StairMaster 10G GTM

Creative Direction · Project Management · Storyboarding + Script

StairMaster is the original stepmill, the brand that started it all. From novice to pro-athlete, if you're in the gym, you know StairMaster (whether you're actually working out on one is a completely different story). After 30 years of kicking ass, our Product Innovation team decided it was time to change the landscape of stepmills as the world knew it, and from their devilishly clever minds came the StairMaster 10G, the first new stepmill in over two decades.

The Innovation

The 10G wasn't just a refresh, it was a reinvention. Its breakthrough OverDrive Training Mode introduced the world to an entirely new definition of cardio: climbing upstairs while simultaneously performing a Farmers Carry or a Sled Push. Two of the gym's most punishing strength movements, layered directly onto a stepmill's relentless climb.

My First Shoot at Core

I joined Core in the spring of 2019 as Creative Director, and this was my first project. At the time, Core had never executed a proper video shoot — everything had been handled ad hoc, without a dedicated crew or a clear creative vision. I saw the 10G launch as the opportunity to change that, and I was eager to show the team what could be accomplished with the right people behind the camera.

Our job in marketing was simple to state and hard to deliver: make people want to experience the hardest workout in the gym. To do that credibly, we needed a face for OverDrive Mode who could prove, in her own body, exactly how brutal this machine was. The VP of Marketing and Marketing Director at the time connected with professional OCR athlete Rea Kolbl to be the spokesperson for the 10G because she exuded, in every sense, what it truly meant to be Tough AF.

The Athlete: Rea Kolbl

A former member of the Slovenian National Gymnastics Team, Rea Kolbl transitioned into obstacle course racing, where her gymnastics-honed body control and elite endurance made her one of the toughest competitors in the sport. She was the ideal partner for the 10G launch:

• 2x World's Toughest Mudder Champion (2017 & 2018)

• 90 miles at her 2017 debut — tying the all-time women's distance record

• Spartan Pro Team member with dozens of career podium finishes

• Undefeated in obstacle course races 30 miles or longer

She wasn't a hired face reading a script, she was someone who had genuinely earned the right to tell a gym-goer that OverDrive Mode would humble them.

On Set

Our goals for the shoot were:

• Tell the innovation story behind creating the 10G

• Expand upon Rea Kolbl's story and the why behind her working with us

• Capture the raw power of 10G OverDrive Mode

• Highlight the machine's top features and competitive breakthroughs

• Have fun doing it

Rea put everything into it and it showed.

"The amount of power I had to put down was insane."
— Rea Kolbl

Crew

• Videographer: Simeon Muller

• Lighting: Brandon Daniel

• Make-up Artist: Shannon Deao

• Editor: Robert Pallister

• Additional Models (and Core Marketing Team): James Young, Hailey McGregor