of the conditions - and this masterpiece is what I delivered. Thanks to MS for spending 500k on the MUSE song!

BUMPER SHORTS

Without question the most fun I had making videos at 343. I was my own client, and made whatever I wanted. They were used as bumpers during the livestreams. My voice acting skills again came into play. We even poked fun at the marketing of the game.

INFECTION TRAILER

After a hiatus I returned to 343 to help get the video squad inspired. I worked on training the editorial staff and providing creative direction. If you noticed a sudden change in the quality of the videos in 2024 - now you know why.

THE MACHETE GROUP

I've never been one to sit idle. If I'm awake I'm creating, learning or exploring new techniques. I founded MACHETE with my good friends Ian Dillon from Factory 83 and Joe and Justin from Tandem of Die.

Our goal was simple - make instagram shorts that went hard. MACHETE has become a thing of legend in the PNW, representing a time where nobody was safe in the automotive content world.

THE STORY CONTINUES...

After 17+ years of working in the industry as a professional video editor, I decided it was time to dedicate my artistic skills to my own endeavor. I stepped away from my professional career to pursue SQUEEZE full-time.

Thank you for riding with me this far - I'm exited to see what the next idea will be, and how the world will react. Thank you for all the encouragement and support. LET'S GO!

- Landin