Motorcycle Travel Filmmaker
I’ve been a content creator all of my life. The first time I made a video about anything was in 1984. I’ve never stopped filming and editing since then, although the context has changed throughout my career (television, corporate, commercial, documentary, YouTube, etc.).
Now I have the time and freedom in my life to make the kind of videos that I want to make, which usually involve travel by motorcycle and/or 4×4 van, and life as a the owner of a small vintage motel in Bisbee, Arizona. All of this is made much easier with the support of my incredible partner and muse, Eva.
Join me and I will show you great roads, beautiful destinations and epic campsites. We might learn a little bit about the world around us and have a good drink at the end of the day.
Visit my motel in Bisbee, Arizona: www.thejonquil.com.
My Story
1978 – My First Motorcycle – Honda 50
My mom bought my first motorcycle for my 8th birthday in the late 1970’s. It was a Honda 50cc mini bike. I remember packing up a little backpack with sandwiches and riding off into the woods for entire afternoons on wonderful adventures. Never did I imagine where this journey would lead to later in my life.
1982 – My Second Motorcycle – Yamaha 360 Enduro
My second motorcycle was a used Yamaha 360 Enduro, purchased from a neighbor. I rode that bike for approximately two years as an early teenager on the trails around my house in Spring Lake, Michigan. Eventually I became more interested in school and other things and we sold the bike which was broken at the time.
1984 – My First Video – Fruitport High School
I created my first videos in 1984 with the help of Roger Schutter and the the Fruitport High School Media Productions Class. This was my introduction to video production and what would ultimately become my career.
1993 – Video Production Career in Seattle, WA
I moved to Seattle, Washington in 1993 and found work as a video editor for Microsoft Corporation, where I worked for four years as an Independent Contractor. Seattle in the early 1990’s was a fun place to be with lots of grunge music and coffee. I learned how to use computers for video editing instead of the old analog methods of production and the Internet was just beginning to take off. I had my first e-mail account in 1993.
1996 – Vintage BMW R50/5 Motorcycle
I purchased an old BMW motorcycle through an ad in the local newspaper, and began motorcycle touring around the northwest. I rode this motorcycle for about four years on several long distance tours and had it all set up with vintage equipment to match the motorcycle.
1998 – Dreaming of Motorcycle Travel Filmmaking as a Career
My contract with Microsoft ended in 1998 and I decided to pursue a dream of making my own films. I enrolled in a documentary production course at the local Media Arts Center and my first assignment was to choose a subject. I chose ‘motorcycling’ as the subject that I would pursue for my first documentary.
1998 – Meeting the Legend – Helge Pedersen
Fate entered the picture when I saw a slideshow at the local BMW motorcycle dealership in Seattle, Washington. It was a presentation called “10 Years on 2 Wheels” by Helge Pedersen, a legendary motorcyclist from Norway. The slideshow deeply resonated with me when I realized the possibilities for long distance motorcycle adventure and filmmaking.
10 Years on 2 Wheels
Helge Pedersen’s journey around the world as a motorcyclist and photographer on a 1980 BMW R80 GS named Olga is the stuff that dreams are made of and I approached him after the show and asked him if we could work on a project together. I wanted to turn his slideshow into a short documentary film. I found my subject.
1998 – New BMW F650 GS Motorcycle
I purchased my first new motorcycle in 1998, a BMW F650 Funduro just in time to take of on a filming adventure with Helge Pedersen.
1998 – My First Motorcycle Film with Helge Pedersen
Helge and I spent a few days riding out to the Olympic Peninsula where we camped and filmed the material for my first motorcycle movie “Closer to the World”.
2001 – GlobeRiders Iceland Expedition
Helge Pedersen founded GlobeRiders in 2000 a commercial motorcycle touring company that took clients around the world on the longest motorcycle adventure tours offered at the time. He wanted me to film his first tour across Asia in 2000 but I was unable to do so. However, in 2001 we traveled to Iceland and created our first feature length documentary film together, the Iceland Expedition. We marketed and sold this filom on DVD with the help of Touratech-USA as a distributor.
2002 – GlobeRiders World Tour
In 2002 I was finally able to join Helge Pedersen and GlobeRiders on their 65 day journey across Asia from Shanghai to Munich and we created the GlobeRiders Eurasian Odyssey which was broadcast on the Speed Channel and also available on DVD.
2007 – GlobeRiders Indochina Expedition
Helge Pedersen, Chris Poland and I traveled together on the GlobeRiders Indochina Expedition in 2007. This 71 day motorcycle trip took us through Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. I created a six-hour television series about the expedition which was sold to broadcasters around the world and available on DVD through Touratech-USA.
2009 – Beyond the Border – Riding Solo in Mexico
In 2009 I decided that I wanted to do my first solo motorcycling project. I was inspired by filmmaker such as Dick Proenneke and Les Stroud and wanted to try something similar on a motorcycle adventure. I chose Mexico because it was close to home and did not require the hassle of shipping my motorcycle far away. I wanted to make a film that has a real story, larger than myself and my own adventure, and I was looking for a story of hope and optimism in contrast to the media coverage of Mexico and the Drug War at the time. I knew that I would find a good story south of the border if I rode far enough and kept my eyes and heart open.
2010 – BMW Motorrad – 30 Years GS Documentary Film
Helge Pedersen introduced me to BMW Motorrad in 2010 with the idea of producing a documentary about the BMW GS motorcycle’s history. I created the film 30 Years GS: A History of the BMW GS Enduro for BMW Motorrad in return for a new BMW F800 GS motorcycle.
2010 – New BMW F800 GS Motorcycle
The BMW F800 GS was a significant upgrade to my 12 year old F650. The first adventure that I was able to take the bike on was the GlobeRiders Africa Adventure in 2010.
2010 – GlobeRiders Africa Adventure
I filmed the GlobeRiders Africa Adventure in the fall of 2010, riding my BMW F800 GS motorcycle across South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia for over 30 days.
2010- Present – Backcountry Discovery Routes Director
In 2010 I met Bruce Stevens and Andrew Cull who were working on the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route which was inspired by a similar route in Oregon. I introduced them to Touratech and they decided to support my filmmaking of the expedition. We rode and filmed this first Backcountry Discovery Route in the summer of 2010 and the first official BDR movie and route was released in early 2011.
2012 – Copper Canyon Filming Expedition
I returned to the Copper Canyon in Mexico in the spring of 2012 to begin working on a longer documentary film about Micah True and the ultra marathon race in the canyon. I spent three weeks traveling around the Copper Canyons with Micah and filme the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon race for the second time.
2016 – Expedition 65 with Rawhyde Adventures
In 2016 I partnered with Jim Hydes and Rawhyde Adventures on the filming of Expedition 65 – Journey to the End of the World. This 65 day motorcycle adventure took us through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru. Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. We had a large team of riders on this self-organized expedition, all of them riding BMW GS motorcycles. It was a beautiful journey although the filmmaking was at times difficult for me with such a large group of riders.
2017 – BMW Motorrad – BMW GS Trophy Qualifiers
In 2017 I approached BMW Motorrad with the idea of filming another project for them in return for a new motorcycle. They agreed and I filmed the 2017 BMW Motorrad GS Trophy Qualifiers.
2017 – New BMW R1200 GS Rallye
I received a new BMW R1200 GS Rallye in 2017 and have been riding that motorcycle since then. It currently has 65,000 miles on the odometer.
Director Credits
2022 – ORBDR Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route
2021 – WYBDR Wyoming Backcountry Discovery Route
2019 – NEBDR Northeast Backcountry Discovery Route
2018 – CABDR California Backcountry Discovery Route
2017 – MABDR Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route
2016 – Expedition 65: Journey to the End of the World
2015 – NMBDR New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route
2015 – Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2014 – IDBDR Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route
2013 – AZBDR Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route
2012 – COBDR Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
2011 – Rawhyde Adventure Continental Divide Ride
2010 – WABDR Washington Backcountry Discovery Route
2010 – GlobeRiders Arica Adventure
2010 – 30 Years of Dirt: A History of the BMW GS Enduro
2009 – Beyond the Border – Riding Solo in Mexico
2007 – GlobeRiders Indochina Expedition
2005 – GlobeRiders Silk Road Adventure
2002 – GlobeRiders Eurasian Odyssey
2001 – GlobeRiders Iceland Expedition
Awards
2020 Santa Cruz Moto Film Fest
Best Feature Film (tie)
Northeast Backcountry Discovery Route
2018 Buenos Aires Running Film Festival
Best Feature Film
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 Spotlight Documentary Film Awards
Silver Award
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 Ladek Mountain Film Festival
Best Mountain Running Film
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 INKAfest Mountain Film Festival
Best Film on Running
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration, and Equality
International Award of Merit
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 Arizona International Film Festival
Best Documentary
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 TAFWA Track and Field Writers of America
Bud Greenspan Documentary Film Award
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2015 IndieFEST
Award of Excellence – Documentary Feature
Run Free – The True Story of Caballo Blanco
2011 Mexico International Film Festival
Golden Palm Award
Beyond the Border – Riding Solo in Mexico
2011 Mountain Film Festival
Sir Edmund Hillary Award Winner
Beyond the Border – Riding Solo in Mexico
2010 MarCom Awards
Platinum Award
Beyond the Border – Riding Solo in Mexico
2010 MarCom Awards
Gold Award
Super Athletes of the Sierra Madre
2009 Videographer Awards
Award of Excellence
GlobeRiders Indochina Expedition
2007 HDFEST
Best Director of a Feature Length HD Documentary
GlobeRiders Silk Road Adventure
2007 Hermes Creative Awards
Gold Award
GlobeRiders Silk Road Adventure
2005 Communicator Awards
Award of Distinction
GlobeRiders BMW 1100/1150 GS Adventure Touring Instructional DVD
2006 Telly Awards
Silver Award
Discoveries… America – Ohio
Produced by Bennett-Watt HD Productions
Sterling Noren – Editor/Co-Producer
2006 Videographer Awards
Award of Distinction
Discoveries… America – Florida
2005 Communicator Awards
Award of Excellence
Discoveries… America – West Virginia
2003 Telly Awards
Bronze Award
Discoveries… Spain – El Corazon
Press and Interviews
Seeker. Searcher. Wanderer. Bodhisattva, Motolicious.bike, October 13, 2021
Episode 011: Sterling Noren & Eva Rupert, Adventure Motorcycle USA podcast
Interviewing Sterling Noren, film maker and adventure motorcyclist, Overland Journal podcast
ADVMoto PODcast – Episode #6 Special Moments with Kiwicruisette and Sterling Noren
Filming Motorcycle Adventures: Sterling Noren, Adventure Rider Radio, podcast
Chasing the Horizon, Episode 45, podcast
The Devil’s Quite, The Journal of Lost Time
A Road Trip Oasis: Historic Bisbee motel to keep on keepin’ on, Sierra Vista Herald, May 10, 2019
ADVRider.com Interview, April 28, 2020
Touratech-USA Interview, June 13, 2012
Motorjournalism Interview, February 9, 2011
Contact
General Inquiries – sterling@norenfilms.com
Jonquil Motel – https://www.thejonquil.com
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/NorenFilms
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sterling.noren
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sterling.noren
Noren Films
PO Box 1524
Bisbee, AZ 85603