The road to wakeboard industry that Don Wallace took was different than most. From humble beginnings in Grass Valley, CA where life revolved around street rods, skiing, and hanging out with his brother/crew. From there it was on to college in the big city of Eugene where his Surfing Magazine subscription parlayed itself into and internship and eventually a career that is highlighted by the sinking of an $80,000 boat amongst other things.
Don Wallace Show Notes:
1:14: working with engineers in the Liquid Force world
2:31: The Road from Nevada City to Southern California
3:49: Life and work balance at Liquid Force
5:30: University of Oregon and Ski racing
7:51 How a subscription to Surfing Magazine changes his life
12:07: Evo (listen for special offer) and Diecutstickers.com (Listen for 10% off your first order with DCS 15)
14:07: The job of a lifetime out of school, being Liquid Force’s TM
16:20: Cutting athletes
21: 00: Spy (25% off site wide, listen for code) and Sierra at Tahoe spots
22:00: Vice President of Sales and Marketing
24:00: Aaron Grace’s role
25:25: What is he most proud of in his career?
27:05: What is his biggest career regret aside from sinking an $80,000 boat?
28:30: What’s next and needed in wakeboarding?
31:00: How to get into the wakeboard industry
Shane Bonifay has been a professional wakeboarder for 21 of his 33 years. From bringing closed toe set ups to the masses, to wake-pants, to acting as the driving force behind the ‘Pointless Crew’ Shane has done a lot over his 21 years of being a pro and shares the best and worst on the podcast
Shane Bonifay Show Notes
:10: The hit and run saga
8:05: Photo shoot for Liquid Force
9:39: Growing up in Lake Alfred, FL , his parents, waterskiing babies and Cypress Gardens
12:28: Competing in three event and then getting a boat and wakeboard in 1994
13:34: Picked up a sponsor a year and a half later (Liquid Force) and being on them for 20+ years
14:30: Going under the knife
15:25: Wakeboarding is a sport for the privileged, how was his lifestyle growing up?
16:30: Waterski school at his house and the perks that came along with that.
17:41: Other sports, rollerblading and ramps in the backyard
19:21: What is high school like for him? Was he on the standard program?
20:43: Evo (listen for special offer) and Diecutstickers.com (Listen for 10% off your first order with DCS)
22:30: School continued
23:28: Growing up with an older brother who is crushing it on a global level and who are his influences
25:05: The Pointless Crew and video shooting and editing today.
28:49: Controversy on the internet and how did it impact his career?
32:14: What does he think of contests in general?
34:36: Spy (25% off site wide, listen for code) and Sierra at Tahoe spots
35:47: Was there any jealousy of Parks’ success? What was it like coming up in Parks’ world and who wins at fights?
37:35: What are his hobbies outside of riding?
38:30: Jetpilot Wakeboard pants and JNCO’s
39:47: 2008 and being looked at as one of the second wave of rail guys….Any features that stick out?
42:29: How much can a pro wakeboarder make in a year?
44:19: The party aspect and lifestyle of his career compared to pros coming up today
45:11: The closed toe innovation in wakeboarding and Shane’s influence
47:35: The worst trick names in the world come from wakeboarding
48:18: What’s next for Shane?
On paper, Joe Ciaglia's life sounds like a mob movie where the mobster, Joe, is bagging groceries at a store conveniently located across from the track. He meets a couple older gentlemen who introduce him to the inside world of the track. While learning the underbelly of the horse game, Joey starts winning city contracts for skate parks. It’s an interesting rag to riches story that includes professional skateboarders (Rob Dyrdek), race horses, accusations of collusion and no mob ties that I know of.
Joe Ciaglia Show Notes
1:45: What does Joe do?
3:00: How the attitudes of perception around skateboarding have changed.
4:00: Does Joe skate
5:45: Grew in California and then he jumps ahead in the story and I reel him back to childhood, gymnastics and graduating at 16
9:17: Evo (listen for special offer) and Diecutstickers.com (Listen for 10% off your first order with DCS)
Spy (25% off site wide, listen for code) and Sierra at Tahoe spots
10:33: What does he do after high school? Working at Ralphs and the Santa Anita racetrack
12:33: Getting into the horse game and Enumclaw Washington
13:37: Getting into the carpet cleaning hustle and then selling the company and how he gets into landscaping
15:00: Getting into skateboarding through putting in a bid in for a skatepark and then that business exploded for him
17:46: Was he skating at that point or did he start skateboarding once he started building parks
19:10: The companies that Joe has under his umbrella and developing the Mega for Danny Way and the Great Wall
20:43: Maloof Money cup and the building of a concrete park in 5 days. They showcased their skills and that’s where he met Rob Dyrdek
22:28: Fantasy Factory that he built in a week, Street League
23:01: World’s Largest Skateboard
24:00: Collusion accusations and legal issues
25:30: Horse Racing and his history in the sport
26:55: Rob racing a horse and Rob’s involvement in horses
28:40: How many horses is he in on? How much money has he made off horses?
31:39: What are the Jockeys like?
32:20: The Olympics and skateboarding. Joe’s thoughts
Tom Schaar is your average 17-year-old...sometimes. He goes to high school, likes to hang out with his brother and friends and gets in trouble with his parents for not doing his homework. In his other life, he’s traveling the world, winning X Games gold and even finding time to buy himself an Audi. While Tom can be the average kid on the personal level, there’s nothing average about what he brings to the table on the professional level.
Tom Schaar Show Notes:
3:00: How did he get into skateboarding
4:00: Being at contest as a kid seeing the pros and getting support from his parents
5:00: Getting sponsored by Half-Pint Skateboards at 10
6:40: Evo (listen for special offer) and Diecutstickers.com (Listen for 10% off your first order with DCS)
8:18: What are his favorite things to skate and does he ever skate street
9:00: Traveling and are his parents going with him?
10:30: Three places in the world he would buy a house and his jet setting life
12:00: Skating with his idols and who has the best backyard set up of the pros and Bucky Lasek helping as a kid coming up
12:55: Skating Mega Ramp and how long does it take to get comfortable on the ramp
15:13: Landing the first 1080 and the response that he felt from it.
17:44: Famous encounters
18:12: Spy (25% off site wide, listen for code) and Sierra at Tahoe spots
19:40: What do kids think of him at school and what does he get in trouble for?
20:30: What is the coolest thing he’s bought with his money?
21:40: Has he had any major injuries and what does he do when he’s not skating?
22:41: Sponsors these days: Monster Energy, Vans, Element
23:32: Did he go to prom?
24:30: Any interest in the business side of the skate industry
At first glance, there’s nothing that screams “rad” about Mike Jaquet, but at points in his career he has been one of the most influential and visionary people in the world of action sports. From founding FREEZE Magazine to directing sales and marketing at Transworld to VP of College Sports TV (and being bought by CBS) and his last paid employment, a 5 year run as CMO of The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association that ended 4/1, Mike has left positive legacies everywhere he's been. His career has developed and intersected with influential personalities and moments in sports and we chat about them…
Mike Jaquet Show Notes:
2:34: Leaving his most current role as CMO of The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
3:18: The early years growing up in Sun Valley (Ketchum)
7:07: Mike as a champion cross country ski racer
9:54: Going to the University of Colorado, getting in-state tuition and spending time with Kent Kreitler
11:30: The house in college where he lived with Shane McConkey, Kent and DJ Hodge and the story behind the Boulder Riots
15:43: Evo (listen for special offer) and Diecutstickers.com (Listen for 10% off your first order with DCS)
17:20: Ski Movie, A movie that comes out in 1992 that Mike Jaquet edited and shot parts of (you can see the edits in McConkey) for a journalism project in college. How to see the lost footage of the McConkey
21:35: Huge cliffs with Shane in the 90’s, the Lake Powell trip and the insane footage they captured and what he was doing on snow
23:10: Was he there when Shane was banned in Vail? Jasper Gray, Futuristic Films
24:00 Was there any chance or interest in being sponsored?
25:20: Did he understand the importance of McConkey while he in college?
27:19: His football show in college, big time players and earning the nickname “The Convincer”
31:14: Going to Hollywood with his VHS Reel and getting his break with his ski movie getting on RSN
32:27: Working with Anna Nicole Smith on a topless show “Edenquest” and moving from PA to Director in 24 hours
35:28: Spy (25% off site wide, listen for code) and Sierra at Tahoe spots
37:18: A reality show TV treatment that turns into FREEZE Magazine and the early days of FREEZE and Transworld gives him 200K to start the mag with issue 1 and it made money because the pitch was easy
43:11: Signing teenagers to contracts and sending them around the world to party
45:29: Shane and other new school skiers and what made Shane different and the credit he deserves in terms of marketing and development.
47:16: There is something in the water in Tahoe
48:13: The US Open in Vail and why the breakout year was kept off ESPN and was a huge missed opportunity but they cashed in on the Lifestyles condoms deal
52:31: Why Transworld killed FREEZE and what has happened to them by only listening to spreadsheets and not the market or advertisers
57:14: Working for startups and his next startup venture, CSTV. Who he met, what he learned and getting bought by CBS and making a little bit of money and then working at CBS
1:01:00: Taking a role at the USSA as CMO and working for Bill. What happened to his Anti FIS attitude? What did he accomplish at the USSA. Would he still be there if Bill was still at the USSA?