Buddy Carr Skateboards
Recently we have introduced the new brand Buddy Carr Skateboards in our product line. Buddy is a well known skater and has been in this industry for a long time. We thought it would be a good idea to introduce Buddy and the brand to you through this interview.
1.Can you tell us what you have done before, like working for Tracker?
I started doing work for Tracker in 1985 and continued full time until Jan 1 of 2009. During those 24 years i wore many hats, doing everything from helping design trucks to running clothing production for in house brands like Skate Rags, Limpies and Street Rod. The experience I gained there was invaluable. Prior to my start at Tracker I was a struggling student that had a dream of moving to California to skate the few remaining skateparks. I guess you could say that 25 years later I am still living that dream only now there are so many bigger and better skateparks.
2.When did you start the brand Buddy Carr Skateboards?
The Buddy Carr Skateboard brand was officially launched in June of 2009, prior to that Wes Humpston of the Dogtown / Bulldog Skates fame was producing and selling a deck with my name on the bottom.
3.What was the trigger for you to set up your own brand?
I had wanted to start my own brand for several years, create something unique and that stood apart both graphically and construction wise. It seems that skateboard graphics have become so stale and predictable; my goal is to use my knowledge and experience and create a unique look that will elevate the way skateboarding appears.
4.What is your goal with BuddyCarr Skateboards?
I want to use these past 25 years of experience to build something that will help direct skateboarding in a direction best for skateboarding. Creating unique and modern designs that bring board and graphics to a new level but also keeping it fun at the same time. The Buddy Carr Skateboards brand is the launch pad for several other projects that go beyond just skateboards.
1.Can you tell us what you have done before, like working for Tracker?
I started doing work for Tracker in 1985 and continued full time until Jan 1 of 2009. During those 24 years i wore many hats, doing everything from helping design trucks to running clothing production for in house brands like Skate Rags, Limpies and Street Rod. The experience I gained there was invaluable. Prior to my start at Tracker I was a struggling student that had a dream of moving to California to skate the few remaining skateparks. I guess you could say that 25 years later I am still living that dream only now there are so many bigger and better skateparks.
2.When did you start the brand Buddy Carr Skateboards?
The Buddy Carr Skateboard brand was officially launched in June of 2009, prior to that Wes Humpston of the Dogtown / Bulldog Skates fame was producing and selling a deck with my name on the bottom.
3.What was the trigger for you to set up your own brand?
I had wanted to start my own brand for several years, create something unique and that stood apart both graphically and construction wise. It seems that skateboard graphics have become so stale and predictable; my goal is to use my knowledge and experience and create a unique look that will elevate the way skateboarding appears.
4.What is your goal with BuddyCarr Skateboards?
I want to use these past 25 years of experience to build something that will help direct skateboarding in a direction best for skateboarding. Creating unique and modern designs that bring board and graphics to a new level but also keeping it fun at the same time. The Buddy Carr Skateboards brand is the launch pad for several other projects that go beyond just skateboards.
5.What are your personal ambitions?
I am a firm believer in goals, goals rule our lives without a clear set of goals we drift like a ship with no sail. I would say that two things drive me daily. Doing the loop of death (riding my skateboards around the full pipe) and running a marathon. Both seem unattainable but I train for the day that these opportunities arrive to me and one day I will achieves both.
6.What is the image you see yourself for the brand BuddyCarr Skateboards?
The image for the brand is not a created make up. The brand represents the way that I live my daily life. When you take the step and place your name on a brand it is hard to fake it, difficult to be something you are not. Skateboarders are smart, they can see through the smoke and mirrors and fakes are easily spotted, I choose to let my life dictate the brand and keep it real. What you see is what you get. Modern, organized, dedication and passion in everything that has the Buddy Carr name attached.
7.Is this run as a family business/ How is it to work together with Traci, your wife, in this business?
Who better to trust than your family, my wife handles the accounting and the type of stuff that tends to slow down the creative process. Traci also handles our correspondence with our international dealers. our 9 year old son Blaise helps in the shop during summer holidays and our 4 year old son will no doubt end up in the shop stacking wheels or counting stickers one day soon.
8.How many people work for BuddyCarr Skateboards?
We currently have three full time people and one part time person who helps when we get into our busy seasons. I am a firm believer that small is the new big, I’ve seen how big overheads and large staff can consume the creativity of brands. When profits are put in front of passion the brand is dead. We keep things small, creative, personal and two steps ahead of the larger brands
9.What is the relation to Tailtap and Indaba?
Traci and I started The Indaba Group more than 10 years ago, we did various production work for clients and then it eventually became the distribution point for Concrete Wave Magazine when we helped launched that magazine 8 years ago. Basically The Indaba became a distributer for many of the brands that advertised in the first issues of the magazine, no other distributors would touch many of the brands so Indaba gave these smaller brands a home in the beginning. Tailtap.com is our side project that we created because there was only 1 maybe 2 companies offering the types of products that at the time were very different to what the other magazines and web shops were offering. Looking back it seems that everything we create is out of need, not greed, we find holes and we set out to fill them, be it with the Concrete Wave magazine, The Indaba, tailtap and now Buddy Carr Skateboards.
I am a firm believer in goals, goals rule our lives without a clear set of goals we drift like a ship with no sail. I would say that two things drive me daily. Doing the loop of death (riding my skateboards around the full pipe) and running a marathon. Both seem unattainable but I train for the day that these opportunities arrive to me and one day I will achieves both.
6.What is the image you see yourself for the brand BuddyCarr Skateboards?
The image for the brand is not a created make up. The brand represents the way that I live my daily life. When you take the step and place your name on a brand it is hard to fake it, difficult to be something you are not. Skateboarders are smart, they can see through the smoke and mirrors and fakes are easily spotted, I choose to let my life dictate the brand and keep it real. What you see is what you get. Modern, organized, dedication and passion in everything that has the Buddy Carr name attached.
7.Is this run as a family business/ How is it to work together with Traci, your wife, in this business?
Who better to trust than your family, my wife handles the accounting and the type of stuff that tends to slow down the creative process. Traci also handles our correspondence with our international dealers. our 9 year old son Blaise helps in the shop during summer holidays and our 4 year old son will no doubt end up in the shop stacking wheels or counting stickers one day soon.
8.How many people work for BuddyCarr Skateboards?
We currently have three full time people and one part time person who helps when we get into our busy seasons. I am a firm believer that small is the new big, I’ve seen how big overheads and large staff can consume the creativity of brands. When profits are put in front of passion the brand is dead. We keep things small, creative, personal and two steps ahead of the larger brands
9.What is the relation to Tailtap and Indaba?
Traci and I started The Indaba Group more than 10 years ago, we did various production work for clients and then it eventually became the distribution point for Concrete Wave Magazine when we helped launched that magazine 8 years ago. Basically The Indaba became a distributer for many of the brands that advertised in the first issues of the magazine, no other distributors would touch many of the brands so Indaba gave these smaller brands a home in the beginning. Tailtap.com is our side project that we created because there was only 1 maybe 2 companies offering the types of products that at the time were very different to what the other magazines and web shops were offering. Looking back it seems that everything we create is out of need, not greed, we find holes and we set out to fill them, be it with the Concrete Wave magazine, The Indaba, tailtap and now Buddy Carr Skateboards.
10.What new developments do you expect in 2010 for the brand?
For the Buddy Carr brand you can expect to see products that go beyond only skateboards, we have three years worth of ideas and concepts on the table. What I can share with you is to expect the unexpected. Taking risk and working our passion.
11.Can you tell us a bit how these models have been developed and how they are produced?
Our creative process is to first find a hole or a void and then we work on how to fill that gap. The world is full of what I call “clutter” so much of the same stuff, middle of the road “me too” products, products driven by low cost or big budget advertising. With our skateboards we start with a pencil and a lot of paper, we sketch out shape ideas cut samples ride test and consider what type construction best suited to that deck. However, we always choose the truck first, we design shape around the trucks size and how that particular truck functions. Graphics are always last, we may have an idea but never are graphics produced prior to final deck shape. I find that the deck shape will dictate the decks graphics; I like to say that the deck talks to me once the shape is finalized. I think our approach is vastly different than most brands.
12.What sort of materials do you use on the different decks?
Currently we are working with maple on our first two models, however we are experimenting with various materials, from carbon fibre cloth to billet aluminum. It’s all there available to us. I’ve worked with our wood manufacturer for more than 20 years, they produce our decks in San Diego for us using Canadian maple. Our wheels are also made locally by a urethane company that I have also worked directly with for over 20 years.
13.Do you feel more a skater in general or skateboarder or longboarder?
I am a skateboarder, although my specialty is pool riding I ride all types of boards. Certain set ups for certain types of terrain. The division of skateboarding, categorizing and labeling is not good for the health of skateboarding. If you ride a skateboard regardless of shape size or wheel hardness you are a Skateboarder in my book.
14.Do you get the chance still to skate a lot and if you do, what has changed in your style of skating through the years?
Yes of course! Over the years skateboarding terrain has changed and when the terrain changes you must adapt. Bigger deeper pools means a more slow pump, more vert means you pull off the wall the less, better coping means more finesse and less brute strength. You adapt and those who refuse often set on the side lines bitter talking about the good old days. These are the good days! A few months ago I did a skate park grand opening demo with my longtime friend Tony Hawk, what’s incredible is that at 43 years old I can still go out and do a demo for kids, and the kids are stoked. Adaption is key to longevity.
15.What is important for you in life / Which philosophies do guide you in life?
The most important thing in my life is my family, family first and everything else follows. My philosophy for life is that Open minds lead to open doors. I recently read Love your work and work you love. I like to think we do that.
16.What is a typical working day for you?
I start early, by choice. My typical day starts at 4 a.m. When there is time I like to run, 4 to 8 miles before I head to the office. I typically spend 8 to 10 hours at the office then head home do some weight training and finish the day helping my kids with their school studies. Skating is usually on Tuesday nights and weekends. I see a trainer once a week to help maintain good muscle and core balance, it all helps my skateboarding and is the key to skating into your 40’s, if you want to skate and continue to do demonstrations well into your 40’s you must work twice as hard as the 20 year olds.
17.Did I miss anything?
I think that’s it, and do thank you for allowing me this interview, for supporting the brand, the concept and the many projects that I have planned. I am stoked to have the platform to build upon now, to explore ideas and help guide skateboarding in a positive direction. Fueled with passion for progress but never forgetting the past either.
Thanks, Buddy, for this interview. We think that people in Europe definitely have more insight in the brand now. It looks like we are in for an interesting time together with a lot of surprises. Surf2Go is proud to represent Buddy Carr Skateboards in Europe. We look forward to the first unexpected event…..
Krijn Moens
Surf2Go
For the Buddy Carr brand you can expect to see products that go beyond only skateboards, we have three years worth of ideas and concepts on the table. What I can share with you is to expect the unexpected. Taking risk and working our passion.
11.Can you tell us a bit how these models have been developed and how they are produced?
Our creative process is to first find a hole or a void and then we work on how to fill that gap. The world is full of what I call “clutter” so much of the same stuff, middle of the road “me too” products, products driven by low cost or big budget advertising. With our skateboards we start with a pencil and a lot of paper, we sketch out shape ideas cut samples ride test and consider what type construction best suited to that deck. However, we always choose the truck first, we design shape around the trucks size and how that particular truck functions. Graphics are always last, we may have an idea but never are graphics produced prior to final deck shape. I find that the deck shape will dictate the decks graphics; I like to say that the deck talks to me once the shape is finalized. I think our approach is vastly different than most brands.
12.What sort of materials do you use on the different decks?
Currently we are working with maple on our first two models, however we are experimenting with various materials, from carbon fibre cloth to billet aluminum. It’s all there available to us. I’ve worked with our wood manufacturer for more than 20 years, they produce our decks in San Diego for us using Canadian maple. Our wheels are also made locally by a urethane company that I have also worked directly with for over 20 years.
13.Do you feel more a skater in general or skateboarder or longboarder?
I am a skateboarder, although my specialty is pool riding I ride all types of boards. Certain set ups for certain types of terrain. The division of skateboarding, categorizing and labeling is not good for the health of skateboarding. If you ride a skateboard regardless of shape size or wheel hardness you are a Skateboarder in my book.
14.Do you get the chance still to skate a lot and if you do, what has changed in your style of skating through the years?
Yes of course! Over the years skateboarding terrain has changed and when the terrain changes you must adapt. Bigger deeper pools means a more slow pump, more vert means you pull off the wall the less, better coping means more finesse and less brute strength. You adapt and those who refuse often set on the side lines bitter talking about the good old days. These are the good days! A few months ago I did a skate park grand opening demo with my longtime friend Tony Hawk, what’s incredible is that at 43 years old I can still go out and do a demo for kids, and the kids are stoked. Adaption is key to longevity.
15.What is important for you in life / Which philosophies do guide you in life?
The most important thing in my life is my family, family first and everything else follows. My philosophy for life is that Open minds lead to open doors. I recently read Love your work and work you love. I like to think we do that.
16.What is a typical working day for you?
I start early, by choice. My typical day starts at 4 a.m. When there is time I like to run, 4 to 8 miles before I head to the office. I typically spend 8 to 10 hours at the office then head home do some weight training and finish the day helping my kids with their school studies. Skating is usually on Tuesday nights and weekends. I see a trainer once a week to help maintain good muscle and core balance, it all helps my skateboarding and is the key to skating into your 40’s, if you want to skate and continue to do demonstrations well into your 40’s you must work twice as hard as the 20 year olds.
17.Did I miss anything?
I think that’s it, and do thank you for allowing me this interview, for supporting the brand, the concept and the many projects that I have planned. I am stoked to have the platform to build upon now, to explore ideas and help guide skateboarding in a positive direction. Fueled with passion for progress but never forgetting the past either.
Thanks, Buddy, for this interview. We think that people in Europe definitely have more insight in the brand now. It looks like we are in for an interesting time together with a lot of surprises. Surf2Go is proud to represent Buddy Carr Skateboards in Europe. We look forward to the first unexpected event…..
Krijn Moens
Surf2Go
