Archive for Interviews
April 7, 2010 at 5:51 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
We wanted to learn more about the new Kinetic™ core from Mez and decided to ask the man himself Nick “Mez” Mesritz a few extra questions about the core. We’re pretty sure that everything you might have wanted to know about the core is in this quick interview we had today with Nick:
Spongercity: So it’s basically EPP but molded into a specific bodyboard core mold with better properties than simple EPP yeah ?
Mez: Firstly, EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene, not Extruded PP. Expanded and Beaded PP are one in the same. Essentially, Kinetic Core is a proprietary EPP formulation moulded into a Bodyboard specific blank. JSP is the industry leader for EPP, and having created the stuff, naturally they produce the highest grades available.
Spongercity:How different is it from Beaded PP or from the EFC blanks that are also molded cores if i remember well.
Mez: I can’t comment too much on EFC, as I’ve not worked with it, but talking with a couple of shapers that have, they indicated that it was a lower density EPP. Which would make sense, as its touted for use in cool water temps or riders after a more flexible board. As I said before, EPP is Beaded PP, so I can’t say its different. What I do know is that the material we are using for Kinetic Core is the best EPP we can get our hands on.
Spongercity: Is the core available as blanks and then employees at your factory or shapers like you and Dan for example add stringer(s) and/or mesh ?
Mez: Yes, Kinetic Core comes in a blank form and we shape it to suit, adding stringers and/ or mesh if the customer requires it.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic core similar to the classic EPP you used in term of buoyancy, stiffness and weight ?
Mez: Yes, we have invested a considerable amount of time, energy and cold hard cash to ensure Kinetic Core has all the right attributes in terms of stiffness and finished board weight, which determines displacement/ buoyancy. The one area where EPP excels over Propafoam is its superior compression set characteristics. Which mean’s it’s far more resistant to denting/depressions.
Spongercity: So the cores you work with now at your factory are the classic PE, the 3D core and the Kinetic core yeah ?
Mez: Correct.
Spongercity: In the 3D core is the PP part made from Kinetic PP or from other classic PP material ?
Mez: This seasons 3D boards will be made with a Kinetic PP top layer.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic easy to laminate like the EPP with just a substrate in between the deck/rails/surlyn and the core ?
Mez: I wouldn’t say its easy, but lamination of the outer skins is very similar to how we fabricated the Propafoam.
Spongercity: Only boards made at the Mez Factory (such as NMD, VS, Pride, Sniper etc.) will benefit from this innovation or do you sell the core to other brands outside your factory ?
Mez: At this stage, only boards made at our factory will use the Kinetic Core moulded blank.
Thanks Theo.
Spongercity:Thanks Mez!
April 7, 2010 at 5:41 pm | Spongercity Industry, International, Interviews News
We wanted to learn more about the new Kinetic™ core from Mez and decided to ask the man himself Nick “Mez” Mesritz a few extra questions about the core. We’re pretty sure that everything you might have wanted to know about the core is in this quick interview we had today with Nick:
Spongercity: So it’s basically EPP but molded into a specific bodyboard core mold with better properties than simple EPP yeah ?
Mez: Firstly, EPP stands for Expanded Polypropylene, not Extruded PP. Expanded and Beaded PP are one in the same. Essentially, Kinetic Core is a proprietary EPP formulation moulded into a Bodyboard specific blank. JSP is the industry leader for EPP, and having created the stuff, naturally they produce the highest grades available.
Spongercity:How different is it from Beaded PP or from the EFC blanks that are also molded cores if i remember well.
Mez: I can’t comment too much on EFC, as I’ve not worked with it, but talking with a couple of shapers that have, they indicated that it was a lower density EPP. Which would make sense, as its touted for use in cool water temps or riders after a more flexible board. As I said before, EPP is Beaded PP, so I can’t say its different. What I do know is that the material we are using for Kinetic Core is the best EPP we can get our hands on.
Spongercity: Is the core available as blanks and then employees at your factory or shapers like you and Dan for example add stringer(s) and/or mesh ?
Mez: Yes, Kinetic Core comes in a blank form and we shape it to suit, adding stringers and/ or mesh if the customer requires it.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic core similar to the classic EPP you used in term of buoyancy, stiffness and weight ?
Mez: Yes, we have invested a considerable amount of time, energy and cold hard cash to ensure Kinetic Core has all the right attributes in terms of stiffness and finished board weight, which determines displacement/ buoyancy. The one area where EPP excels over Propafoam is its superior compression set characteristics. Which mean’s it’s far more resistant to denting/depressions.
Spongercity: So the cores you work with now at your factory are the classic PE, the 3D core and the Kinetic core yeah ?
Mez: Correct.
Spongercity: In the 3D core is the PP part made from Kinetic PP or from other classic PP material ?
Mez: This seasons 3D boards will be made with a Kinetic PP top layer.
Spongercity: Is the Kinetic easy to laminate like the EPP with just a substrate in between the deck/rails/surlyn and the core ?
Mez: I wouldn’t say its easy, but lamination of the outer skins is very similar to how we fabricated the Propafoam.
Spongercity: Only boards made at the Mez Factory (such as NMD, VS, Pride, Sniper etc.) will benefit from this innovation or do you sell the core to other brands outside your factory ?
Mez: At this stage, only boards made at our factory will use the Kinetic Core moulded blank.
Thanks Theo.
Spongercity:Thanks Mez!
March 25, 2010 at 5:04 pm | Spongercity Interviews, Wallpapers News
One wallpaper and 2 interviews. All at once. Say hello to how second wallpaper collaboration project with WA photographer Chris Gurney. We worked with Chris a little while ago on this collab and it was time for a new collab. This time Chris had a sick shot of dropkneer Liam O’Keefe in the pit and the choice for a cool DK wallpaper was made easy ! We also interviewed Liam O’Keefe and Chris Gurney to make that wallpaper collab more interesting to you readers and learn more about Liam, Chris and the shot we used for those wallpapers.
The SPONGERCITY™ x Chris Gurney Wallpaper Co-Lab – Second Edition
We’ve included 10 different sizes for all computer screens, from 1920px wide to 800px wide, and have a choice between WIDE or 4:3 size resolution. Check at the bottom of the list the iPhone / iPodTouch special size. We designed it taking into account the iPhone interface to make sure the wallpaper is gonna look sick and won’t mess with the rest of the iPhone user interface like Time/Date and Unlock buttons.
Choose a screen resolution and download for it for FREE right now:
PCINSTRUCTIONS: Click on the wallpaper you want, wait until it’s downloaded in its new window, then control-click the wallpaper : choose “Save as wallpaper”. Close the window once you’ve got your wallpaper.
MACINSTRUCTIONS: Click on the wallpaper you want, wait until it’s downloaded in its new window, then you can simply drag the wallpaper onto the desktop. Or you can also control-click the wallpaper and choose “Download image to disk” which works fine as well. Close the window once you’ve got your wallpaper. Go to your Mac preferences panel to customize the settings of your desktop.
iPhoneINSTRUCTIONS: Download the wallpaper (iPhone size of course) and drop it on your computer in any folder (or on your iPhoto library if you’re using iPhoto on a Mac). Then open iTunes, go to the “Photos” tab while you synchronize your iPhone with your computer and choose to sync the folder that contains the wallpaper (or sync the wallpaper directly from iPhoto if you’re on a Mac). Once the wallpaper is uploaded on your iPhone and the synchronisation is over just go to your iPhone settings > Wallpaper then choose the wallpaper and validate. Boom! Done !
First interview:
LIAM O’KEEFE INTERVIEW
Can you introduce yourself ? Age ? Home town ?
Hello, my name is Liam O’Keefe. I am 17 years old and live in Perth Western Australia.
What’s your home spot ?
Trigg point. This wave can have a fun sucky left inside. However, the point is often overrun with surfers.
Do you only DK ?
Yeah. When I do go prone it is not pretty…
Read the rest of this entry »
October 23, 2009 at 10:59 am | Spongercity General, Industry, Interviews News
We had the opportunity to work a couple times with TOYS Bodyboards on different projects and one of them was logo designs for some of the boards in the TOYS 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 range.
We thought it’d be cool to let you know how logos are designed, from which ideas and what the pros actually want for their logos when you work with them on a new board logo from scratch.
Among some of the logos we worked on for TOYS we really liked working on Aka Lyman’s new logo for this year and it’s our favorite among the ones we’ve done, mostly because Aka Lyman and Will George (Toys Boards Owners) kinda let us do whatever we wanted with just a few directions from Aka. So we’ll use the aka logo as an example and will explain (or try to) what the different steps are to design/work on a logo with a brand and a rider:
1. The brief and talk:
Here was pretty much Aka’s brief we got for his new logo – “for my new Aka II logo I had an idea with the number “II” and the AKA letters for the logo and I told Theo (Spongercity editor/designer) to run with it and come up with what ever he thinks looks best”.
So the only real obligation we had was to include Aka name’s and the number “II” because it was Aka’s second board with Toys.
2. Research:
We started working on heaps of different ideas and weren’t happy with any of the logos until we eventually came up with a logo that had a big AKA lettering using a clean sort of roman font and the roman numbers “II” right under it. The II and AKA are sealed together and we only left the contour on the logo. It looks like a movie or video game logo somehow and we sent it to Aka and Will for feedback.
3. Feedback and potential changes (sometimes endless changes and modifications!)
Aka actually wanted to keep it. We got lucky and were stoked. This doesnt happen too often. Usually you need to go back and forth a dozen time and sometimes start from scratch again and again, trying to find a logo that matches the rider’s style and what he likes. Aka – “The first logo he sent me is the one that is one my board now. He nailed it on the first go at it! It’s simple, visible and that’s what I wanted. I’m not into logos where there is a bunch of stuff going on. The Aka II logo is perfect for me cause it reminds me of a jersey with my name and number on it. Being a big sports fan I really dig that.” Here’s the logo:
- Original logo as we designed it
- Logo on the finished boards for the 2010 range
- Close up on the logo (Will George’s beer on the pic)
4. The details and technical info:
On the technical side of things a logo must be really clean and completely vectorized to be used either by a screenprinting machine (in factories like Mez in indo who builds the Toys boards) or to be transformed as an iron stamp (for factories like Toobs or CustomX / Cartel in the US or any custom board shaper in Oz for example like QCD, Turbo, Fish at Manta/4Play or G.Edwards at Unknown).
Here the vectorized version of the logo.
The process is different but both need vectorized logos, with clean edges and you alwyas have to pay attention to the size of the logo and the thickness of all contours to make sure it will come out clean on boards. Screenprinting logos is pretty much like screenprinting tshirts, it’s basically paint applied on the boards.
Stamping is slightly different: the logo has an iron stamp mold, you need to heat the mold, once it’s hot enough you apply a sheet of special foil paper with paint on it in between the mold and the board and you apply a gentle pressure for a few seconds to let the paint that is on the paper print the board. Both process are really different but at the end the logo will pretty much look the same on the board. The stamping process usually leaves a mark on the foam. The hot mold leaves a mark on the foam under the paint.
Let us know if you have questions or want to learn more about logos and logo designs for boards or leave comments on this post and we’ll try to answer questions.
July 9, 2009 at 11:17 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
While reading the latest Movement or Riptide Mags this month you might have noticed NMD and VS ads featuring a new logo and a new core technology which Nick Mesritz developed recently. The new core is called 3D Core Technology (Triple Density Core) and is a layered core composed of PE, PP and a thin layer between both cores. The new core technology is quite innovative and is definitely something you’ll be hearing about or surfing on very soon.
We were curious and teased with these new ads and new core announcement so we decided to talk to Nick Mesritz himself and learn more about the new board core than what was written on the ads.
We contacted Nick early this morning and here we are tonight, editing this really quickly at 11pm ! Yeah, web is magic and Nick does reply to his email faster then most !
READ THE INTERVIEW HERE
July 9, 2009 at 5:50 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
While reading the latest Movement or Riptide Mags this month you might have noticed NMD and VS ads featuring a new logo and a new core technology which Nick Mesritz developed recently. The new core is called 3D Core Technology (Triple Density Core) and is a layered core composed of PE, PP and a thin layer between both cores.
The new core technology is quite innovative and is definitely something you’ll be hearing about or surfing on very soon. We were curious and teased with these new ads and new core announcement so we decided to talk to Nick Mesritz himself and learn more about the new board core than what was written on the ads.
We contacted Nick early this morning and here we are tonight, editing this really quickly at 11pm ! Yeah, web is magic and Nick does reply to his email faster then most !
Here’s the quick interview:
First of all the core looks like the perfect solution between a stiff and a flexy board. Sounds amazing. How did you come up with the idea ?
My team riders had been complaining for years that PP is too stiff and PE is too soft, so the aim was to find or develop a core that was somewhere in the middle. I couldn’t find a single extrusion core material suitable. I tried beaded PP, but due to it being completely closed cell, the boards were too buoyant and sat too high in the water. It became obvious that to find the perfect compromise between stiffness and flex, I had to somehow combine the PP and PE cores we had available to us. It didn’t make sense to vertically bond the PE to the PP, as there would be an unnatural nose to tail flex, depending on where you placed the PE. Horizontally layered sandwich construction made much more sense to me. It had been used in snowboards for years and by layering the various foams, it was possible to achieve specific flex properties with natural, undistorted nose to tail flex.
How did you figure out how to make it work ? Coz i know PP and PE dont bond together too well without an intermediate layer. Must have been hard to make it all work ?
The next step was how to manufacture the core. I won’t go into too much construction detail, but in order to heat fuse the PP top layer to the PE base layer we are using a specially formulated substrate that allows us to achieve the PE to PP bond. This layer also adds to the flex properties of the board so we have selected a density and thickness that best serves our requirements.
I bet you made multiple tests with the riders ? and tests in the factory ?
As for testing, once I knew I could fabricate the board in production, I made up several samples for Ben which he has tested over the past 2 years. I’ve also made boards for other pro riders and some knowledgeable industry types to get their feedback. This feedback and input is what has helped me to dial in the right core layer thickness, which, in-turn, dictates the overall flex pattern of the board. That’s the beauty of this design, in that we can vary the flex of the boards by changing the layer thickness.
Is there a stringer in 3D core boards ?
Yes, we use a stringer in the 3D core boards. With today’s advanced levels of riding, there’s is not a core out there that can withstand the impact without some sort of stringer based reinforcement.
What’s the stiffness like ? between PE stringer and PP stringer boards ?
In its current construction, the flex of a 3D core board is pretty much in the middle between PE Stringer and PP Stringer boards.
The core is available in NMD’s and VS’s from what i’ve seen but will it be available in other board brands you build in your factory ?
All brands produced in our Indo factory will have access to the 3D type, multi-layered core technology.
Regarding the 3D core why did you choose PP on top and PE on the bottom ?
I chose PP on the top and PE on the bottom simply because this combination gave the best flex response and overall performance in testing.
Are you working on other cores in the future ?
I am working on a new PE blend core with my supplier. I hope to have test samples later in the year. But I’m mostly focused on the 3D multi-layered core technology and different variations dialled in for specific conditions.
3D Core ad Preview
Another 3D Core Ad Preview here
Thanx Mez for the quick chat !
Cheers,
Theo
April 9, 2009 at 6:05 pm | Spongercity Interviews, Photography, Podcasts News
Glenn Taylor Interview – “In the shaping bay” with Glenn Taylor
We spent a couple days in Port Macquarie, Australia while tripping on the east coast (of OZ) a few months ago and got the opportunity to stay two days with Glenn Taylor, headshaper at TURBO SURF DESIGNS. Glenn took us to the TURBO factory for those 2 days and we had the great opportunity to stay at the factory all day and film Glenn when he shaped us a board and shoot pictures of everything we wanted to shoot. Even got to help Glenn a little with laminating and stuff. Pretty cool days at the factory.
The result is this 12 minutes documentary on how to shape a board as well as a massive amount of pictures taken while Glenn was shaping our board and a bunch of other boards. We filmed the whole process (it takes about 3+ hours to shape a custom board, depending on the options you’ve chosen) but only kept 12 minutes of footage, edited into 30 steps to have the board build. It would have been too long to watch 3 hours on video hey!
If you don’t know how a board is shaped you definitely wanna watch this ! If you wish to download the documentary feel free to subscribe to our podcast (it’s free on iTunes), we have uploaded the 12 minutes clip on it last night ! If you’re already a subscriber, then just refresh the iTunes podcast page on your computer.
The last thing we did once we had gathered all the footage and pictures was to interview Glenn. Glenn shapes the TURBO custom boards in Port Macquarie, Aus. pretty much everyday of the week and all the boards are shaped by hand as you will see on the video. We asked him how he started and what it’s like to be headshaper for Turbo, how he started Turbo with his bro and what his next projects are.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CLIP – Watch the video “In the shaping bay with Glenn Taylor”
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS – Launch the photo slideshow from “A day at the Turbo factory with Glenn Taylor”
Read the interview here.
April 9, 2009 at 5:44 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
Glenn Taylor Interview “In the shaping bay” with Glenn Taylor
We spent a couple days in Port Macquarie, Australia while tripping on the east coast (of OZ) a few months ago and got the opportunity to stay two days with Glenn Taylor, headshaper at TURBO SURF DESIGNS. Glenn took us to the TURBO factory for those 2 days and we had the great opportunity to stay at the factory all day and film Glenn when he shaped us a board and shoot pictures of everything we wanted to shoot. Even got to help Glenn a little with laminating and stuff. Pretty cool days at the factory.
The result is this 12 minutes documentary on how to shape a board as well as a massive amount of pictures taken while Glenn was shaping our board and a bunch of other boards. We filmed the whole process (it takes about 3+ hours to shape a custom board, depending on the options you’ve chosen) but only kept 12 minutes of footage, edited into 30 steps to have the board build. It would have been too long to watch 3 hours on video hey!
If you don’t know how a board is shaped you definitely wanna watch this ! If you wish to download the documentary feel free to subscribe to our podcast (it’s free on iTunes), we have uploaded the 12 minutes clip on it last night ! If you’re already a subscriber, then just refresh the iTunes podcast page on your computer.
The last thing we did once we had gathered all the footage and pictures was to interview Glenn. Glenn shapes the TURBO custom boards in Port Macquarie, Aus. pretty much everyday of the week and all the boards are shaped by hand as you will see on the video. We asked him how he started and what it’s like to be headshaper for Turbo, how he started Turbo with his bro and what his next projects are.
Enjoy.
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CLIP – Watch the video “In the shaping bay with Glenn Taylor”
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS – Launch the photo slideshow from “A day at the Turbo factory with Glenn Taylor”
Hi Glenn how are you ? can you introduce yourself and what you do ?
GT: G’day, I’m Glenn Taylor Owner / Shaper for Turbo Surf Designs
You started Turbo Surf Designs with your brother in 2007. Turbo was based in Hawaii/USA in the 80’s and 90’s (correct me if i’m wrong) and you guys are in Oz, pretty far away… Can you tell us what Turbo Surf Designs was in the old days for those who don’t know and can you tell us what motivated you and you brother Gregg to buy the Turbo license and put Turbo back on its feet ?
GT: Turbo Surf Designs (Turbo) was founded in Hawaii in 1983 by the legendary Russ Brown (“Captain Turbo”). Russ Brown’s passions were Art & Bodyboarding, so this is where the name TURBO came from (The Ultimate Russ Brown Obsession). Turbo rocked the bodyboarding industry by providing a viable alternative to the Morey Boogie dominance –a stiff board that could be custom tailored to suit your riding preferences. Prior to this innovation, the bodyboard was a soft over-flexible piece of foam. Turbo revolutionized the sport of bodyboarding and has set its own course since. This is where vinyl printed graphic decks, contoured decks & hard slicks started from. Turbo progressed to the top of the bodyboarding food chain in the 1980’s and 1990’s as they continued to push the boundaries of the sport of bodyboarding. Turbo was the premium brand in the world of bodyboarding.
What motivated both Gregg & myself to return Turbo to the premium brand in the world of bodyboarding is that we are genuinely passionate about the grass roots of the sport and we are committed to developing bodyboarding to the next level. Turbo is a brand which helped mould the sport of bodyboarding into what it is today and we believe Turbo is the brand to lead bodyboarding into the future.
The Turbo stock boards are made overseas but all the custom boards orders and all the team riders boards are hand shaped in Oz by yourself. Can you tell us what your job is as the Turbo head shaper and what your everyday job consists of ?
GT: My major focus as the Head Shaper is to design the Turbo range of boards. This involves using my own experience and feedback from our global team riders to experiment with new board designs and materials. The team riders along with myself test the boards and we fine tune them to the perfect specifications. This years range is the result of an 18 month process and I am really satisfied with the new Turbo range of boards.
My typical day at the Turbo factory consists of making the custom board orders from all around the world. It is basically heads down in the shaping bay for most of the day. With having the Turbo factory located here in Port Macquarie (the Bodyboarding capital of Australia ) I have a lot of regular visits from the local crew, who come in to fine tune their next board design. This is where I get a lot of personal satisfaction, in showing them the range of different materials & explaining what different combination of core/shape & stringer systems would work best for them. For the guys who cannot make it to the factory, I always try to speak with them over the phone or email to make sure they get the full benefit of a custom designed board.
Where and how did you learn to shape ?
GT: I started working for Manta in the early 1990s, this is where I gained all my knowledge. I was taught by Terry Fleming (owner/creator). Manta boards were 100% manufactured here in OZ so I learnt every aspect of board construction from working for countless years in the production line. In time this led me into custom boards for the Manta team riders, who at the time were one of the strongest bodyboarding teams in the world.
You shape almost everyday all day and the demand for custom boards keeps on growing, do you think custom boards are more and more popular ?
GT: Yeah for sure custom board design has become very popular, especially here in OZ as riders are more aware that board design is an individual thing. Riders know that different cores/stringers provide different flex & personal specs can be used to fine tune each board for specific wave conditions.
There are tons of bodyboarders in Port Macquarie so you obviously shape a lot of customs for the local rippers who want to buy themselves custom boards but you’ve told me you will soon be offering this service to customers worldwide. How much is the average board ? What kinda cores and options can the customers choose from ?
GT: As a special introductory offer for the European market we are offering a fixed price of 250 euro for a custom made board delivered to your door. Delivery time should be less than one month from the day of placing the order. The material that we offer range from 4 types of cores; Beaded Poly Pro (BPP), Extruded Poly Pro (PP), FRC ( Flex Response Core) & Polyethylene (PE). I also use 2 types of stringer ; Standard tube stringer plus a Springer flex tube stringer, 2 types of deck materials; 8Lb PE & WBS (water barrier skin) & we use only the best slick available (Surlyn), in combination with a huge range of special features such as nose bulbs and deck contours. Please check out www.turbosurfdesigns.com for more detailed information under the Customs section.
You shape boards for all the Turbo team, like Mason Rose, Morgan Brown, Chad Jackson, Andre Botha etc. What do those guys ride ? They probably all have their little habbits ? Who’s the most picky rider with his boards ?
GT: Guys like Mason, Andre & Chad they mainly use PE boards and Morgan, Garth, Jacob & Robby use PP boards. Chad Jackson has recently converted to a contoured deck for his boards. Each rider has their own individual needs. In saying that none of the team riders are really too picky. Andre likes to have his boards really thick & Garth like his board to be really thin with a bit of rocker, where Mason likes his slightly reversed.
What are the current trends you see in the custom boards orders right now ? narrow boards ? PE core ? Are kids asking for boards that look like their favorite riders’ baords ?
GT: One of the main requests is core thickness, as lots of people are asking for thinner cores with thin noses. And yeah narrower boards definitely seem to be more in demand. As for cores that is still pretty even, but now with BPP & FRC available for customs, people are trying different material combinations to best suit them. In regards to the shapes that are requested by many kids, most of them are usually just asking for their favourite riders template but with their own colour combo & size.
You guys sponsored the Pipe event this year, how was that ? You went to hawaii and organized everything and enjoyed the show ?
GT: Getting to sponsor the Pipe comp this year was an amazing opportunity. There are so many people involved in a comp setup. So we cant take the credit for everything. For example the Pipe comp is run by the IBA, which consists of guys like Terry McKenna & Jason Bitzer who organize the whole package, with other guys like Big Todd , Bob Thomas & a crew of officials. We personally had Keith Sasaki & Eddie Solomon over seeing the preparation from start to the finish. The whole pipe comp was an amazing experience, to be able to watch one of the best & most competitive Pipe comps in the sports history was surreal.
Apart from worldwide custom boards service, what are the futures plans and projects for the brand and its riders in 2009 ?
GT: A big part of Turbo’s plans for the future is to continue to support Bodyboarding at all levels. We want to be involved in helping the sport to progress into the next level.
Mason, Chad and Andre all have just released their new signature boards that we are all stoked with. The Turbo IV is now available in 3 core options and gets better each year! We also have released a Stand Up bodyboard, which is perfect for those typically small summer days.
In collaboration with Robby Gray, we have launched a performance board designed for younger bodyboarders at a more affordable price. This board is branded the ‘Shock Monkey’ board.
We have recently launched a women’s bodyboard label called ‘Milkshakes’. The Milkshakes label provides a range of boards for the female rider ranging from entry level to advanced.
More information about the Turbo board range, Designs customs, Milkshakes and the Shock Monkey can be found at www.turbosurfdesigns.com
Turbo and Milkshakes are launching in Europe in 2009 and we are in the process of building a European team.
Thanx Glenn !
Cheers,
Theo
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO CLIP – Watch the video “In the shaping bay with Glenn Taylor”
EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS – Launch the photo slideshow from “A day at the Turbo factory with Glenn Taylor”
December 31, 2008 at 7:18 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
To celebrate the new year we decided is was high time to interview Chad and Kane Waldron last week. How is that ?
With the imminent release of the BEN PLAYER PROJECT and its premieres in Australia this January it was the perfect timing to interview movie makers Chad and Kane Waldron.
Just so you know those 2 brothers are behind 80% of all major bodyboarding DVD release since their first movie VAGUE OPPORTUNITIES. Since then they’ve released DENIS, LEROY, INSERT NAME HERE, THERE IS NO I, the BOOM! Podcast and NMDtv episodes, and now the BEN PLAYER PROJECT.
Here’s what the bros have to say about the upcoming BEN PLAYER movie, about filming, editing and making a living out of bodyboarding flicks: CLICK HERE TO READ THE INTERVIEW.
December 22, 2008 at 6:00 pm | Spongercity Interviews News
Click on the artwork to start the Waldronbros interview slideshow or click on individual slides here: Ben Player Movie Project Scene 01, Ben Player Movie Project Scene 02, Ben Player Movie Project Scene 03, Chad filming, Chad Invert, Chad and Kane, Chad Portrait, another Chad pic, Chad underwater, Hawaii, Kane, Kane again, Philippines trip, Hawaii, There is no i trip, Hawaii, There is no i trip (2),
With the imminent release of the BEN PLAYER PROJECT and its premieres in Australia this January it was the perfect timing to interview movie makers Chad and Kane Waldron. Just so you know those 2 brothers are behind 80% of all major bodyboarding DVD release since their first movie VAGUE OPPORTUNITIES. Since then they’ve released DENIS, RAISED HEIGHTS, LEROY, INSERT NAME HERE, THERE IS NO I, the BOOM! Podcast and NMDtv episodes, and now the BEN PLAYER PROJECT. Here’s what the bros have to say about the upcoming BEN PLAYER movie, about filming, editing and making a living out of bodyboarding flicks:
Howdy guys ?
Hey mate!
Can you quickly introduce yourselves for those who dont know who the Waldron Bros are ?
Chad: Hi everyone I’m Chad.
Kane: And Im Kane. We have been making Independent Bodyboarding films for the last 5 years. If you’re not familiar us our title consist of, “Vague Opportunities”, “Raised Heights”, “The Joker” (edited) “Denis”, “Leroy”, “Insert Name Here” “There’s No I” and the most recent one “The Ben Player Project”
So you’ve just finished editing the whole Ben Player project and you’re now working on the business part and premieres organisation, how did the whole project go ? When did it all start?
Chad: Its been insane editing this movie. It’s usually Kane that does most of the editing (I might have done 1 section for each DVD) but just recently I have found a new love for editing and I took the reins on this one so to speak.
Kane: The Project started 3 years ago just after BP won his first world title. I was speaking to Ben on the phone and we both wanted to do it so we went from there. The Project went really well, there were a lot of ideas that got tossed around in the early days until we found something that we all liked.
Who was behind this project ? Ben or you guys ? or NMD/Mez ?
Chad: It is us and Ben behind it, along with Murray Bell working on it too. The 3 of us worked together on ideas and direction of the film and Mez from NMD supported the film from the start and we could not have done it without him.
We’ve seen some pics and behind the scenes shots in Movement Mag, and it looks like you guys really went creative and worked on some cool ideas like that plane scene. How did the whole creative process go? Did everyone have ideas and share them or did Ben have some things in his mind and really knew where he was heading ?
Chad: When we all first sat down and started talking about the DVD, we all pretty much had the same idea. We all just kinda bounced off each other and ended up with these crazy studio scenes and motion graphics that tied each section together smoothly.
Kane: That wasn’t our original idea, but it was the better one that we brainstormed down to. Just something fresh and fun to watch and create.
Is there a lot of bla bla bla in the movie?
Chad: haha, nar. We tried to cut back on that as much as we could. Sometimes its hard trying to tell a story without the blah blah blah but with the help of Murray’s skills in after effects and illustrator and some smart planning we were able to tell the story with very minimal talking.
Kane: We didn’t just sit down and interview people and hope it would make sense once cut together. So I wouldn’t call the talking in this movie Blah Blah. It is actually interesting and as Chad said we put a lot of planning into it.
Is there any old footage of Ben when he was a kid and stuff or is it pretty much all new footage like Ben seemed to say in that Movement Mag article?
Chad: There’s a little bit of Ben when he was younger that we used to show everyone that he hasn’t always been the insane bodyboarder that he is now. About 90% of the DVD is new unseen footage.
Kane: We basically, just fast forwarded the first 15 years of his bodyboarding career.
Most biographical movies are pretty boring (my point of view) until the Hardlyfe II which was really nice with beautiful images but not really creative though. Do you guys think you pushed the envelope with this Ben Player project and manage to make it both creative and cool and well-edited?
Chad: Yeah, I would like to think that’s what we’ve done. It’s sometimes hard to make it both creative and cool. Sometimes the creative can just get in the way of the cool surfing, but I think we have found a happy medium in the both.
Kane: I actually prefer biographical bodyboarding movies, when there is an amazing bodyboarder with a great story, they are such a better subject for a movie. As for being creative, that is really someone’s point of view as well. A lot of kids think its creative when you use editing effects and flashes of light leaks from film, but that’s all been done before and I’m over it. I just set out to create a great movie that captured Ben’s world class riding and his personality and achievements.
Last time I saw you guys in Oz I wondered how you manage to work together as brothers (you Kane and you Chad) coz there was more time when I thought you were gonna kill each others than edit together in nice “I like my brother” mood. hahah. How did this project go ? No killing each others?
Chad: HAHA yeah we do argue a lot when we work. I don’t like giving in to Kane and Kane doesn’t like giving in to anyone, but this time around I was by myself most of the time when I was editing and then Kane was only round to check up on things and add a little direction here and there.
Kane: Working with a family member is HARD, I don’t think anyone should do it. Brothers fight enough without work involved. You should see the Player’s fight, they’re hilarious, and Toby always wins too, ha ha. We worked better together this project Chad and I are both passionate about what we do and being brothers we just say exactly what we are thinking that generally turns into an argument. But being able to say exactly what you think about someone work only makes a better product. And when the person you’re making the movie on is such a perfectionist and passionate person then you’re pushed even more to produce a better product.
Any exclusive info about the movie ?
Kane: I quit.
Chad: Kane Quits.
Where did you travel and film for the Ben Player Project ? Which destinations? How many years of footage ? How many hours in the Waldron editing room?
Chad: We went to Hawaii, all over Australia, Chile, Canaries and Bali.
Kane: 3 years of filming, plus archive footage from other people.
About 2 months in post production.
Ben came to your place and edited with you ? Did he really had a lot of input in this project ?
Chad: I would have liked him to come and edit with me. But he was very busy training for the world title. We emailed him sections and he replied his feedback. It would have been a bit easier if he came to WBP HQ to edit. But it wasn’t possible
Those premieres are gonna be crazy hey, what do you expect ? Thousands of crazy kids running around. Millions are sharpies pens to sign autographs ?
Chad: We loved the old NF prems back in the day. That’s what got me into it in the first place. We want to try to bring it back. This is our biggest tour since Vague premiered at a local surf club in 04. We have 10 stops in total starting at Sunshine Coast and going all the way to Perth. Tickets got put online 1 week ago days ago and they are already selling like hot cakes. ITS GOING TO BE HUGE, you would hate to miss out.
We heard the DVD was only gonna be available at the premieres, what’s that all about ? (Keep a copy for me by the way ! heheh). What’s up with distribution for the rest the world ?
Chad: It makes it cheaper for the customer. Instead of paying $20 for the prem then another $40-45. Now all its going to cost you is $30 and you get the lot. Overseas distribution is going to be the same as we usually do it. Unless someone wants to put the events on for us over there????
Is this the biggest bodyboarding film you’ve done ? Was it way more expensive to produce ?
Chad: Yeah for sure!!! Usually it only takes 1 month to edit our DVD’s. But Ben’s vid has taken us a good 2 months or more to edit, due to the fact we have ridiculous amounts of footage. And we are making one of Ben’s dreams come true, so we wanted to put as much effort into it as we possibly could. I think we have succeeded. This one was a lot more expensive cause of all the motion graphics and Studio shots we have had made for the DVD. But in the long run that’s what’s going to set this DVD apart from all the rest of the muppets out there.
Kane: See this is why we always argue. The motion graphics and studio pieces are good. But I’d be going to watch this movie because the level of Bodyboarding is higher than any other DVD we’ve ever made. Heck, I’m going to throw it out there, it’s a higher level than any other Bodyboarding DVD I’ve ever seen, every section is good enough to be and intro for our previous movies.
Can you actually make a living from being video makers or is it really hard? Kids always think it’s a dream job and it’s easy and you can make money but I reckon it’s definitely not that easy and it’s not lucrative. What’s you’re say about this?
Chad: We have always found it very hard to live off the DVD’s. It would probably help if we’d stop buying new camera equipment all the time. We have both always had part time jobs to get us by. It’s kind of tough too cause its hard trying to find a job that will let you bail down the coast at the drop of a hat.
Kane: I haven’t made one single cent out of this biz, I work every weekend in a bar and kids wonder why I’m there. We are not Hollywood and we can’t afford to have people pirating our work. Why do you think Chris White stopped making Tension, No Friends have stopped and many other as well. There will be no bodyboarding DVD’s in 2 years I think. I know that one QLD rat named Brandon Thorpe Waluew doing it and to be honest I would keep doing it if there was some money in it, but you need money to live off.
Alright, enough with the Benny project questions. Back to the Waldrons Bros. What are you gonna do when the premieres are over?
Chad: Detox
What’s your next project ?
Chad: I want to concentrate on the BOOM podcast. That thing has taken off. We have been top sports podcast in Australia for a couple of weeks straight on many occasions beating ALF, car racing, BMX and even skating. I think it’s a great medium and the kids love it cause its free. Not to mention it’s a great way to advertise your products/brand.
Where are you going next? On vacations? On a film trip again ? Stay home?
Chad: Here is that exclusive you wanted. This will be the LAST DVD we will work on together. Kane is moving on to pursue other things and I will only be doing the BOOM! podcast’s. I’ll only make another DVD if I’m contracted to do so by a company.
Do you guys wanna add anything ?
Kane: Thanks for your support Theo
Thanx a lot for time and collaboration !
Cheers,
Theo
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