High Roller

The first time I heard Matt Armbruster’s story, I was struck by a simple truth: we never really stop being kids. We just forget how to play.
High Roller began as a story about an aerospace engineer who quit his aerospace job to build adult-sized Big Wheels. But as I dove deeper, I discovered it was really about something more universal—the courage to chase joy, even when the world tells you to grow up.
Matt applied the same precision he used designing spacecraft systems to manufacturing pure happiness. That juxtaposition fascinated me: rocket science meets childhood nostalgia. The Apollo launch sequence that opens the film isn’t just visual poetry—it’s a metaphor for every dreamer who’s ever looked at the impossible and said, “Why not?”
As a first-time director, I wanted to capture not just the spectacle of hundreds of adults racing Big Wheels through Boulder’s streets, but the deeper story of community, reinvention, and the radical act of choosing joy. The Big Wheel Rally became more than a pub crawl—it became a movement, raising money for neonatal intensive care while reminding people that play isn’t frivolous. It’s essential.
This film is also deeply personal. Working alongside my son Aiden, who handled the onset sound, and as co-director, reminded me that the best adventures are the ones we share. Matt’s journey from childhood dreamer to aerospace engineer to toy manufacturer mirrors what I hope this film represents: it’s never too late to reinvent yourself and create something that brings people together.
High Roller is a love letter to anyone who’s ever been told to put away childish things. Sometimes the most grown-up thing you can do is remember what it felt like to fly.