March 23, 2006
Riding Solo
By Rob Brink
EXPN.com August 2003
Unfortunately, my ESPN magazine story with Rodil Jr. had to be cut down for space in the mag, so EXPN.com decided to run the full-length interview. When it finally hit stands and the web, Dragon contacted me for the original transcripts of the interview because evidently Rodil claimed I left out his sponsors, when, in reality, he was denying having any sponsors at all. The proof is in the first answer below. the result: Rodil got his ass booted from Dragon. Good move buddy. Thanks for trying to throw me under the bus 'cuz your ass is bitter.
Read More |
Comments (0)
March 5, 2006
Crossovers, Cars and Kids...Lasek Lets Loose
By Rob Brink
EXPN.com, April 2003
In May 2003, a story I did on Bucky Lasek ran in ESPN magazine. The original interview was much longer and ended up getting cut down a ton, so ESPN decided to run the full-length version on EXPN.com. Here's how it went:
The rèsumè of Bucky Lasek lists wins at every major skate comp in his 13 years as a pro. He's also a world traveler. He's funny. Consistent and creative are the words that stick. At home, he's Mr. Mom and right now he's refereeing a wrestling match between daughters Paris, 2 and Devin, 5. He wants to skate. He should be doing chores. He's getting set for the Global Championships. He was happy we called.
Read More |
Comments (0)
March 3, 2006
Almost Round 3
By Rob Brink
EXPN.com, February 2005
Here's an Almost Round 3 review I did for EXPN.com.
Editor's note: We here at EXPN.com are slowly coming out of our Winter X Games cocoon and know Round 3 has been out for a minute. But damn, if you haven't peeped this vid, then fix your skate-thirsty eyes below for a taste of the tech, then run out to your local shop and brag about the info you scooped on EXPN.com.
Anticipation for Round 3 has been building over the past year, beginning with a first-look at footage on a small television set at the Almost booth during the September 2003 ASR trade show in San Diego. Since then, we, the skateboarders of the world, have been taunted and teased with tentative release dates, promo DVDs, ads listing Rodney and Daewon's video tricks, and a barrage of Almost's riders in the skate mags. But the day has finally come—and it was well worth the wait.
Read More |
Comments (0)
March 3, 2006
What If?
By Rob Brink
EXPN.com, April 2005
For a few months in early 2005, I was doing long-form skateboard DVD reviews for EXPN.com. This review of Blind's What If? was one of them.
For Blind, a modern-day skateboard company, 13 years is a long time to go without making a video (okay, 11 years if you count 1993's nine-minute promo Tim and Henry's Pack of Lies). And living up to the kind of hype following their 1991 benchmark Video Days is a tough task.
Read More |
Comments (0)
March 1, 2006
Tale of Two Canadian Cities
By Rob Brink
The Skateboard Mag, April 2005
This is my first piece for The Skateboard Mag. More to come.
Toronto and Vancouver. Vancouver and Toronto. Two large, major Canadian cities. Two metropolises where skateboarding is quite popular. The difference is that I seem to know a lot more about Vancouver skateboarding than Toronto skateboarding. Why is this? I dunno. You would think, since I've been skating for sixteen years and grew up on the East Coast of the United States, that I might have acquired some knowledge of Toronto over time. But no. The shit is a skateboarding mystery to a Yankee like me. Even torontoskateboarding.com hasn't been updated since June! How am I supposed to know anything? What kind of representation is that?
Read More |
Comments (0)
February 18, 2006
Kyle at ASR with a broken foot.
Did this quick Kyle Leeper interview not too long ago for etnies.
Southern California native Kyle Leeper has kept himself plenty busy skating and traveling with the etnies team for the last couple months. Tours, demos, shooting photos, filming—you name it. The simple fact is, Kyle is a skate machine. Anytime, anywhere, anyhow—he gets the job done.
Read More |
Comments (0)
February 13, 2006
I wrote similar Love Park Rally pieces for three different mags. For all you up-and-comers, that's a little trick in journalism called "triple dipping," where you go to an event and cover it for as many mags as are willing to pay for it. The opportunity doesn't arise often, so when it does, jump on it and smile all the way to the bank.
DC Love Park Donation
The Battle for Love Park Continues
By Rob Brink
TransWorld Business September 2004
On Tuesday June 1, DC Shoes president Ken Block arrived at Philadephia's Love Park to announce a $1 Million donation as a gift to the city for the legalization of skateboarding at the skateboarding landmark only to have his offer swiftly rejected by Philadelphia's Mayor Street.
DC's announcement, which was attended by hundreds of skateboarders (including professionals Ricky Oyola, Kerry Getz, Josh Kalis and Kevin Taylor), Edmund Bacon (94-year-old designer of Love Park), local media, skateboard industry members, politicians, elected city officials, parents of skateboarders, passers by, occurred in front of the Love statue when the city denied DC's request for a permit to use the park's stage and PA system.
Read More |
Comments (0)
January 6, 2006
The Instant Winner
By Rob Brink
Industria September 2004
Industria was a skateboard trade publication from the people that bring you Kingpin Skateboard magazine. I did a small piece on The Instant Winner for them before the mag went out of business after the third issue. Hardly an epic run. Funny, I work with this guy now. The skateboard industry is weird like that.
Instant Winner is a new skateboard company out of New York City birthed by artist, designer and skateboarder Craig Metzger, who has been responsible for graphics, team development and marketing for some of today's biggest skateboarding companies, including Emerica, eS, etnies, RVCA, Nixon, and Nike.
Read More |
Comments (0)
January 6, 2006
Merchandising 101 Part II: Softgoods Merchandising
By Rob Brink
TransWorld Skateboarding Business June 2004
Skateboard apparel and softgoods can be a bit trickier to sell through than hardgoods. As usual, shops always have to deal with varying brands being popular from region to region and season to season.
Read More |
Comments (0)
January 6, 2006
Merchandising 101: Hardgoods
Simple ways to sell more.
By Rob Brink
TransWorld Skateboarding Business April 2004
Despite Element's Bam Margera pro models or Flip's Really Sorry DVD flying off the racks of skate shops around the world last Christmas, or a hot new colorway of eS Accels or DC A.V.E. pro model shoes blowing out the week they arrive in your shop, most items in your store aren't going to sell themselves. Particularly in this day and age when customers, especially kids, are far more sophisticated shoppers than they were fifteen years ago.
Today's skateboard shop merchandising is more than placing product in a case or on a rack or wall. It's not only how you place product, but where you place it and what you place it with. Good merchandising is creating an environment—a retail space that reinforces the brands' message while maximizing sales.
Read More |
Comments (0)