@climbingout

"It starts with believing in yourself that you can get out of the point you're in and believe in yourself, that you can find something else besides what you have and just taking advantage and getting yourself out there."

John Sivolapenko diverts a destructive video game obsession into a more fulfilling rock climbing addiction.
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​This story is an insight into the lifestyle and mind of John Sivolapenko, who found himself in a neglected state of mind and trapped in what seemed to be an inescapable rut and an unhealthy obsession with video games. Everyday life became a depressing sinkhole of unfulfillment, unbalance and neglect for his own well-being and relationships. The year of 2018 would be a pivotal year for John as he was now completely self-reliant at the age of 18. Throughout all the trauma, John forcefully had to work in construction as a way to support himself and take control of his life in an instant. This radical change in lifestyle caused him to go into a numb state of mind, neglecting his own mental health, continuing his video gaming obsession as an escape from his current reality. Fast forwarding to the present day, John still continues working construction and has quit playing video games entirely, making time for more fulfilling passions and a new obsession of rock climbing, which he now takes very seriously being at an advanced level. 

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Behind the scenes

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The Team

Heyo, I’m Sebastian the director, writer and editor for Climbing Out. We were able to make a very touching and motivating story that a lot of people can get personal with. Couldn't be more happier with how everything turned out and I hope you can learn something about yourself after watching the film.

Hi, my name is Leo and I am the producer of Climbing Out. I am very excited for people to hear the story of John and learn about his struggle and how he evolved into this new version of himself. It’s been a pleasure working with such a talented team and director to create this visual piece of reality that will shed light on similar stories and inspire others to do the same. It’s my first time producing a short film and definitely not the last as I learnt a lot from my team and supervisors. Please watch our documentary with an open mind and heart because it is a wonderful story!

Hey, I'm Kadin. I'm working on Climbing Out as transmedia producer, that means that I run our film's social media accounts as well as this website. I wanted to be a part of this project because John has a really inspiring story to tell. I can't wait for everyone to see the doc!

Hi! I’m Marco, I’m the production sound mixer for Climbing Out. This is an incredible and passionate story and I’m so glad I got to work alongside some amazing people throughout this project. Can’t wait for everyone to see and hear it!

Harris J. Oakley Ingram known as Harris the First is an experimental multi-genre artist/composer. Blending futuristic sounds with, traditional formulas with the objective to create a new sound. Harris started by working under Gavin Brown at Inside Pocket Music. He returned to study further production and marketing techniques. From there branching out into the indie scene through self produced, composed, and released tracks under the name Harris the First. Harris the First apart from writing, composing and, producing is a varied performer typically seen alongside the project Bad Voyage or his backing band The Pretty Punks. Harris currently studies at Sheridan in their MSSS program.

Hello! My name is Brayden Smith and I am B camera on Climbing Out. It was such a pleasure to be apart of this documentary and help tell the story visually. This documentary is inspiring, triumphant and beautiful, and it was all possible thanks to the talented subject and crew members.