Julien*s Auctions / Rolling STone magazine

“The Melvan” a Quick Ride Through Grunge History

Commercial: Creative/ Production / Post

Surrender partnered with Julien’s Auctions to create a wild little tribute film to the Melvan - a beat-up old tour van once owned by the Melvins and tagged by Kurt Cobain himself.
From concept to execution, we led the creative and handled production end-to-end on the ground in Seattle. Part punk artifact, part time capsule, we took the Melvan back out through the city on Record Store Day, hitting grunge landmarks and record stores and letting the fans have one last moment with it before it headed to auction. We captured the energy in real time as the Melvan rolled through and the sidewalks filled up.
The film was released as an exclusive with Rolling Stone, taking the story well beyond the auction world and into the global music conversation.

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  • Surrender Pictures partnered with Julien’s Auctions to produce a documentary-style brand film centered on the Melvan, a historic touring van associated with the Melvins and Kurt Cobain. Shot on location in Seattle, the project reframed the vehicle as a cultural artifact tied to the origins of grunge music.

    The film was designed to expand the story beyond the auction audience into the broader music and cultural landscape.

  • Surrender led creative development, on-location production, and post-production, following the Melvan through Seattle on Record Store Day. The production combined documentary coverage, environmental storytelling, and real-time audience interaction.

    Post-production preserved the raw energy of the experience while shaping a cohesive editorial narrative suitable for wide distribution.

  • The film premiered exclusively with Rolling Stone, extending its reach into global music and culture media. In addition to supporting the auction, it functions as evergreen music and cultural storytelling content within the memorabilia space.

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