When it comes to capturing the essence of Montauk’s surf culture, few do it better than Drew Maloney, the creative force behind Hometown Hype‘s first sold-out stop in Montauk, New York.
Drew’s connection to Montauk runs deep, from childhood camping trips at Hither Hills to screening his work at local venues like the Beach House. With a keen eye for storytelling and a love for the ocean, Drew has spent the past few years living and working in this vibrant coastal town, immersing himself in its tight-knit surf community.
We caught up with Drew to talk about his journey, the unique vibe of Montauk’s surf scene, and what inspired him to create a film that goes beyond the waves to showcase Montauk as a true “Gateway to the Ocean.” Here’s what he had to say.
This man has some serious talent. Photo: Courtesy DM
Tell us about your ties to Montauk?
I’ve always loved Montauk since coming out here fishing, surfing, and camping with my family at Hither Hills since I was a baby. When I was working with NYSea, we’d come out from Long Beach to do screening events, and I’ve screened other films I’ve done at the Beach House.
Four years ago, when the world came to a halt, I had work opportunities out here and was living out of my truck. As the work continued into the fall, I decided to leave the post house where I had been working as a flame artist for five years and go freelance as a commercial filmmaker and photographer. It’s been a journey living out here ever since.
How would you describe the Montauk surf community?
I would describe it as welcoming to those who show respect.There’s a core group of friends whose families grew up here, and they have a pretty tight bond. The city folk come out and crowd the lineups and parking spots. Everyone is great though, it’s just a lot of people in a small town from June to September.
What was your reaction when you were invited to partake in Hometown Hype?
Haha. I was stoked and anxious at the same time. Starting in May-June, I get swamped with bookings — since it’s so beautiful in Montauk this time of year, everyone wants to capitalize on that. It’s definitely my busiest time. But I was excited because the last New York surf film I made, Time & Tide in 2017, was covered by The Inertia, one of only a handful of publications that did a story about it.
When things come full circle like that, it makes you feel good and ultimately got me pretty amped for the opportunity to work on this.
What is your goal with the film?
I could have just strung together all the surf footage I had with some B-roll and made a cool, hyped-up video. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Montauk has so much more to offer. I wanted to showcase Montauk as a “Gateway to the Ocean” in a way that justifies how incredible it is out here by hearing it straight from the people who know best.
Is there anything you want people to know about your film and community?
Montauk’s community has such far reaches. You meet people from every walk of life out here, each with incredible stories to tell. It was very hard to draw the line with the interviews. I shot about 23 interviews for this and could have easily kept going. For this format, it didn’t make sense to include more, but there are so many great people out here I would have loved to sit down with. Maybe for the next one…?
Any shoutouts?
A huge thank you to all the video guys who contributed footage from around Long Island and beyond. I want to give a special thanks to James Katsipis and Laura Rubin for making this opportunity happen, and to Jesse Joeckel for his unwavering support from the beginning. Huge thanks to Grant Monahan who narrated the film. We spent some time working on the script together, and I think we nailed it. Thank you to the Montauk surf community for being so supportive and willing to be a part of this.
But most importantly, to my fiancée Steph, whom I’ll be marrying this September in Montauk, thank you for holding my hand on this crazy train for the past 12 years.
