AYE MATIES: PRODUCTION DIARY #01

The Message That Started It All

April 2026, Vienna.Sometimes, a great journey does not begin in a harbour. Not with a treasure map. Not with a ship on the horizon.

Sometimes, it begins with a WhatsApp message.

After 16 years, Old Salt reached out to his friend Dino. The Captain had an idea. A big idea. And before taking it any further, he wanted to know what Dino thought of it.

Old Salt is not a man who merely tells stories about the sea. He has lived it. Behind the scenes of major international film productions such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Master and Commander,” he was on board, steering ships for the worlds that captivated millions of audiences.

Pirates, wind, sails, adventure – to him, these had never been mere fantasy. They were part of his life.

And now, he wanted to create something of his own from it.

A Vision – and a Missing Soundtrack

During their first WhatsApp conversation, Old Salt told Dino about his idea for a new format: AYE MATIES.

But before he could explain the full vision, the Captain first needed to let off some steam. He was frustrated. Weeks earlier, he had commissioned music for a first trailer: a soundtrack that was supposed to capture the feeling of his story – adventure, the sea, mystery, danger and that powerful longing for freedom.

But the music never arrived.

No usable version. No sound that brought his images to life. Just waiting.

Dino listened to the story and finally asked:

“Send me the lyrics. And tell me what you want this trailer to sound like.”

Old Salt did exactly that. He described the atmosphere, the images in his mind, the character of his story and the feeling the trailer was meant to evoke.

Then the chat went quiet.

At least for a while.

The MP3 in the Chat

Dino himself had been a great fan of pirate films, seafaring tales and those kinds of adventures where you can almost hear the wood of an old ship creaking beneath your feet. He had also already co-produced two German-language pirate rock albums. So Old Salt’s world was hardly unfamiliar to him.

Quite the opposite.

A little while later, a file suddenly appeared in the WhatsApp chat.

An MP3.

Dino sent it – and grinned.

Old Salt pressed play.

What happened next was one of those moments when an idea suddenly becomes tangible. The music struck exactly the right note. It had the right energy, the right sense of longing, the right measure of adventure.

The Captain was thrilled.

His reply did not take long:

“I have to meet you. I have to tell you about my vision.”

The First Sunny Days in Vienna

A few days later, the two of them met in Vienna.

It was one of those first spring days when the sun finally begins to feel warm again. It was still too chilly to sit outside without a jacket, but warm enough to find a place in the sunshine and, for a moment, believe that winter was finally over.

It was April 2026.

And there they were: the Captain and the filmmaker. Two friends sitting opposite each other again after many years. Between them were coffee, sunlight – and an idea that would become far bigger than Dino could have imagined at first.

Old Salt began to speak.

About the sea.About adventure.About people facing real challenges.About a world full of riddles, decisions, teamwork and responsibility.About a format that would combine the power of great pirate stories with a genuine, modern mission.

His vision had a name:

AYE MATIES

It was not meant to be just another show. Not simply another story about pirates. Old Salt wanted to create an entire world: cinematic, adventurous, emotional and deeply connected to the sea that had accompanied him throughout his life.

Dino listened.

The longer Old Salt spoke, the clearer it became that this was not just a spontaneous idea being discussed over coffee. There was a universe. A character. A journey. And above all, an extraordinary passion that was impossible not to catch.

Then came the question that changed everything.

Old Salt looked at Dino and asked:

“Will you come on board? As director and co-producer?”

The First Step On Board

Some decisions take weeks. Some require business plans, spreadsheets or long negotiations.

And some begin with a feeling.

The feeling that something special is taking shape. That a message, an MP3 and a conversation in the Viennese spring sunshine might become an adventure that deserves to be told.

For Dino, one thing was clear: this journey deserved to begin.

And so Old Salt’s vision became a shared project.

A WhatsApp message became the first entry in our Production Diary.

The sails had not yet been set.The crew was not yet complete.The journey had only just begun.

But from that moment on, one thing was certain:

AYE MATIES was no longer just an idea.

AYE MATIES was on board.