Isky: The Camfather’s Legacy Through Cheyanne Kane’s Lens

Cheyanne R. Kane - Film Producer / Director for Vigilants Productions

Vigilants produces original content and programming, including short films, feature films, and documentaries.

Contact: Cheyanne R. Kane at cheyannekane@mac.com | N/A | Visit Online!

      

In this episode of Women of the Autosphere on Break/Fix, we delve into the groundbreaking story of Ed ‘Isky’ Iskenderian, chronicled in Cheyanne Kane’s documentary ‘Isky.’ Cheyanne shares her journey from a demolition business to filmmaking, spurred by her passion for cars and meeting Ed through a friend. The film explores Isky’s innovative camshaft designs, his humble beginnings as the son of Armenian immigrants, and his profound influence on American racing culture. Through heartfelt moments, archival footage, and candid conversations, Cheyanne captures Isky’s relentless curiosity and impact on generations. Highlighting Isky’s creativity beyond mechanics, the documentary integrates shop sounds with a musical score to immerse viewers in his world. The episode concludes with Cheyanne discussing the film’s reception, her personal learnings, and the future of her filmmaking endeavors.

• What first drew you to telling “Isky’s” (Ed Iskenderian’s) story through a documentary?
• When you began researching, what aspects of Isky’s life surprised you the most?
• How would you describe the impact Ed Iskenderian had on car culture and motorsports beyond just camshafts?
• Were there any moments in interviews or archival footage that gave you a deeper emotional connection to the project?
• What challenges did you face in balancing the technical side of Isky’s innovations with the human story behind them?
• What lessons from Isky’s journey do you hope younger generations of builders, racers, or creators take away from the documentary?
  
• Looking back, what do you feel this project taught you personally—about storytelling, innovation, or perseverance?

Lauren Goodman: [00:00:00] Welcome to Women of the Autos Sphere. On Break Fix, we dive into the stories of trailblazers, engineers, racers, designers, and disruptors who are shaping the automotive and motor sports industries. From the pit lane to the boardroom, from concept sketches to championship podiums, these women are driving change breaking barriers, and inspiring the next generation.

Whether you’re a lifelong gearhead, a curious newcomer, or someone who simply loves a good story. You are in the right place. This is more than a podcast. It’s a movement.

Crew Chief Eric: Welcome to today’s episode of Break Fix, where we dive into the heart of hot rod history through the lens of director Cheyanne Kane’s powerful documentary Isky. This film tells the story of Ed Isky Arian, the legendary cam father whose vision and innovation helped shape the golden age of American racing.

From his groundbreaking camshaft designs to the culture he inspired. [00:01:00] Iki isn’t just a story about machines, it’s about people, passion and the drive to push beyond limits. Join us as we explore the legacy of a man who turned a love for speed into a movement, and the filmmaker who brings his journey to life on the screen.

And with that, let’s welcome Cheyanne to break fix.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Hello. Nice to be here.

Crew Chief Eric: Well, Cheyanne, like all good break fix stories. There’s a superhero origin story, but we’re talking about a superhero in the motorsports world. Tell us what drew you into Ike’s world in telling his story through a documentary.

Cheyanne R. Kane: I am a filmmaker, but I do have a lot of hot, rotting background.

I love cars. I love driving. I love driving alone. I love driving with people. I love learning about cars, and I think it was meant for Iki and I to meet each other. Uh, when I was younger, I used to work in a, uh, automotive demolition business, which actually made me sad when I [00:02:00] saw these hot rods, older cars come in, being pulled apart, smashed, and then melted.

You know, I used to think, wow, what I could do with these cars or figure them out. I used to try to see how they worked or drive them. I’ve been driving since I was 12 years old. So uh, when I did meet Ed, I just immediately felt connected to him and I was really surprised that there hadn’t been a movie about him.

I thought, well, then I’m going to do it.

Crew Chief Eric: So how did you meet Ed? Was it a series of events with your own car or something that led you to end up in his shop?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Actually, I met him through a friend that has, my gosh, I’ve lost track how many hot rods he has, you know, and it’s in his blood. And his father worked for Ed.

Ed used to go to his house. I got to meet him. I would hang out with them, heard all his stories, and just naturally [00:03:00] picked up my camera. And watching the footage afterwards was just so inspiring. I, I just could never keep my eyes off him. And clearly the camera loved him as well.

Crew Chief Eric: So when you began researching.

Being there with your camera and capturing all these moments, what aspect of his daily life or his routine or what he was doing in the shop really surprised you the most?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, when I went to his shop for the first time, I was blown away. The cam grinding machines, everybody working on different parts of the camshaft to seeing how the camshaft comes together.

The lighting in the shop was just brilliant, and the sounds were extraordinary. In fact, even before I realized I had this story, that I was clear on a story that I wanted to tell, but it wasn’t until I got to the shop that I started to think, wow, the sounds in this shop and what you could [00:04:00] do with the different pieces.

You know, it was really an amazing experience to find a composer to do the music and the types of things that we did with actual shop. Sounds completely took me away.

Crew Chief Eric: So, hanging around the shop, did Isky ever let you in on the secret sauce? What makes an isky cam better than anything else?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Filming him for many, many years, always trying to find out exactly what that is.

He did have a secret door, or does have the secret door. I’m still, I’m sure he still does today. A lot of people that are entrepreneurs are probably going into that business to make money or that’s a big part of it, at least for the people that I interact with. Ike’s journey started with pure love, pure curiosity, and that allowed his creativity and his imagination to blossom and to not censor himself and to try things.

So this journey of following [00:05:00] Iki, creating the business that he has and the influence that he has had on this. Entire automotive era. It all started with doing what he loves and being curious. You know, it was a surprise to him when, you know, he decided to make his first camshaft and realized, wow, I can make money doing this too.

I don’t feel ever in his mind it was about creating this huge impact on the industry that really happened because of the interactions that he had with the people pioneers of that time. It was just the hands-on curiosity, how fast can I make this thing go without killing myself? But really. What inspired me and, and captured me is Ike’s curiosity to this day.

His curiosity, not just for the cars and how they [00:06:00] work, the mechanics, but the curiosity of each individual and who owns the cars, you know, and their story and how they all got started with it. You know, what I really started to see is this community of people. That is so beautiful. And when I was younger, I didn’t really realize that that existed.

And having to meet Iki going into the world of drag racing, motor sports, and just the connection in the. The relationship with people was just really beautiful.

Crew Chief Eric: And if memory serves, ed is 104 years old this year. You’re there following him around the shop. How old was he when you were recording this?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, I first met him in, uh, 2007 when I started recording him with crew and different types of cameras. That was around 2015. That’s when I was able to see another part [00:07:00] of what he created and how he created it.

Crew Chief Eric: So you met him in his eighties and obviously started filming him well into his nineties. You ever wondered what was Iki like in his prime?

And so did that put you on a quest to find videos back when he was much younger to incorporate into the documentary? And if so, what did you discover by going on that quest?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, I definitely wondered what he was like when he was younger. There is quite a bit of archival footage that you can find and you see him as a young man.

I think what was really wonderful too is because there are so many people in the community that I would go to and try to find. Different types of archival footage that maybe wasn’t in the, in our world of the internet. John Athens, who’s his best friend, he had passed away already, but his wife let me go through all his photos and videos.

And I found the [00:08:00] coolest videos fishing, um, being at the drag races and in the pit and with his wife. And there’s just this funny moment of where his wife takes a hot dog and. Puts it right in his mouth and he’s got his two sons next to him. Seeing him as a young man, every time there’s a smile on his face, there’s a cigar often in his hand or his pocket or his mouth working on the cars during the races.

It was really incredible to find out about him.

Crew Chief Eric: You mentioned some of the funnier moments there, like the hotdog scene. Is that in the documentary? Did you incorporate that in?

Cheyanne R. Kane: It’s actually not, it, it, it didn’t fit into the story, but you know, I have over 300 5400 hours of footage.

Crew Chief Eric: So of that content, maybe things that just got left on the cutting room floor, are there some of those where you personally connected with them more deeply and more emotionally that [00:09:00] maybe we’re not gonna get to see as viewers?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, so much of what Iki did is so impactful, and both of these moments did make it into the film, which are so impactful in a way I can’t even begin to express what it really means. To, uh, me and, and what I experienced personally. The first moment would be early on when he is talking about building cars and finding the pieces and going to an actual junkyard, which is not much different than a recycling auto shop business, which is where I worked in, and, you know, there’s this image.

Of all the cars just piled up and that moment just took me back in time and could only imagine what it was like for him and John and you know, these guys building hot rods and just going out there and, and trying things. That would be one. Another [00:10:00] moment that’s very impactful is Iki talked about his mentor, ed Winfield.

Ed Winfield being a pioneer in, in the automotive world, ed had told me that he would go visit him and record each other so he would have audio tape because it was important of what he was talking about. And Winfield really was brilliant. I said, you recorded them so you have these recordings. And so it was something he was looking for for quite a while.

So we went on this journey to find these cassette tapes. Lo and behold, we did find them. Finding them was just one moment of like, wait a minute, this is from back in the seventies. Once we got them and having him listen to them for the very first time, it was as if he left this world and went completely traveled into time hearing Ed Winfield’s voice for the first time since he passed [00:11:00] and that moment.

Was just so in incredible and I felt like I was traveling with him just when we were filming it, and then when I saw it on the big screen, all I can say is, wow, it’s just so heartfelt.

Crew Chief Eric: I’m glad you went there because you’ve been talking about the impact that Iki has had on various people, whether they’re in the motor sports industry, whether it’s car culture, you know, beyond the world of camp shafts in general.

I’m wondering. What have other people said or how have they reacted to the film as they’ve seen it?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I am grateful for the, the people that have seen it and have had just, I guess I would say maybe a shocking, a shocked response. It was his grandchildren didn’t realize who their grandfather was. It’s been very emotional responses.

A lot of people have thanked me that this is here. ’cause it’s really surprising to me that nobody has [00:12:00] done a film on him with how much he’s impacted the automotive world, not just with Cam chefs, but his marketing sense to utilize whatever was happening in the moment and taking that to another level.

As we know marketing is. Is a huge part of the automotive world. I look at him as a self-taught engineer. There was no formal college or education in that way. The audience, I think they really love seeing it so that he will be remembered and that we know what history is about. I think sometimes maybe people don’t always remember.

For example, I’ll give an example as a, a filmmaker, I was hiring a DOP for a project and they went to school, I think it was UCLA and film school and, and I was asking her questions and were talking about things, and she had no idea who Jack Nicholson. And I went, wait, what? I was like, you [00:13:00] don’t know who Jack Nicholson is?

I was like, wait a minute. You don’t know the films, his whole beginning and how inspiring that is. So I, I think long answer to your simple question is I got a reaction from a lot of people of just thank you for telling this man’s story this. Portrait of this human being that artistically and creatively influenced an automotive racing world of motor sports, but so much more.

Crew Chief Eric: So it’s safe to assume that Isys seen his own film. What has he said to you?

Cheyanne R. Kane: He has seen it and, uh, I, I actually showed him different versions of it, would take his notes and actually he just saw it on a huge screen, a 70 foot screen, which is how I would love everybody to see this film because how it is made.

His reaction was that he loves [00:14:00] it and how much is in it. The last thing he said to me as we were walking to the car is, I love it. So that is the best response from anyone I could have.

Crew Chief Eric: So let’s talk a little bit more about the making of the film. You mentioned earlier about how you use the complex sounds of the shop.

Then added a musical score to it and created this whole ambiance by infusing these two basically diametrically opposed things. Let’s say classical music with the sounds of a machine shop. So what other challenges did you face in terms of balancing the technical side of Ike’s work and his life with the human side of the story that you were trying to tell?

Cheyanne R. Kane: You know, in talking about the music, I. Want to uh, share. You know, I did speak with several composers and musicians that I might work with. Marty Beller, who is the drummer for, they Will be Giants, but he was the first one that didn’t laugh and say, that’s ridiculous. I [00:15:00] want to send you a camshaft. He’s a drummer, and I want you to play the camshaft.

So sending him parts, actual parts from the shop. My key sound person that I worked with was fantastic. We went to the shop for hours and just recorded the sounds of the shop so that we could incorporate it. That’s ultimately what I sent Marty, and it’s an original soundtrack. That is just when you hear it and watch the film on something like a 70 foot screen, it just takes you to another world.

And I bring all that in because that too is the technical and the artistic. That’s Isy. He’s a highly creative and artistic individual. Medium happens to be engineering and mechanics, so they feel like they go together very well. The artistic and, and the technical and human story actually is all [00:16:00] part of who Isci is as this creative and curious individual.

Crew Chief Eric: As a motor sport enthusiast myself, you know, I recognize there’s multiple disciplines of motor sport and we can get excited about them in different ways. And so we’re talking specifically about, you know, straight line drag racing. We’re talking about some circle track, things like that where isky was more prominent than let’s say, you know, other forms of motor sport.

To an outsider, when you look at motorsport, ah, it’s just cars going around in a circle, or is cars going fast in a straight line? You know, to simplify what I was just saying, but how do you convey that to an audience that might be watching this that isn’t necessarily from the Motorsport community that would immediately identify and.

Understand what was happening. So how were you able to do that in the film? So it makes sense to the outsider?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I hope I did achieve my goal because from the beginning, Iki really spoke to me and inspired me as not just a car guy. But somebody [00:17:00] that is interested in life in how things were and his upbringing, very humble, you know, from a son of two Armenian immigrants.

He, at one point told me, people told him, you know, he’ll never make much of himself, especially using his name, Arian. People shortened it, obviously, but. I think it’s a very universal story of this man that is so inspired and curious about life and has not just done well financially, but has inspired so many generations of racers.

But it’s not just about the racing. It really is that human story of perseverance. Of interest. And while that for us is in the automotive world and is obvious, there really is this other story of a human being in this world caring about other people, [00:18:00] helping other people. That’s the other thing. You know, the education that he put out, you know, they would’ve never called it education, but the top tuner tip booklets the information in just one of those.

Books is probably an entire year of a mechanics course. So helping people and hearing their story, you know, I really do hope it reaches a larger audience than just our built-in automotive world and just that straight line of racing. When you think of those drag racers going from zero to whether it’s 180 or lt, who am.

Four, 112 I think it was, or you know, miles per hour. I mean, I think of that and I’m still, I’m blown away. I remember when I went to my first drag race and I was like, what? Like it’s just, wow.

Crew Chief Eric: Isky being 104 years old, he’s seen a lot of change in this world. He’s been alongside shoulder to shoulder with other greats [00:19:00] in the motorsport and automotive world who have been innovators and agents of change and have.

Brought forth all sorts of revolution. A lot of the folks that maybe people recognize or align with, a lot of their invention came as a result of like World War II and being in the service and what they learned from aerospace they brought to racing and things like that. You talked about Isky being an immigrant, coming from Armenia.

What do you think sets him apart from those other innovators like the Colin Chapmans and the Enzo Ferrari and all the other people that are in the history books?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I would say what sets him apart is all the different avenues of his influence. And again, I, I always go back to his curiosity. I mean, to this day, and I just saw him the other day, his, his.

Curiosity surpasses many 20 year olds, 30 year olds that I’ve met today. You know, going beyond just the camshaft, the marketing, the education, the working together, [00:20:00] the cam Wars. But having fun joking with each other and having that competition there, wanting to better each other, and he has spanned decades of his influence.

Each decade. He, he nevers. Stop. I mean, even today, you know, the questions he’ll ask people is hopeful and encouraging to watch.

Crew Chief Eric: And what’s interesting about his story is compared to a lot of other people, you know, you talk about folks that made it big or became celebrities or pro this and awardee of that, and they grew up maybe after an era began like, oh, I was part of the hot rod era, but I wasn’t there at the beginning.

Iki was there at the beginning of a lot of things. And so I wonder. His inventive spirit. You keep referring to his curiosity, his innovation. Does he recognize that he’s at the epicenter of hot rod culture in America?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I don’t think I can really answer what he thinks, but I can only tell you what I feel from what I [00:21:00] see.

And I would say he, he so humble. He doesn’t really realize to the degree. Of the impact that he has had and continues to have on generations of the motor sports and racers. When I had the screening, I was lucky enough in, uh, one of the other screenings to meet a young man, maybe in his twenties, and he brought as many friends as he could in this last screening.

And just them shaking his hand. It was the rock star.

Crew Chief Eric: He’s a legend.

Cheyanne R. Kane: He is a legend. He is the legend of speed. His need for speed early on is what I was like, oh, he has to go. There’s a need for it. Or as you say at the beginning, the love for speed. You know, that is something that is in our DNA. And so that too is why it was so important for me to make the film.

Knowing that there’s no other films out there, so that this younger generation can see where it came from. And I hope [00:22:00] inspire them to use their hands to not be afraid, of course, of where our society is going with computers and cell phones, but to step away from it once in a while and. Working with our hands, maybe bringing shop classes back to our schools.

Welding, you go into a zone is what I feel at least like when I’m with my car or motorcycle or I’m driving. It’s really I, I get to go into another world and. Something happens that you just can’t always experience in the world trying to do everything

Crew Chief Eric: the way you paint Ike’s picture for us. You know, listening to you recount the story and how this was all put together.

Not to get too metaphorical, but it reminds me sort of, you know, of the Greek gods and so he doesn’t realize he’s the reincarnation of Festus, right? And he’s building the swords and the shields for the gods to go out and do these wonderful things or you know, the wage war, whatever it is, and. Same way he’s building these cams [00:23:00] and supplying it to pro drivers that went on to become legends in their own right in the hall of fame and whatnot.

Yeah, so he’s back there toiling away building these components for people. It’s absolutely incredible as I continue to think about this. And you mentioned the younger generation, you know, coming to see the film. What do you think is the big takeaway for them? What’s the lesson learned outside of the, you know, go learn how to weld and use your hands?

What’s that big point that you wanted to drive home, that they take with them for the rest of their lives?

Cheyanne R. Kane: I think about it a lot. I hope they will be inspired. I hope that they won’t be afraid to try things. And experiment and make mistakes and fall down and get right back up, not give up. I feel like for some reason with the internet and the technology and the changes that’s happened, I hope it brings them to come back together and learn from each other and not to be afraid of [00:24:00] that.

You don’t have to hide your secrets, you know, you just work together and have fun. The other. Beautiful quality about Ed is he has fun. The smile on him, on all of those years that I have filmed him, I just, I cannot take my eyes off when he smiles. So I, I hope the younger generation will just be inspired by him to go for it, whatever that dream is.

Crew Chief Eric: So Cheyanne looking back. What do you feel this project taught you personally about storytelling? About innovation, or even about perseverance?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Wow. Sorry, that just so sorry. I didn’t expect this. Um, you know, I’m so sorry. I am so grateful to have been able to make this film to, um, be with Ed to [00:25:00] go to him and say.

Let’s do this, let’s do this together. And, uh, it has shown me not to give up and when I have a vision to trust it, you know, because along the way, in all of our lives, we’re going to have naysayers or you can’t do this or you can’t do that. And, uh. It really took me to another level of not everybody is going to be your cheerleader, and that is okay.

It’s because you have to believe in yourself and what you’re doing and have the perseverance and have some faith.

Crew Chief Eric: For those at home that haven’t seen the film yet, where’s the best place to see it? Is it gonna be available on streaming? Are there gonna be some live presentations where we can see it on the big 70 foot screen?

Where can we get a look at Iki?

Cheyanne R. Kane: So right now we’re still on the film festival circuit on our [00:26:00] Instagram at Iki, the documentary. We post everything there Whenever we have a film festival screening, right now we’re in talks and works with sales and distribution of the film and. There might be some other avenues that we’re working on, which I’ll definitely keep everyone abreast of at iki.

The documentary on the Instagram

Crew Chief Eric: now that is C’S all done and wrapped up. It’s in the can, as they say in Hollywood Speak.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Right?

Crew Chief Eric: What’s next for you, Cheyanne? Any other automotive or related films in the works? Any other spoilers you can give us?

Cheyanne R. Kane: Well, there are other films in the works and some within the.

The same genre. And you know, there’s so many stories in the automotive world. I too, like Iki became captivated by each individual’s story and how they had their road into the automotive world. So there’s a few, but nothing that I can really speak about as of.

Crew Chief Eric: All [00:27:00] right. Well we’ve reached that part of the conversation where I like to invite our guests to share any shout outs, promotions, or anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t covered thus far.

Cheyanne R. Kane: When Iskey found Ed Winfield’s tapes, you know that, that on so many levels, that was a brilliant moment. And it inspired myself and my, uh, partner, Carrie Ann Enright, who’s the producer of the film. We had a beautiful still photographer, Sean Murphy, who took really wonderful stills, and so we took photos of the present.

He also took photos of the archival footage and photos that I found. And we made a table book because those cassette tapes have Ed Winfield and Iki speaking. So that moment of Ed hearing Winfield’s voice and what they’re actually talking about, we took some of their conversation and we put it and it has these beautiful, both archival and contemporary [00:28:00] photos.

And then in between we have the, the dialogue between Ed Winfield and uh, Iki. It’s a really beautiful book and we have a website, www dot iki, the documentary. There’s a link to the book and other merchandise.

Crew Chief Eric: Thank you for joining us for this special conversation, Cheyanne, about the documentary that you put together called Iki Ed.

Iki. Derian story is more than just racing history. It’s a testament to innovation, resilience, and the passion that drives us forward. So folks, if you’d like to learn more about the film, follow updates, or connect with the team, you can visit www.ikithedocumentary.com and make sure to follow Iki on social media at Iki, the documentary on Instagram.

You can also reach out directly by email@infoatvigilance.media for screenings media in inquiry. And collaborations. And with that, Cheyanne, I can’t thank you enough for coming on Break Fix. This has been such a heartfelt [00:29:00] retelling of Ike’s life. You’ve obviously made him a part of your life in a very deep and impactful way, and we are thankful to you, like many, many others, for taking up his torch and really sharing the stories of a living legend on a global scale.

Cheyanne R. Kane: Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s been incredible to, to meet you and, and talk with you. Thank you.

Crew Chief Eric: We hope you enjoyed another awesome episode of Break Fix Podcast, brought to you by Grand Tour Motorsports. If you’d like to be a guest on the show or get involved, be sure to follow us on all social media platforms at Grand Touring Motorsports. And if you’d like to learn more about the content of this episode, be sure to check out the follow on article@gtmotorsports.org.

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Skip ahead if you must… Here’s the highlights from this episode you might be most interested in and their corresponding time stamps.

• 00:00 Diving into Hot Rod History with Cheyanne R. Kane
• 01:27 Cheyanne’s Journey into Filmmaking
• 02:33 Meeting Ed “ISKY” Iskenderian
• 03:23 Exploring Ed’s Workshop
• 04:13 The Secret Sauce of Isky Cams
• 04:43 Ed’s Impact on the Automotive World
• 07:22 Archival Footage and Personal Moments
• 11:29 Audience Reactions and Emotional Responses
• 14:10 The Making of the Documentary
• 18:56 Isky’s Legacy and Influence
• 24:30 Cheyenne’s Reflections and Future Projects
• 28:16 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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The project also inspired a companion table book, pairing archival and contemporary photos with excerpts from Winfield and Isky’s conversations. It’s another way to preserve the voices and images of a generation that built motorsports from the ground up.

To learn more, visit iskythedocumentary.com or follow updates on Instagram at @iskythedocumentary.