After years of trying, and some controversy over his last win, JT wins Monstertrack without any controversy.

Congrats on a hard-earned win. Carry that momentum to the Red Hook Crit in two weeks!

Chris and I helped out on some Metro PCS spots last year. He skated and shot, I drove and got some Empire riders involved.

Take a look, especially the 3rd spot.

We’re doing a screening and release party tomorrow night in Williamsburg at Kinfolk. Come by and have some free Asahi. Stick around for the screening. There will be DVDs and posters for sale as well.

Take a look at the first teaser and get stoked.

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.

Empire was just the beginning, and Tom has become a real international movie star. He did a ton of stunt work on Premium Rush. Then he got picked up by Specialized and put out a sick video with Tom Briggs that raised the bar for fixed gear freestyle almost impossibly high. Tom also got a video camera and has been shooting himself and others a lot. Look for lots more from him in 2012.

All that said, Tom’s part in Empire is pretty sick, and definitely different than his other videos. We put him into traffic, and even with those huge bars of his, he cut some pretty great lines. Pick up a copy and check it out.

Tom La Marche from Skitch on Vimeo.

Ed hasn’t rested since he was almost killed by a van while riding in 2008. We hooked up with him around then, and in the years it took to finish the DVD, Ed moved to Philadelphia, back to New York, started a bike company, and most recently moved to California. Ed has consistently pushed fixed gear freestyle forward both as a rider and as an entrepreneur. His Empire section doesn’t do him justice as a rider, but it does showcase his drive and personality.

Here’s Ed more in his own words.

Ed Wonka’s The Dog from GRIME BIKES on Vimeo.

Dwain is literally the Empire cover boy, and he let it go to his head a little. The day of the shoot for the cover, we auditioned to be doormen for the SoHo Hollister.

Dan is easily the best spandork racer in Empire. This year he raced for Mengoni on the road and Richard Sachs for cross. Next year he will continue with Sachs, and move to Foundation on the road.

But much more importantly, he has expanded his internet presence, and has an athlete Facebook page. Head on over and like it. And follow him on Tumblr.

Oh yeah, Empire has a Facebook page too.

The pic above is from when we were on the corner of Houston and Bowery. A waitress at the restaurant there was on her break and curious about what we were doing. This sort of thing would happen very often, even when we were in traffic.

I uploaded a lot more snaps from Empire shooting. They’re old, but new to you. Check them out here. Also, I updated the Empire Flickr group with those and a few others. If you’re on Flickr, go ahead and add some images to the group.

The DVDs are shipping, and the screenings are starting. Just last night Allan held a private screening in Brooklyn. Check out a pic here of the screenings and here of the parking lot.

The DVD is now available at a number of shops in NYC: Affinity, King Cog, Chari and Co., and Continuum.

The DVD is also beginning to be carried elsewhere online at Turntable Lab. You can also swing by their East Village shop at 120 East 7th Street between 1st and A and pick up a copy there.

The first round of orders have gone out, and people are stoked. If you ordered an interior poster, those will go out by the end of the week. Thanks to everyone around the country and the world for your early support. We got orders from all over Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.

We’ll be sending out wholesale orders this week too. Once those go out, I’ll update the blog with information on where to get the DVD in stores.

Also, there will be some screenings. So if you missed Empire during last year’s world tour with the Bicycle Film Festival, you will have a second chance. And even if you did, there is over an hour of new footage.

So check out the DVD!