Justin Schnor, owner of Flipeleven Creative in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood and formerly a professional beach volleyball player for EVP Tour.com, met then 17-year-old Kyle Buckley at Bradford Beach one summer. Buckley was still in high school, but the two became instant “summer friends,” Schnor said.
“We saw each other at Bradford Beach whenever the weather was nice,” Schnor said. “It wasn’t until later that I found out he was quite skilled with video and film.”
Buckley had been working in his own production company making short films and doing some business and event production videos, but Schnor later asked him to join the Flipeleven Creative team as director of media.
“We talked about it for a few months beforehand,” Buckley said. “I came on board full time in March of 2010.”
The two now work together and still play volleyball, beach and indoor, as much as they can, Buckley said. According to Schnor, he looks to play in a more social but still competitive atmosphere.
“For me, I no longer have to live and die by it,” Schnor said. “I pick and choose my tournaments these days, but I attribute so many of the great things in my life to volleyball: meeting tons of people, being more outgoing, and working on a team, that I could never leave it completely.”
Buckley is in the process of discussing a sponsorship contract with EVP Tour.com, Schnor said.
“Last summer I was playing fie or more days a week,” Buckley said. “I have a personality that I always have to be active in some way, and I really like the way the sport is laid out. I enjoy playing so much that I just want to compete at the highest level I possibly can.”
