Team Production Blog

Posted December 3rd 2023

Hey guys,

Sorry we haven’t posted much content to the blog during 2023. But we usually post an end of year update, so here it is.

I started this year with some pretty bad burn out. I knew that I needed to take some time off and production on season 21 didn’t start till early March. I have said this before and I will always remind people. Running Splat! is a full time job and sometimes it can get a bit too much. I still run the business side completely on my own and while I have one or two people helping me with other stuff, Splat!, Splatette! and Experiences could all be considered three separate businesses.  This year I have decided to try beat any burnout and take December off from shooting. I am not hosting any privates or commercial shoots this month (although I am currently ill with the Flu and a big sorry to any people that were delayed) so I can take some down time ahead of resuming early next year. There is one exception here. If Brad is able to get time off work, I will make time to host Brad and Louie to get their delayed shoot completed. But currently it’s looking like this shoot will now happen in early 2024. 

While the Brad and Louie shoot appears to be delayed to 2024, this year has been a big one for us. We were able to get season 21 completed before our 20th anniversary plans kicked off. While season 21 was smaller than usual, I am incredibly proud of the season and how it has performed for us. We had some great guests. Sam, Stee and Matthew are some of my faves featured. A BIG thank you to all our season 21 participants. 

I knew that our 20th anniversary season had to start from September of this year to hit the anniversary date. I have been blown away by the amount of content we were able to shoot for the start of the anniversary season. It’s a blur now, but we were able to shoot over a years worth of content in the space of two months. This was in part to having James back at some shoots now he has nearly fully recovered from long COVID. It was a great pleasure to welcome James back to the shoots. I love you James! Our 20th anniversary season will continue production when we resume production early next year and we have some great and big plans in store. You may have seen our “Project Alpha” tease on the news page, and while I won’t be announcing anymore details here today, if it all works out then the show will have a refresh I feel it needs. 

Our 20th anniversary season is about celebrating what has come before and what is to come after. As 2024 rolls on until the end of the 20th anniversary season we will be implementing our project alpha changes that will hope will really re-fresh the show. New ideas have been spinning in my mind for a number of years now and these will start to roll out next year. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worth doing is easy. I know we will have our hits and a number of misses too, but overall we feel the majority of you will enjoy what we have in store. We’ll see you all at the fun fair in 2024 😉

A thank you also goes to Rob who is taking on more Splatette! duties and now is in control of casting across Splat! and Splatette! 

A huge shoutout to all the fans who came to HQ and took on the Gunge Tank in our private experiences. I’ve said it before, but it’s my biggest joy to meet the fans who keep the business going. A HUGE THANK YOU and I hope to see more of you next year. Everyone is welcome.

Finally I want to wish you all a very festive season. We are not really celebrating Christmas like we usually do this year, sometimes it’s a good to rest things and our Christmas Grotto will return next year. If you are looking for some festive mess, then check out Retro Stream which features two classic Splat! Christmas videos. 

Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the content we’ve released this year. I wish you all the best and thank you once again for your continued support.

Pete XoXo

JAMES’ END OF YEAR MESSAGE

For me, 2023 has almost felt like 0-100 in 30 seconds when it comes to Splat.  There was a bit of a warm up in 2022 but this year was almost like being back to normal.  Except in a new location, with new models and new gunge!  If you’ve never been to a private experience (and, if not, why not), I don’t think you really get the idea of how much gets crammed into the floor space on a shoot so the new location having more room has definitely made things easier.  More room for buckets, more room to gunge blast and more room to… well pretty much everything really.  The only thing that isn’t larger yet is the tank!  But if you’ve been in the tank, you’ll know just exactly how much that holds anyway!  I feel genuinely lucky to have worked with the guys I did this year.  So in mostly no particular order…

Jay – you were 100% “lad” and damn you knew exactly how to work the camera.  The perfect guy next door type (oh I would so be looking over the garden fence if you were next door!) and I think you get my vote for looking the best in the purple singlet.  And there’s a picture I took of you in the aftermath of a green and blue gunging where you just look soooooo adorable.

Rob – or as I definitely think of you “ohmygodwow” Rob.  You get the vote for not just being a great face and personality to gunge, but when you got topless… oh my.  Damn you were so much fun on the day, still can’t believe you’re early on in your modelling career, you’re a true natural.  And the blue singlet, oh you were so absolutely the star in that.  The shot of the translucent green gunge on your pecs?  Okay, I admit, I considered making that my phone wallpaper for a while, just an utterly amazing look on you.  Please come back asap!

Olly – totally statuesque and the one that really came close to pushing my body image buttons.  An absolute gent to work with (your celebratory pub trip after the shoot was VERY well deserved) and you ROCKED the surf suit.  Seriously, I would kill for you to be a VERY personal trainer with me.  And so completely and genuinely modest about yourself.  The tank was made for people like you, because a body like yours looks soooooo good in gunge.

Phil – yes, it’s great meeting new people, but there’s a true delight in seeing people return after a few years.  Especially when they’re just such a truly lovely person as you are.  A natural in the tank, a natural in front of the camera and if Pete hadn’t put your name down as someone he wanted back, I sure as hell would have.  And possibly one of my favourite guys to photograph too.  Not just because of the hotness in lycra, but just so enjoyable to work with again.

And yes, I’ve saved Gabriel till last.  In six years of being behind the camera, there have only been two models I’ve worked with where I’ve actively longed to be in the tank with, and Gabriel is most definitely one of them.  I have fatigue issues due to my health, but damn the shoot with Gabriel re-charged me.  He’s so absolutely full of life, it’s like working with a ball of sexy enthusiasm.  Know what, I’ve photographed Gabriel Phoenix in speedos.  Seriously, no matter how many times I remind myself of this, it still surprises me.  An absolutely amazing human, I hope that comes through on the footage.

And yes, I did get some tank time myself.  I got stormed, and I freely admit I played the unluckiest game EVER of Lucky or Mucky.

Splat 2023, it may not have been the “heaviest” year of shoots I’ve been on but hand on heart it’s been the best.  The chaos off camera, the “honest I’m not collapsing against the wall from exhaustion” moments and even enjoying being back cleaning out the tank between segments.  And yes, I know a little of what 2024 has in store.  And yes, I do plan to be back in the tank again next year myself. Cos sod it, it’s lycra it’s gunge and it’s my treat to myself for “forcing” myself to photograph and film actual models getting messy.  And there’s a reason Splat’s been going so long… it’s because we are bloody good at what we do.

Here’s to 2024.  But to 2023… tanks for the memories.