A year ago this month, I was given the job as editor-at-large for this very magazine. I still remember the phone call like it was yesterday. Chris Hamilton had taken a promotion within the company and his editor position was about to be open, so he reached out and offered me the job. Because Street Trucks magazine was the very first print magazine I shot for way back in 2001, it was a no-brainer to accept the offer. My life is 100% consumed with nothing but custom vehicles, and I knew I could bring my enthusiasm for the industry into the magazine and up the caliber of what our readers see each month. I had been a freelance photographer for over two decades at this point, so I had a ton of connections and knew most of the builders, so keeping up with the trends and the hottest builds would be easy. 

I have tried to add some themed issues over the past year and put my own spin on a few things. I hope you’ve noticed the passion I have poured into each month’s issue, and hopefully it has inspired a new love for print media. I have some cool stuff coming soon for our readers, so make sure that subscription is up to date so you don’t miss anything.

…I knew I could bring my enthusiasm for the industry into the magazine and up the caliber of what our readers see each month.  

For this month’s issue, I made sure there was more than enough eye candy. The cover is one of my all-time favorite trucks ever built—the Stranger. I was in constant contact with Eric at Little Shop while this truck was being built, and the original owner, Pascal, made sure he built what would be considered the highest end mini-truck ever, and I feel it still holds that title. It never got any print exposure when it was completed, so I knew it had to appear on the cover of Street Trucks and be shot by Johnny O, the best person to capture the truck’s details with his camera.

Sticking with this issue’s highly detailed theme, you’ll also read about an S-10 from Canada that offers something new every time you look at it. A couple other highly detailed classics and a brand new, big body SUV laying on the ground with 30-inch wheels round out the features. We barely had time to squeeze in this year’s LST coverage but managed to beat the printing deadline so our readers could see the coverage as soon as possible. There is also a special article about the most well-known freelancer in the game, Joe Greeves, who decided to call it quits after 50 years of shooting for every magazine in the industry—including several articles for us throughout our 25 years in print.

For next month’s issue, I am passing it over to Chris Hamilton to give you guys an update of what he’s been doing for the last year and run a few things he’s been working on. Don’t worry—you’ll see my ugly mug back on this page for the July issue. Until then, make sure to get those trucks back together and get them to shows for us to check out. Look for us at your favorite shows with our updated Motortopia booth, too.

Brandon Burrell

bburrell@engaged.media |@burrellimages on all social media

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