The Wire by Firewire Surfboards

Latest Episodes:

The Wire ep. #13 - Look inside Billabong and Volcom with Firewire Co-Founder Dougall Walker; CEO of Volcom Australia Jul 19, 2017

Show notes

Without Dougall Walker you might not be surfing a Firewire Surfboard and Kelly Slater might not own a surfboard company. Before he became CEO of Volcom Australia, Dougall Co-Founded Firewire. But this story doesn't begin there. In 1980 he was the first person ever to surf a thruster in Hawaii. And in 1986 he was tapped by Billabong Founder Gordon Merchant to join Billabong as Sales Manager. Dougall spent the next 18 years helping to grow Billabong, eventually retiring from his post as General Manager of Billabong Australasia in 2004, a year that Billabong earned hundreds of millions in revenue. Not bad for a brand that started out making board shorts on a kitchen table. It was difficult for Dougall to leave his staff of 300 people but he wanted to surf more and wanted to hang more with family. And now he's excited to hang with you in this episode of The Wire Podcast.

The Wire ep. #12 - Ron Shine, the man behind BoardPorn, Instagram's largest surfboard community Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

Ron Shine sorts through at least 300 photos a day. Each one shows a surfboard. and each one was sent to him by a fan who has emailed, tagged, texted or messaged him. To give you an idea of just how sought after his surfboard centric attention is, we recorded this podcast when Ron had 135,000 followers. He now has 145,000. A 10k increase of audience in just weeks for BoardPorn - the account he owns, manages and oversees on Instagram. It's a task that would tire many but for Ron, it's an energizing endeavor that brings surfing into his life in the moments that he's not actually surfing. The first 25 minutes of this episode explores the details of why Ron started BoardPorn, and how he turned it into what it's become today. This conversation then turns to Tomo Surfboards, Dan Mann, and more as we settle in for an hour of surfboard talk. Enjoy!

The Wire Ep. #11 - Dan Mann Discusses The Chumlee vs. The Baked Potato vs. The Sweet Potato Jul 05, 2017

Show notes

This new episode of The Wire Podcast focuses on three of Dan's most recognizable surfboards: The Sweet Potato (2010) The Baked Potato (2012) and the Chumlee (2017).

Each board has grown a loyal following for different reasons, and each board has a party of surfers ready to claim it superior over the other two. These three boards highlight just how personal surfboard preferences are; the likelihood of the Chumlee being your favorite board and the Baked Potato being your best friends favorite is strong. And this is the focus of this episode.

Dan, Chris, and Mark each have different favorites, different preferred fins, opinions, etc, and this is a conversation that will be fun to drop in on.

The Wire ep. #10 - John Moore is Kelly Slater's Creative Partner at Outerknown May 16, 2017

Show notes

John Moore's magic fits into a single sentence: Without John, the world's most authentic surf brand wouldn't exist today, and neither would the world's least authentic surf brand. John went to Art School as a surfer from California in the 90's. His intention was to study painting and printmaking. Designing clothing never crossed his mind. But John was so talented that Abercrombie and Fitch wanted him. He was recruited heavily. The pitches came and he ignored them. And then one day he allowed the opportunity take him and he proceeded to create the look and feel of Hollister Surf Co. It was years later in 2011 that he resurrected M. Nii. These are the initials of a 1940's tailor from Waianae Hawaii who made the world's first surf specific shorts for surfers. Think about that – a tiny tailor; M. Nii was the first mover in what has now become the defacto poolside fashion for kids in Montana and adults in France – board shorts. See, John's craft is creating things out of thin air and also employing a keen eye for the interesting. His superpower is taking whatever crazy idea you have and actually creating the thing. Because of this, he's uncommonly impactful in the act of designing board shorts and living spaces and human experiences. Visual landscapes even. He can discuss the jacket and the pants. And the way their fabric print compliment the skin tone of a model as she stands in front of a camera. And he'll actually know what he is talking about. This is why surf brands like Quiksilver have consulted him for input and opinions on the design of swimwear and clothing and the creation of entire brands. It's how he and Kelly Slater became friends and collaborators. Today, John is the Creative Director at Outerknown. The brand he and Kelly created to represent travel, sustainability, and style. And this episode will keep your ear close to the speaker for more than an hour. Because John's story is an example of the incredible control someone can have over the way they live their life and the things they spend their time doing.

The Wire Ep. #9 - Rob Machado is Handing You Happiness May 11, 2017

Show notes

This episode is a long and calm hour and five minutes of deep talks with Rob that you'll want to sink into. So pour a cup of Yerba Mate or whip up an Acai bowl and set some headphones on your head. Catch the vibe with us. This episode, like every episode, begins with an introduction. And in this case, it's an introduction that shouldn't really be there. See, the purpose of an introduction at the beginning of a podcast is to whet the audience's appetite in a way that gets them excited to listen. But exciting listeners for a conversation with Rob Machado is a bit like getting people excited to surf. Surfing is its own justification. So is Rob Machado. In fact, what this episode should really begin with is a segment where Rob introduces you to The Wire Podcast. Because Rob is the show here. Not The Wire. Rob is bigger than The Wire. In this episode we discuss his Go Fish, as well has his upcoming board models; The Midas and The Melted Butter. We also talk about the filming and editing of Proximity, why he never gets tired of surfing at Seaside Reef, and the surprising story behind why getting paid a lot of money to go surfing can actually be the scariest experience of your life. Enjoy.

The Wire ep. #8 - Comparing Surfboards; Firewire employees share their favorite board models Apr 24, 2017

Show notes

Inside Firewire there are two types of surfers. The first surf the same board over and over. For example, Mike Miliken who mostly rides mid- lengths like the 8'6 Special T. Or Mark Price who mostly surfs a Vader, and an occasional Omni. Then you've got the other side of the spectrum - these guys surf everything. Any Tech. Any shape. They've got everything in rotation from a Seaxe to a Sci-Fi and everything in between. They know what they like and what they don't. They have some techs they favor more than others, but they've got experience on everything, and their garage looks like a surf shop. Today we have three guests from inside of Firewire. And each one is from the second category. Mike Thomas, who is Firewire's Art Director (who has a really wild rule that determines the volume he surfs), Mark Pesce, who is Firewire's U.S. Shop and Sales Consultant ( who surfs the weirdest looking set of fins you've seen - hint: They look like the letter L), and Tony Curto, who is Firewire's U.S. production manager (who is hilariously notorious for blowing his board selection at the Kelly Slater Wave Co's pool in Lemoore). These guys surf Spitfires and Sweet Potatoes, Baked potatoes and Omnis. And you'll find this episode interesting if you want insight into what your next board might be. You may also find clues about why you like certain shapes and build technologies more than others.

The Wire Ep. #7 - Andy Stern. The Neurologist who founded Smartfin. Apr 07, 2017

Show notes

Andy Stern enlisted Futures Fins and The Scripps Institution of Oceanography in pursuit of a breakthrough in the way humanity understands the ocean. And a breakthrough in surfboard fins. A Yale graduate and former professional squash player, Andy has created a fin set that measures ocean chemistry and gathers data while you surf. Salinity. PH balance. Temperature. Wave data. It's all collected through your fins as you ride waves. But Andy is not just the founder of a noteworthy achievement in fin design. He also commissions sculptures of extinct birds and places them in the wild where the species was last seen before vanishing. He also has a Zen Buddhist meditation practice that often entails week-long silent retreats. This is a special episode and we're excited to have you join us on The Wire.

The Wire ep. #6 - Punker Pat Wants A New Nickname (and a new Evo) Mar 21, 2017

Show notes

Punker Pat surfs an Evo. He also has the keys to a recording studio at Hurley. This episode was recorded in the same space that Blink-182, Weezer and Social Distortion have recorded. It's housed inside a building on the campus that Hurley and Nike call home in Costa Mesa. It's the place that Michel Bourez, Rob Machado and others under the Hurley / Nike umbrella come to re-fill on board shorts, pick up new wetsuits and strategize upcoming surf trips, like the explorations seen in John John Florence's 'View From A Blue Moon'. This episode covers much, such as the role Pat had in designing the Unibrow years before Firewire released it, the one trick to getting in and out barrels while bodysurfing, how anyone can record good video footage of themselves surfing and much more, like Pat's thoughts on the mental habit that makes his friend such a formidable competitor. If you enjoy this episode, you can let us know by rating this podcast 5 stars on iTunes and Stitcher.

The Wire ep. #5 - 700 surfboards, 25 countries, and 2 board bags. How Kelly Kingston Shares the Stoke. Mar 10, 2017

Show notes

Kelly Kingston travels with two board bags wherever she goes. And she goes everywhere. There are enough obscure stamps on her passport pages to cause even the most jaded TSA agent to blink twice - Haiti, Peru, Columbia - her travel bag of choice is made by FCS, and it's most often filled with Firewire boards like the Sci-Fi, Baked Potato, and Omni - her favorite. She surfs it often near her home in Lake Worth Florida. In 2016 Kelly received more than 150 surfboards from Firewire. But she didn't surf them all. They were distributed worldwide through her organization Share The Stoke. Since 2008 Kelly has used Share The Stoke as a vehicle to donate over 700 surfboards to kids in more than 20 countries. But she began small. In fact, the origin story of Share The Stoke carries the same intrigue as any tale of inception, whether two computer programmers in a Palo Alto garage or Jeff Kelly, founder of Sanuk, creating prototypes in a Del Mar garage and making all the original sales calls himself. In this new episode of The Wire Podcast Kelly shares a lot about the accidental path that led her to her purpose in life which is to, in her words, 'Share the gift of surfing". We're excited to have you join us.

The Wire ep. #4 - Left Pocket, $6 Million; Right Pocket, A Big Hammer. Chad Nelsen's Pants Are Getting Heavy Feb 17, 2017

Show notes

As CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, Chad Nelsen drops hammers on the people who tread on your surfing experience. And he's damn good at it. From saving Trestles, to stopping off-shore drilling to banning single-use plastic bags in California, Chad has directed Surfrider through their most successful year ever in 2016, with 60 coastal victories achieving outcomes such as stopping the flow of up to 240 million gallons of waste into Huntington Beach waters each day, and ending the way gambling boats used to dump 44 million gallons of waste into the sea each year in Florida. See, if you've ever ridden a wave in North America, there's a good chance the Surfrider Foundation has, at least in a small way, enabled your ability to enjoy whatever surf break you got wet at, and that's the reason we asked Chad to join us for this episode of The Wire - he is uncommonly good at organizing action and influencing change. This episode is both a mood enhancer and a how-to guide; listening to it will make you happy if you surf because we discuss the many ways surfers won in 2016 and the progress being made this year, and anyone in a non-profit or startup will benefit from Chad's perspective on everything from fundraising to spending funds effectively for maximum benefit. Please enjoy, and rate this podcast 5 stars if you want to make it easy for others to find, but of course, the choice is yours.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The Wire by Firewire Surfboards

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected