I Am Ready: Karts to Cars
A visceral branded piece that dives into the grit, speed, and pursuit of professional karting through the story of Vaughn Beesley.
The Ask
What We Did
- Creative Direction
- Strategy
- Producing
- Locations
- Production
- Editorial
- Color
- Sound Design
- Finishing
Formula 4 × KartChaser needed a branded film to introduce rising driver Vaughn Beesley as he made the leap from wicked-fast go-karts to real Formula cars. The goal was to capture a growth story that could inspire the next generation of drivers.
It couldn’t be just another highlight reel. The piece had to balance raw speed and grit with the deeper story of growth and transition. The challenge was to honor Vaughn’s personal journey while delivering something big enough for F4 and KartChaser to stand behind. This wasn’t about making karting look cool. Karting already is cool. It was about capturing the nerves, the grit, and the heart of a kid chasing the next level.
Industries
Motorsports
- Branded Content
- Commercial
- Cine-Doc
Approach
Most people think of karting as bumper cars at the fun park or maybe an indoor K1 Speed track. The truth is, professional karting is brutal. It’s where the future F1 and IndyCar drivers cut their teeth. Families pour in money, time, and weekends, and the competition is ruthless. We wanted to show karting in that proper light: gritty, high-stakes, and real, while also giving people a look inside Vaughn’s head. On track, we shot it like big-league racing, making local karting feel like it belonged on ESPN. In the studio, we got more abstract, leaning into the nerves, focus, and adrenaline that you can’t see from the outside.
At the end of the day, it wasn’t about flashy edits or trick shots, although we certainly aimed to implement plenty of eye candy... It was about making people feel the pressure Vaughn was under and the dream he was chasing.
Stills
9 / 9
How it happened
LOCATION ROOTS
We shot at New Castle Motorsports Park, where Jack and Vaughn had raced side by side on weekends. That connection gave us a deep understanding of how to stage the racing in a way that felt authentic to the karting world.
VISUAL CONTRAST
To show both the reality of racing and the intensity inside Vaughn’s head, we built two visual worlds. On track, coverage leaned cinematic, with sweeping movements and big-race energy. In studio, stylized lighting and abstract camera moves created a visceral, dreamlike intensity. The back-and-forth gave audiences both the physical and mental sides of chasing the next level.
GEAR CHOICES
Every piece of gear was chosen to elevate karting beyond the small-perception sport people think it is. Anamorphic interviews gave Vaughn stature and presence beyond his years. A jib at the track added a subtle “Hollywood” feel. Small rigs mounted on karts put the audience in the driver’s seat at 100 mph. And probe lenses captured the kind of micro details only racers and mechanics obsess over. Together, these choices turned the sport into something massive and intimate at the same time.
"PARAGON has a rare creative vision that goes beyond just telling a story. They bring it to life in ways that feel unforgettable. They created a film that captured the emotion, nuance and power of the sport with a level of care and authenticity that's hard to find. More than just professionals, they became friends who genuinely cared about making this project special, and in turn left me with memories I will treasure forever."
Vaughn Beesley
Professional Racing Driver
- 10+ million views from implemented content strategy
- 12x increase in social following within 6 months after campaign launch
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