L8night with Choccy

This week’s guest is a true BAD ASS. Not because he’s BIG, he’s also had 40 years of Martial Arts training. He earned Black Belts across multiple disciplines. But just like in Martial Arts, he didn’t get his career starting at the top. He began his journey as a white belt, packing boxes at the warehouse in the early days of Billabong. Fast-forward 30 years, he climbed the ranks to a Black Belt level career, serving as a Global VP of Supply Chain at Volcom. He led the responsible production compliance, championing for fair labor practices, and played a key role in the groundbreaking sustainability initiative “Farm to Yarn”. This guy is incredible, he is also certified firearms instructor. He’s a security and protection specialist who provides tactical and medical training for both professionals and civilians through his company Mana Group Training Solutions. We’re fired up and welcome to show, our good friend, Tony “BIG TONY” Alvarez.

Another great SPYDER FEST went down this past weekend.
It's an awesome event where some of the Surf Culture and Industry legends are honored and it's a awesome day of Gathering of the Tribe.
We talked with a couple of SPYDER's team, Tamara "TAM-BAM" Lentz and Steen "FREEBIRD" Friberg.

Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach, CA, was established in 1957 was Jack Hokanson, and Mike Abdelmuti and his family took ownership in 1975. In this episode of L8night with Choccy, we sit down with Osameh and Marty behind the Quiksilver Boardriders on Main Street in Huntington Beach in the heart of Surf City USA to learn about the history of Jack’s Surfboards.

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Our guest this week grew up like so many of us groms do, Surfing, Skateboarding, and Snowboarding.  But for him, snowboarding took the lead, opening doors to sponsorships and, more importantly, a firsthand look at product testing and R&D. That early spark turned into a lifelong path and what has now become an incredible 25-year run in design and product development.
He’s helped shape product and creative direction for some of the biggest names in outdoor and lifestyle. He spent 13 years at Volcom designing across men’s, boys’, and outerwear, eventually rising to Global Design Director. From there, he went on to serve as VP of Design and Merchandising at O’Neill, then Design Director and Head Designer at Roark for six years. Along the way, he and his wife also launched their own design and consulting firm, The Designers Geary.
About three years ago, he took everything he’d learned, from technical performance to timeless function and built something of his own: SPC/LST, PERSON-built gear for life on the road made with technical materials and functional essentials designed to last a lifetime.
We’re fired up to sit down and hear about his journey, his creativity, and everything he’s learned along the way. Please welcome Mr. Danny " D4" Geary.

Our guest this week is a true creative hustler, a Surfer, skater, musician, and entrepreneur who has been building brands since high school. He got his start launching his first label, Mesa, selling tees straight out of the trunk of his car and even at Hobie in Corona del Mar while he was working there.
After graduating from SDSU, he intentionally sharpened his skill set, working with companies like Havas Edge, Hewlett Packard, and Volcom gaining hands-on experience in website design, Shopify development, data analytics, marketing strategy, and production.
In 2018, he channeled that experience into launching his own sunglass brand, SAD Eyewear / A Sight And Design Co.
We’re pumped to dive into his journey from grassroots hustle to brand builder. Please welcome to the show, Mr. Kiefer “KILLA KIEF” Cohen.