Sponsor Me Surfing – Surfing Product Review

No B.S. Review

One of the writers at DailyStoke.com recently found an interesting DVD and book combination created by Mike “Sully” Sullivan from Oceanside, California. We reached to Mike to review his product, which is brand new. Mike researched into what it takes to be a sponsored surfer – be it by a local shop, a surfboard manufacturer or one of the larger surfing companies like Quiksilver, Rip Curl or Billabong (among many others out there looking for team riders) and in particular, how a grom can get sponsored.

Sullivan has produced a series of DVDs and an eBook on the subject. The first DVD includes 30 minutes of an overview of getting sponsored, with Sullivan assuming the speaking role. In it, he covers everything from where to start, what a surfer should do to impress surfing companies, and what pisses off a surfing sponsor. The second and third DVDs comprise three hours on one on one interviews with a variety of surfing stakeholders, including noted surfboard surfboard companies (Linden, SB, Surf Prescriptions), surfing team managers from companies such as Rip Curl (Dylan Slater) and Hurley (Brandon Guilmette), as well as interviews with Huntington Surf and Sport, the coach of a local high school surf team and finally, Janice Aragon of the NSSA. Sponsor Me Surfing covers a lot of ground.

The strong point of Mike's work on how to be a sponsored surfer are the interviews he held with surfing industry titans. Mike interviewed Gary Linden, an Oceanside shaper for more than 40 years and owner of Linden surfboards. He gets some in depth answers with Steve Boysen of SB Surfboards. He also interviews Jeff ‘Doc' Lausch, founder of Surf Prescriptions surfboards, along with his wife, Amber Kelly Lausch, in which each gives there own point of view (and freely, too!). Finally, he interviews Ian Calderon, who is the Surf Prescriptions team manager. Says Calderon: “I don't recommend a surfer going out there to get sponsored unless they're on track to be on the WCT – whether it's because they want to get there or have the skills to get there.” While using a similar set of interview questions, Mike draws out from each their views on how a grom can get sponsored by a surfing company. What is most interesting is the bottom line – that surfboard manufacturers are sponsoring young surfers not out of charity, but because of their view that they can sell more surfboards. It's obvious, yes, but the shapers that Sullivan interviews (and in particular Gary Linden and Steve Boysen) spell it out in a crystal clear way. Rip Curl and Hurley are offering sponsorships on a different level, and because of their size and profit margins, are more able to take a flyer on a young grom with the potential to really shred some day.

If you're a young surfer thinking about getting sponsored, a parent of a grom or maybe even their uncle, you should check out Sullivan's videos on Youtube and his webpage.

His product package, including three DVDs and an eBook retails for $98 (which may be a bit on the pricey side) and is a valuable resource for someone looking for in depth goods and industry insight into getting sponsored for surfing.

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