Skate Blog Intern Blog

As another week begins it’s nice to see how far I have come from the beginning. I am learning a lot from the individuals in charge as well as other interns, which is always a benefit. I’m realizing its all about who you surround your self with, if you want to become better at what you do you need to surround your self with people who are smarter then you. This is one lesson I will be using for the rest of my life. The other is that sometimes it is nice to just take a break and get away. You can’t constantly overwork yourself or else the outcome you get will not be the one you planned for. So take some time to relax every once in a while and enjoy something you love! Well that’s all I have for now, so have a wonderful week all!

I’ve been living in LA for three years and still haven’t gotten around to seeing as much of California as I’d like to. I’ve been to San Francisco a couple times, but I never drove south of Long Beach until I started commuting to Oceanside for this internship.

Mike has been coming up to LA with me to go to a bunch of events. A couple weeks ago we went to the Damn Am finals that were downtown at the Nike 6th and Mill facility and last weekend we drove up for the O.G. Jam, which has been one of my favourite events of the summer. It’s amazing to see the old guys still skating.

When we’re finished at an event, we find a good restaurant and enjoy……..

…good food and cold drinks! After all, it’s summer, right? Long days at skate parks requires replenishment. There are a lot of great restaurants in SoCal but so far we’ve stuck to the beach joints–awesome places with views of the ocean that serve burgers and beer. Places like Ruby’s at the end of the Oceanside Pier, Duke’s in Malibu, and Rusty’s Surf Ranch in Santa Monica.

Today we’re off to Venice Skate Park to meet the kids and show off our decks, followed by a trip to a couple of shops. It’s sunny and hot and I’m not too sure I’ll be able to wait for the sunset rehydration hour.

Cheers!

This past weekend I was able to work a great event. To be honest, I wouldn’t even call it work. Compared to the average job that entails sitting in a cubical, this was paradise. I had the opportunity to “work” a surf event and hang out with some great people on the beach while slangin skateboards. It was pretty much a perfect day, the dolphins were out, the waves were perfect and another vendor even hooked up free bbq lunches for everyone at the event. It’s times like these that remind me why I love action sports marketing so much!

With the weather starting to warm up in southern cali I have been eagar to get out and do work outside of the office. I’m finding out what I love and where I can see myself, work related, in the future. I’m even more excited to pick up a camera within the next week and start working on improving my photography! It has definitely been an experience working through this internship. From fine tuning my accounting practices to working up close and personal with the kids that live, breath, and eat the skateboarding world, I absolutely love to immerse myself and learn all I can about this industry. Stay tuned to hear all about the next week to come! <3

[Bonus Points if you know this Reference]

I love the fact that I get to have FUN at my job. Making Graphics like this one that I used for a Halloween costume seems more like play than work.

Recently, I’ve made several Birthday Graphics that seem to hype engagement quite effectively as they intrigue ‘likes’ from Friends of the Birthday person!  It’s always nice to see kids get amped on something that you were a part of.
Ideally, this #BambooBounty Hunt will really cultivate a mass following for Bamboo Skateboards and we can continue to share the Stoke!

This weeks lesson: You don’t have to “work” a day in your life if you LOVE what you do

This weekend I was in my happy place. I got to bring my work to my playground; the beach! Us interns ran the Bamboo Skateboards booth at the Banning Capps Surf Contest yesterday at Carlsbad State Beach. There was a good sized crowd and it was so much fun getting to watch the contest from our booth! I am pleased to say that we even were able to sell four boards! The beach is my home away from home so this weekend, I was able to bring my workplace to my playground. What a happy Sunday!

It’s taken a while, but I’m pleased to finally announce the coming of our very first Treasure Hunt! The implementation of this #BambooBounty has proven to be quite the growing experience! I really ought to get back into some Photoshop classes because I wasted way too much time creating this simple graphic to use for promotion across Social Media — and we all know that time is money! It’s a lot harder to motivate our followers to find the #BambooBounty than I thought! I figured, who doesn’t want free swag?! But as per suggestion by one of our 14-year-old followers, I posted pictures of some of the swag (other brands included) and now, everyone is pretty stoked!

This weeks lesson: Never doubt the power of free stuff — Free does not mean worthless!

This week I’ve missed out on some pretty amazing events that have happened.  Clash at Clairemont, Damn Am, high ollie contest, and next the OG Fest.  I wish I could have been at all of these but when life gives you lemons…you have lemons, unless you would like to make lemonade…However, it’s awesome to be apart of these, even if I can’t physically be there though.  I am hoping that very soon, I will have a plane ticket in hand and making my happy way to California to meet everyone and attend a future event!

Side note: Today, I was offered a management position at the Oakley store that I currently work at and I just can’t pass it up! My plan was to move out to California after I graduate but that might have to be on hold for the time being.  I believe this opportunity will help me go farther in the company.  You have to start at the bottom to get to the top and that is exactly what I’m doing. I’m young; I have a long life ahead of me to move out West and see the world.

Bamboo mail update: still waiting patiently for my longboard, deck and stickers.  Hoping this next week they will be under my feet!

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas A. Edison

-Bri.

These past few weeks have been great, both inside and outside of work. I’ve been using my free time to really put myself out there and start networking in the industry I hope to work in. Today I spent my afternoon at Volcom’s HQ up in Costa Mesa and got to meet some really incredible people. Unfortunately, the company was just bought out and people are getting let go left and right, but I couldn’t complain. I got to do a little shopping around in the HQ shop and tour an incredible facility. I tip my hat to you volcom!

After this weekend I have realized how much I enjoy working events in this industry. Doing the marketing, meeting amazing people, setting it all up, selling product, and just talking to people is the best part about this job. Not that I don’t enjoy the rest of this internship, but I have found that I LOVE getting out of the office and working events like Clash at Clairemont, Damn Am, and our high ollie contest. Seeing how much kids absolutely love what they do makes me want to be a part of it so much more and watching a smiling kid walk away with a brand new Bamboo boards if amazing as well. I have always enjoyed going to events with friends in the past as a spectator but being on the end, actually doing the work is a whole other experience. I am excited to see what future events hold for me and the other interns, as well as the path to my future career in this area of work.

This week I took Bamboo Skateboards to the Mumford and Sons concert in Chula Vista, California. I brought several different decks as well as a demo board and posted them up in the parking lot amongst all the tailgaters! We got so much great feedback on the boards and the crowd loved all of our graphics we used. Taking the boards to the concert was a great way to share and spread the word about Bamboo Skateboards and what they represent. I look forward to bringing boards to more events I’m going to this summer!

X

Chelsea

If you read the news blog you’ll see a story about the Oasis Skateboard Factory (OSF). OSF is an alternative high school in downtown Toronto for kids that are at risk of dropping out of school.

Basically, the OSF teaches kids the high school curriculum—math, science, english, social studies—with skateboards. Yeah, skateboards. Designed by teacher, Craig Morrison, the school uses skateboards as a springboard for teaching. His students learn things like manufacturing and marketing by making, designing, and selling skateboards.

Mr. Morrison uses Bamboo Skateboards to help create a one-month cross curricular unit about sustainability. The students learn about issues surrounding business and sustainability, and use design to communicate their learning by creating graphic art on the decks. Recently, some of these were on display in an art gallery.

I actually first heard about Bamboo Skateboards a few months ago when I came across this video of Mr. Morrison talking about his program. There are a few things here that I think are relevant to marketing.

First, note the number of times Mr. Morrison uses the word “engage.” He constantly talks about how skateboards help to engage the students in their learning, which motivates them to find success in school.

The word “engage” is the trendy marketing term. We try to engage our fans, audiences, and customers in our marketing endeavors. When I heard Mr. Morrison talking about engaging students, it really made me realize that teachers are perhaps the most overlooked marketing resource out there. While marketers have been engaging audiences for five years, good teachers have been creating lesson plans that engage their students for decades! If you can get a kid to want to learn math, you can sell anything!

The second interesting point is about business and education. Bamboo Skateboards helps the OSF and other schools with its Sustainability Through Art (STA) program. Schools like the OSF benefit from the STA with a fun and engaging teaching opportunity while Bamboo Skateboards extends its brand awareness.

The integration of Bamboo Skateboards into the school is a really great example of businesses adding value to education. And yet it somehow seems wrong or unethical to have a corporate presence in the classroom.

But with reduced funding for schools and a greater need for a highly skilled workforce, I think that we need to start looking for ways that the private sector can help educators. Perhaps now is the time for a new mutually beneficial “educational marketing” that adds relevant and real world content to the school curriculum, motivates young people, and improves academic success while providing brand exposure for businesses.

The finals for Skatepark of Tampa’s Damn Am LA competition was this past Sunday. We drove up from Oceanside that morning and when we arrived at Nike’s Downtown facility, the competition was on its way. Athletes from around the world came to LA this weekend to fight for the opportunity to skip the qualifiers at Tampa Am in December and automatically advance to the semi-finals. 2nd through 12th place finishers earn themselves a spot in the qualifiers.

The indoor skatepark on 6th and Mill is in an amazing area of the city. The design of the warehouse mimics the surrounding architecture and the ‘distressed’ features of the interior reflect many of the popular local skate spots. If you haven’t experienced this side of LA, do it soon. It’s very easy to discount the factories and warehouses in the area as nothing more than a blur of bricks, but if you really pay attention, there’s so much beauty to be found in the decay of industrial Los Angeles.

A A wise man once told me, “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” This wise man is our mentor, Geoff Kobolt. He was so right when he told us that we’d not only learn about the industry through this internship, but we’d also grow as people. I nearly let a hiccup in my personal life get me all bent out of shape. But with the support of my friends and some of his wise words, I’m ready to conquer the world again!

This weeks life lesson: Never miss a sunset or a rainbow because you’re looking down.

A big part of this internship is learning efficiency. Things like timing how long it takes to perform a task, and then pushing yourself to do the same task in a shorter amount of time.

Heavy machinery improves the efficiency of carrying large quantities of goods, like skate decks and hardware at this warehouse that I visited today. Thanks to Frank at Starnet for letting me play with his forklift.

Efficiency permeates all aspects of business. Note how this burrito restaurant has replaced a human being with a mechanical sign waving mannequin. The photo just doesn’t capture the perfect form and endurance. Impressive!

I have officially survived my first month at Bamboo Skateboards and it feels great. Although it is difficult to stay on top of two jobs and summer school, it is starting to pay off. Earlier this week I Red Bull booked my ticket for the summer manager on-boarding weekend getaway and a few days of relaxation in a hotel could not come at a better time!

The Clash at Clairemont is tomorrow and I am so excited to get out and see so many pro skaters that I grew up watching. I have always looked up to many of these people and to get the chance to meet them will be an incredible experience!.

‘Cause every little thing, gonna be alright.Three Little Birds-Bob Marley

I can’t believe it has been 1 month already into this internship! This week I decided that I needed to take a break from life.  I’ve been pretty stressed out since I graduate in 2 weeks and have no idea what is next.  I decided that I’m just going to drop everything and take time to relax, have fun, and not have a care in the world so I took myself to the local wakeboarding cable park.  I have not been there since opening day so it was so nice to be back on my board again.  After I was finished with my sesh. I then went to visit the skate park down the road.  It was so funny! There were about 6ish skaters there and when I got out of my car they all just froze like I was a shoebie or something coming into their territory.  I started talking to them about Bamboo and then they started to come around.  The first thing they asked for were stickers, sadly I’m still waiting on those to be shipped to me.  It was really cool though just talking with them and telling them about the company, they were really interested in the products!

Side note: I’m missing Clash at Clairemont this weekend and I missed the Showroom Grand Opening last night…super bummed about this stuff, and of course being stuck in Ohio at the moment, but I’m hoping to make it to an event soon.

-Bri.

2:40 pm: Tonight is the night we all get to let loose and enjoy our grand opening! The plan is for the night to full of good times, memory making, and wonderful company…oh yeah and showing off our lovely new showroom. With people from all over coming to check it out I’m excited to see who will show up…..

7:45 pm: People have started to arrive!!! time to mingle and have fun…..

9:1576:; uhewiLAfeuiagh I LOVE YOU ghaiophoeifjofraiueghpifhenp ……………………..night……………

For the last seven days, I have had the chance to visit  Costa Rica and share about Bamboo Skateboards with the locals! Being here has made me realize how precious our earth is and how we need to continue to take care of it.  Everyone I have talked to loves what Bamboo Skateboards does for the environment and loves the look of the blank bamboo decks.  It has been hard to get work done because of the lack of WiFi and the heat here seems to fry anything electronic. However, I am so thankful for the chance to experience the natural beauty that surrounds Costa Rica!

Yesterday I went for a sail in San Diego. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and the water was surprisingly warm. It was perfect. Now we’re all back to work after the long weekend. It’s almost 4pm and I still haven’t quite eased back into this week’s ‘work time’ mentality. Maybe by tomorrow morning I’ll be there.

There are some good events to look forward to in the next couple weeks. This Saturday is Clash at Clairemont and next weekend is the O.G. Jam Series. Both will be good opportunities to have some fun, promote Bamboo, and hopefully meet some cool people.

I’ll post again when it’s all over with some sweet photos of both events! Here’s one from yesterday to tide you over:

Week 3 everyone!!!! Time is going by really fast, I can’t believe it. In three more weeks I will be graduating college, and continuing my career in action sports. Until then, I’ll be stressing out getting my portfolio pieces together for my show and working, working, working my two other jobs and the Bamboo internship. I honestly have no idea how I am doing all of these things at once. I guess it’s because I’ve always been a busy bee. This week has been a challenge. Since I do not currently live in California, I am missing some pretty exciting stuff going on with the other interns such as visiting skate parks and hanging out with everyone else….but I can’t let that get me down! I put in my order for a longboard and will be receiving that, plus a deck soon in the mail so I can’t wait to be shredding on my new Boo and spreading the culture to other skaters out there. We finally got our Hookit Athlete list this week as well, which was so exciting! A tad bit confusing, but we’re all learning. After I contacted all of my athletes, the next morning when I checked the messages, I was so stoked when some of them replied. It’s really awesome talking with these kids and seeing what all they have been up to in the past few months. One athlete was telling me how excited he is to purchase a new deck soon, and all the tricks he has been learning. It really makes you think how happy these kids are and how passionate they are as well about skating. Talking to them for just one day made me look at life differently. To take a step back and don’t stress about things that I can’t fix, but to live life and enjoy it! I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks hold with Hookit and the athletes that I am a part of.

-Bri.

I can’t believe it’s already week three. I know this summer is going to fly by and it’s really bittersweet. I’m excited to see what else this internship at Bamboo has to offer, but it also means that I’ll be clinging on to the summer long after it’s over. My spring semester only ended last week so I didn’t have any time between finals ending and starting work at Bamboo to enjoy some time off, so getting out of the office to go down to San Diego for our first two skatepark visits was a nice compromise. I’ve never been that far south so it was great to see a cool new area of California. I will definitely be going back to SD soon to really check out the city.

Back in Oceanside, it’s hard to stay away from the beach when it’s always in sight. Hopefully I will get a longboard soon and finally learn to surf, but until then I’ve been enjoying the perfect California summer just laying out in the sun. The view certainly never gets old:

Yesterday, the sales skatepark team visited two parks in San Diego . Kelly was awesome and drove us around and arranged to bring some riders and a cameraman.

Three tips for our next visit:

1. Kids love stickers. The bigger stickers provide more value and make it easer to write the offer and promo code on the back.
2. Bring decks. We left ours in a last-minute vehicular change. You really want to show the kids the decks and graphics. Think tactile product engagement, Apple Store style.
3. Always carry a spare tire. We had a blowout on the I5 and thankfully Kelly had a fifth wheel in the trunk.

As the great artist Wiz Khalifa would say, “Work hard, play hard”.   For as much work as we do in the office, I am realizing the work outside of it is just as time consuming. At times every job feels like a job, with paperwork, phone calls, and meetings, but the attitude you have about that job and the tasks set forth is what creates the outlook you have on everything as a whole. The better your attitude is the more work feels like play. Isn’t that what most people strive for anyway, working a job that makes you feel like you’re not working at all? Well for me it is, and that’s probably why I’m enjoying my time here so much. I’m allowed to immerse myself in the culture and life style this company has set forth. From taking photos, visiting skate parks, meeting new people, working on sales, and marketing the company, I am receiving a extremely well rounded amount of insight that will only benefit me in my future endeavors. It’s pretty incredible what one individual can learn is such a short amount of time! I have to admit, being able to meet the kids that live, breath, and eat this way of life is my favorite part. Hanging out with them has definitely taught me not to stress over the small things so much and I’m sure there will be more lessons for me to learn during the next few weeks! Knowing that, you all better visit back soon to hear about what not only myself, but other interns as well are taking away from this experience! Love you all! peace…