Ask any Outer Banks local where to find the most delectable, mouth-watering frozen yogurt on the beach and more often than not, Surfin’ Spoon will be the name that comes to mind.
Known endearingly to frequenters as “The Spoon,” the establishment has developed a reputation for its exceptionally cozy atmosphere with a flare for the gnarly indebted to by local owners Jesse and Whitney Hines.
While filling up your bowl to the brim, you are sure to have encountered employee, Mike Leech. Mike, a surfer himself, has owned his photography business—Mike Leech Photography—for five years and has been awestruck by professional wave-rider Jesse Hines since his early childhood.
Over the span of the last three years, 20-year-old Leech, a business student at College of the Albemarle (COA), decided to combine his two passions of catching waves and snapping photos to highlight his friend and mentor in his debut feature-length film, Hines.
Hines chronicles name-sake Jesse Hines’ 17-year journey as a pro surfer beginning at 14 who’s passion developed annually during his summer vacations spent on the Outer Banks. Hines would go on to make a name for himself garnering the covers of multiple magazines and posters that adorned the walls of aspiring fans, including a young Mike Leech.
The film also entails a serious car accident that involved Hines on the-then Herbert C. Bonner Bridge, ultimately changing the trajectory of his life and igniting his Christian faith.
Now 42-years-old with two children of his own, Jesse has retired from the pro-league and enjoys hitting the waves recreationally as he continues to run his successful frozen yogurt shop in Nags Head alongside his wife, Whitney. His inspiring message, courage, and legacy he has generated on the shores of the surrounding beaches, however, has never wavered.
This is what Mike Leech intends to capture with his latest passion project, Hines.
“The goal is to show people that you can still ‘rip’ surfing wise and follow God. You don’t have to give up your love of surfing or any sport for that matter to follow God and that’s the whole thing with this…that’s what I hope to show, especially to the young community,” says Leech.
The roughly 80-minute film will premiere on Sunday, April 24th, at the Pioneer Theatre in Manteo at 3 p.m. Seating is limited, so prospective viewers are encouraged to arrive early.
Watch the official trailer for Hines below: