by The Editors on August 12, 2008
Leave it to the old guys at Concrete Disciples to get all the proper coverage of Quiksilver’s All 80s All Day street contest held last Saturday (August 9, 2008) in the parking lot behind the Quiksilver offices in Huntington Beach.
When I got down to Quik, I was blown away by what Eddie had put together. Jump ramps, big kinked quarter pipes, big banks, kickers to inclined railsliders, the 1/4 to 1/4 wallride transfer setup, a rounded 90 degree corner transfer, wallride banger box, and the big bank to parking block wedge complete with transfer jumps at both ends. Lastly, a jump ramp to minivan roof to jump ramp setup. There were an assortment of period-specific decks set up for everyone to ride as well. In other words, the throwback feel was complete and authentic.
Wish we were there. . .
[Link: Concrete Disciples]
by The Editors on August 12, 2008
They’ve done as good a job as anyone to spin the fact that the print business model just isn’t working, but Slap Magazine announced last week in a press release that after “several more print issues” they will stop printing a magazine and go 100 percent digital.
SLAP has decided to step up and be the first in skateboarding to make a clean break with the old, and with that sentiment and excitement we announce SLAP will now channel its efforts and creativity 100% into slapmagazine.com. So long paper!
It won’t surprise anyone to see that they’ve also gotten a little loose with the truth with the following statement:
With the most popular skateboard website in the world and an audience 10 times the size of traditional print outlets, our efforts will be directed at the massive international audience at hand.
Ah, most popular skateboard website in the world? This comparison with Skateboarding.com and skateboard.com on Compete.com would suggest otherwise:
Either way, it will be interesting to see how advertisers respond, because Slap is most definitely on the right track even if they seem to be a bit confused by their traffic metrics.
[Link: Slap Magazine via Vitalmedianet.com]
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on August 4, 2008
The UK’s Factory Media LTD, the parent company of Surfer’s Path, Kingpin, Onboard, Surf Europe and 10 other action sports magazine titles is launching a video channel called Mpora.tv today according to a story on Marketing Week UK.
The channel, which launches in the UK today (4 August), is set to extend across Europe during the year. The launch is intended to supplement the user-generated video website Mpora.com and is aimed at expanding its core audience to include mainstream viewers.
Nothing like video to bring in that mythical “mainstream viewer” huh? Guess we can add Mpora to the growing list of action sports video crapragators because it doesn’t look like they’re doing anything new.
[Link: Marketing Week UK]
by The Editors on August 1, 2008
The skateboarding world suffered a huge loss this morning as former Bones Brigade member and Eastern Skate Supply Art Director Ray Underhill died after a long battle with a chordoma brain tumor, according to an email sent out this morning at 9 AM PST by his long-time friend Sean Mortimer. “Ray passed away a few hours ago in North Carolina,” he said.
Our thoughts are with Ray’s wife Kerry and especially with his two children Keaton and Olivia. They have been extremely brave and strong over the past two years and Ray was blessed to have been so well loved by them all.
We will try to keep updated with the latest info. Donations for Ray’s family can by made by clicking this link.
[Link: RayUnderhill.com]
by The Editors on July 28, 2008
Things haven’t been going so well since last Thursday’s Volcom Conference call. Shares are down, the market is down, but the Motley Fool investing site is still “stoked” on the stock.
Volcom is one of the smartest consumer-goods companies I can think of, boasting what I consider an intense, in-depth understanding of its customers. That kind of deep understanding of and affinity for a specific client base similarly attracted me to Urban Outfitters (Nasdaq: URBN). . . Furthermore, Volcom’s recent stock’s weakness is giving investors a great opportunity to buy, although the short term might be rough.
Rough, indeed.
[Link: Motley Fool]
by The Editors on July 25, 2008
If you were basking in the sun at Huntington Beach yesterday (like much of the surf industry) and missed the Volcom conference call, here it is transcribed in it’s entirety. Here’s how Wooly kicked it off:
We are no more than half way through the year and I feel good about the progress that we have made managing our business in the U.S. running our new European operation and integrating Electric. The power of Volcom brand continues to capture the attention of consumers around the world and we are excited about the global opportunities that lay ahead.
His comments about electric:
Last quarter we added the full product line from electric, which includes sunglass, goggles, soft goods and accessories. During this period we launched three new sunglass styles, the Technician XL in May and the Detroit and Hoodlum the last week of June. So far the initial sell-through on all three styles has been very positive and we look forward to continuing to build on this excitement.
The Laguna Surf & Sport story:
The multi branded concept of the LS&S stores is a little different for us, but we believe it helps diversify our retail business by providing us with greater insight about our customers and market trends. It also brings an experience team to the company adding strength to our overall retail infrastructure. We plan to keep these stores operating under the LS&S name with the same employees, management and general product and brand mix.
For the rest of the call (including analyst questions) click the link.
[Link: Seeking Alpha and Reuters]
by The Editors on July 25, 2008
On approach the white topped tents and scaffolding of the US Open of Surfing venue looks like a Bedouin encampment rising out of the dusty sand expanse of Huntington Beach. But on closer inspection it becomes obvious that it is more like of an action sports Bartertow,n with booth after booth of excited merchants pressing products on Southern California’s trend-setting youth.
While the crowds today were nothing like they’ll be this Saturday and Sunday it is obvious that the popularity of Southern California action sports as spectacle is not fading in the least. Follow the jump for all the photos (click them to see them full size).
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 24, 2008
DC Shoes has rented out all 12 floors of The Standard Hotel in downtown LA July 31st-August 3 for the X Games.
Conceived by DC, The Gold Standard 2008 is a hosted hotel takeover during the 2008 X Games, developed as a tribute to DC’s X Games athletes over the past 14 years. Here, DC and Monster Energy along with presenting sponsors FUEL TV and Complex Magazine will occupy all 12 floors of the swanky hotel in the heart of LA.
Sounds like X Games party central to us. Guess that’s what you can do when you’re not spending all that money on X Games event sponsorship.
[Link: EXPN]
by The Editors on July 23, 2008
Tony Hawk is taking his Stand Up For Skateparks show on the road this summer with the help of Activision. On August 10, 2008 he’s hitting New York City in the wallet with an event in Bridgehampton, New York.
This exciting event is the foundation’s exclusive, family-centric, action-sports carnival that features a Vert Demo with Tony Hawk and a cast of top skateboarders and BMX pros on Tony’s personal ramp, as well as games, food, auctions, and music. Proceeds from Activision Presents Stand Up For Skateparks help create free, quality public skateparks in low-income communities across the U.S.
Tickets to the event run from $150 for kids up to the $20,000 Platinum Package which includes 20 tickets/giftbags and a VIP reception with celebrities like: Lance Armstrong, Andre Agassi, Russell Simmons, Rob Dyrdek, Christopher “Big Black” Boykin, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jon Favreau, Mat Hoffman, Shaun White, Bobby Kotick, Bob McKnight, Ron Burkle (Surfer Pub’s owner), and Scott Greenstein.
That’s how we’d roll it. . . if we lived in Manhattan. Follow the link for all the details.
[Link: Tony Hawk Foundation]
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on July 23, 2008
Tomorrow, July 24, 2008 at 1:30 PST Volcom will host a conference call to discuss their financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2008.
The conference call will be available to interested parties through a live audio Internet broadcast at www.volcom.com. Volcom intends to utilize this webcast event to discuss financially-oriented goals and objectives and to disclose material company and industry-based topics in an open manner. The company does not plan to report or comment on its progress during the current fiscal quarter.
For those who are not available to listen to the live broadcast, the call will be archived for one year on the Volcom website. A telephone playback of the conference call will also be available until 11:59 p.m. EST, Thursday, July 31, 2008. Listeners should call (800) 642-1687 (domestic) or (706) 645-9291 (international) and use reservation: 55485369.
[Link: BusinessWire]
