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How Nick Tershay Accidentally Invented Viral Marketing in 2005

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With this year being the 20th anniversary of Diamond Supply Co., Nick Tershay has been making the rounds in terms of press. His most thorough recent interview happened a few  weeks ago on The Premium Pete Show. Surprisingly, it seems to have gone largely unnoticed by the blogosphere.

Tershay gives the full history of his brand from its beginnings in his San Francisco apartment to becoming a 100 million dollar company. The highs include buying a Ferrari on a whim for his birthday, and Rihanna appropriating one of his t-shirt designs for an album cover. And the low was a stint of partying that resulted in spending three million dollars on clubbing in one year. It’s a story that someone will likely make a movie about eventually.

Nowadays, Tershay is back at the helm of his design department, and doing 100% of Diamond’s art himself. He’s also dabbling in the cannabis industry. Tershay recently launched his own grow operation, and is set to unveil several weed brands in the near future. And the fact that Nike sold out of 25,000 pairs of the Diamond Dunk High in a matter of seconds in 2014 speaks to the enduring relevance of his brand. We should be seeing the latest iteration of the now iconic shoe before the end of the year.

The interview also touches on some things that Tershay isn’t given credit for. One being accidentally stumbling upon viral marketing when he posted a picture of himself with a sample of the original Diamond Dunk on Myspace in 2005. To say it got people talking is an understatement. Not only did it launch Diamond, it created the entire blueprint for hype retail.

By that time, there were literally thousands of pages on Nike Talk and Sole Collector just talking about the shoe. This was the hottest thing at the time. The crazy part is there was someone at Nike, maybe it was Tinker Hatfield… My friend that worked at Nike was like, “Man, it’s crazy. We had a marketing meeting at Nike… Everyone from SB and Jordan were all in this big auditorium. The whole backdrop of the discussion about marketing was a picture of you holding the shoe.

Listen to the entire interview above. The bit about the internet’s role in the Diamond Dunk craze starts at 35:27.

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Get Behind the Scenes of the Red Bull Bowl Rippers

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In September, Red Bull Bowl Rippers brought pro skateboarding action back to Marseille’s famous beachside Bowl Du Prado after a two-year hiatus.

As thousands of enthusiastic French spectators witnessed the action-packed event, Marc Churchill and Corbin Harris interviewed the participating skaters, as well as industry veterans such as Greg Poissonnier, Chris Gregson, and Bryce Kanights. They also spoke with the event organizer, Jeremie Grynblat, and local hero Vincent Matheron to understand what makes this unique proving ground so special and why people keep coming back to it for decades.

The first Bowl Rippers was held in 2016 at the iconic park to celebrate its 25th year. Now on its sixth edition, The Red Bull Bowl Rippers continued the Bowl Du Prado’s legacy of enshrining legends into a new era.

The Bowl Du Prado, designed by Jean-Pierre Collinet, has been visited by every great skateboarder to leave their mark on the sport. Along with famous names like Cardiel, Speyer, Trujillo, and Petersen, there are also local legends like Molinier, Benoliel, Salah, and the Matheron clan who have all contributed to the skatepark’s worldwide notoriety.

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CULTURE

Atita Verghese: India’s Top Female Skater in ‘Skate Tales’

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In this episode of Skate Tales, Madars Apse visited Bangalore to meet Atita Verghese, India’s leading female skater.

Atita was introduced to skateboard culture by the Holystoked crew, who constructed India’s first DIY skatepark in Bangalore. Her life was transformed when she stepped onto a skateboard, and she has never looked back.

In 2014, Atita established Girl Skate India, a non-profit organization that encourages young women to pursue skateboarding. Atita is a source of inspiration for women worldwide, particularly in India, where skateboarding is still in its early stages.

She has been involved in the construction of the majority of skateparks in her home country to this day, having learned how to mix concrete and shape transitions with the Holystoked collective.

Skateboarding has led her to appear in numerous advertisements, a TED talk, movie roles, and even a cameo in the Netflix series Skater Girl.

Atita has created a one-woman movement beyond providing boards, pads, or lessons. In a society where opportunities for girls to be free of social constraints and have fun are limited, Atita’s work is definitely worth checking out.

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Andrew Arthur: From Sponsored Skateboarder to Fashion Photographer

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The Transworld Skateboarding crew catches up with Andrew Arthur in this episode of “Brain Floss.”

Andrew Arthur was raised in Oceanside, California, surrounded by some of the best skaters who eventually became pros. Although he once pursued skateboarding and even reached the amateur level, his career took a different path when he found his niche in fashion photography.

Fast forward ten years and Andrew now resides in New York City, where he continues to skate and stay connected with the local scene. His latest photo project, which will be compiled into a book, is a unique take on the sun bounce setup popularized by Peter Lindbergh.

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