My Quickie to LA

My trip to LA was action packed. 3 days in and out. I originally came just to LA just to launch Surf Mentor with Phoebe the new program manager. I ended up going to a DC Shoes/ Mike Shinoda Event. First off, there was an insane line for his autograph signing. It was also an art show. I was invited by my peeps at DC. Had some candid discussions about the next year with them and some projects they have going on. Then I went to a Squeaky Clean event at the Hollywood Car Wash that was produced by Rita - Who is about to be an event super producer. Between those two events, I met Bobby Hundreds and some potential sponsors for Stoked. Needless to say I was excited that my trip was worthwhile.

I also was working with Phoebe on a new after school program that we desperately need to create in LA to supplement and serve more kids. Then today, we started Surf Mentor. It was awesome. All the kids caught waves. End of Story. Oh, and George, our NYC mentor was there to experience our LA program.



His Shoes with DC

I kinda like this picture

Zach Stertz took this photo.

The NYC Half

One the hardest things I'm currently doing now aside from building Stoked into a great organization is running in the NYC 1/2 Marathon. Through our Team Stoked program, I decided to join and run. I wanted to get into shape, do more cardio, and challenge myself. I've completely crashed though. I'm going to continue, but I did a 10 miler the other day and boy, that killed me. Here is my schedule. I got 4 more weeks to go.

going back to cali

I thought I wouldn't have to go back to LA for a while. I have to handle some quick business. I intend to make someone a job offer and raise some money. Our LA program is quite a challenge. Especially being on 2 separate coasts and thousands of miles between us. I want the program to succeed but without the support and infrastructure that we have in NYC, it will be hard to survive. The inspiration and motivation to make the LA program work honestly, is the amount of kids that need a program like Stoked. Although our NYC youth come from challenging social environments, they have more opportunities than our LA program. Alternatively, our LA kids need more hope and inspiration. We've already touched the lives of a small amount of kids, but there are hundreds of kids in the community that need positive outlets.
LL Cool J - Going back to Cali - Classic


Biggie's Version - his flow is sick!

My life right now..

This is how my life feels right now. My goal is to be a crazy & insane as this video. right now, It's a challenge to keep the balls in the air.

Things that Changed the Game

A good friend Sam, started a cool blog Things that Changed the Game.

It's an interesting project that he and his friend are doing got me inspired to post more on this and pursue some of the things I've wanted to do this year. Some of my goals this year: start a book, learn spanish, run in a triathlon/marathon. I'm doing the marathon now. I'm running in the NYC 1/2 marathon for Stoked. I'm on week 2 of my training regimen. I've slacked off this week and only ran 2. Tomorrow I'm doing 5 miles.

Skate Mentor was good today. I totally thought it was going to rain but it didn't. There was a snafu/miscommunication with the food, but we were able to work it out. The level of the circles keep increasing with the types of conversations and responses we're getting from kids. Tory, the volunteer of the year, came out to check out the program. It's always great to have non sport volunteers there. Makes me want to do a surf day with just our volunteers and supporters.

Raking in the dough

I was a junior/senior in high school when this some came out. The beat is absolutely out of control. This song also introduced the Bogle (sp). It's the dance that everyone in the video is doing. Man, everyone I know wanted to perfect the Bogle. Enjoy this video. It is def a blast from the past. Learn how to Bogle!

update

I just came from a stealth trip to LA to take care of some HR issues. A very expensive problem to fix. Meanwhile, I think I found a great solution to the problem. Will be unveiling soon. The past few weeks have been particularly stressful. Dealing with growth & sustainability issues. But whenever there are challenges, there are always opportunities. I love traveling simply because it gives me time to think. We will be doing more things with the site and especially in LA.

Program wise, we FINALLY launched skate mentor. with the help of our new program committee & manager, it went well. This is our 4th skate mentor and I always get nervous before we start. The rain stayed away and everyone had fun.

This picture below is pretty serious. Our biggest program to date:

stoked culture

one of the most gratifying aspects of running stoked is that a culture is starting to develop. slowly but surely, people are starting to develop habits, form cliques, bonds, and language are popping up. I just read a great blog from a mentor, Dave. He and his mentee M Cash are being chronicled through his blog.



I heard he's been busting ollies already!

"I Fully Believe I'll Walk Again"

When I first heard that Stephen Murray was paralyzed I was stunned. I'm not a big BMX fan, but there were a handful of guys that I always checked. Of course, Dave Mirra, then Ryan Nyquist, and then Stephen Murray. I remember watching the X Games years ago and seeing this hungry talented rider who moved to California from the UK to pursue his passion of being a professional rider. I even remember seeing a "day in the life" about how well he was doing, got married, had a baby, and even bought a BMW. It all came to a head at the Dew Action Sports tour when I guess he felt the pressure to earn a living and to go big for his family. Expn the Magazine wrote this cool and very inspiring article about his progress. You can actually donate to his fund. I'm humbled an inspired as I read this. One of those things that helps keep your life into perspective.

Brands I like... The BK Circus & The Hundreds

After being super sore from the BIKE NYC Tour, I got in nice and early to check my favorite blogs. A morning ritual to get inspired. I absolutely love and am inspired by 2 brands. The Brooklyn Circus which was founded by my college friend Ouigi. I check his blog often, b/c he's so damn creative and has assembled a community of people that love his shop. He's also expanded to SF and Chicago. He sells a trailer load of tee shirts and has heaps of collaborations in store for the future. A true maven. Plus, he's a homie.



The other blog I check everyday is The Hundreds

Bobby Hundreds and the his crew are tight as hell. I don't know him, but we know some people in common. You can tell they work super hard, love what they do, and you see how their brand communicates to its customers. Honestly, I sweat their stuff. The site is hot, they've recently expanded to SF. They're the type of brand, like The Brooklyn Circus, when they release a limited edition hat, there is a line down the block to buy it.

There are so many companies that want what theses guys have. What they have is community. Something that people can hold on to and something for people to believe in. Something that is even bigger than the original entrepreneur or founder has even imagined. The other thing that they communicate is honesty. You can see, read, listen, the the mindset and mentality of the company in its products and marketing. Rather, non marketing. When it comes down to it, they are putting us on to their lifestyle.

i love this ad...

honestly, nike just knows how to do it. this ad came out a while ago, but the music, imaging, everything just hits me. i'm all about finding motivational stuff.

steve jobs motivational speech

maybe...

got this courtesy of dorkmag. This is so dope and inspiring.

18 days and running

I was counting the last time I had a day off, day off. I traveled to LA from the end of March until April 4th. Then flew back for the art auction on the 5th, then came back on the 12th and been in LA ever since. I've been here for 12 days. I finally fly back home on the 24th. A day after our open house today. Many people think it's all fun and games and hollywood out here, but honestly, all I do is work. I'm flying out of here on Stoked's budget, so I have to make it work, and that's what I do.

Rita and I killed Stoked Sessions. It was such a fun event. Too bad I couldn't fully enjoy it. People looked like they had a good time. We raised close to 11K. Which isn't bad. I ALWAYS want more. I think people liked our recession strategy. Cheap party and Cheap art. That event gave me more ideas on things I can do with all these amazing artists we're in touch with now.

I've learned a lot in the past couple of weeks. Like what events are good and what suck and aren't part of your mission. We really need to tap into people that are connected and have money. Our friend Jeff put it best. We're building tracks in front of a moving train. As pissed off as I was at his comment, he is very correct.

Here are some random pics over the past couple of weeks.
Crazy Tanning Party






Some weirdo dressed up dog on Wilshire & Vermont




Above, Sal & Braden from new era discuss tanning secrets.


There's many more, but no one is reading this so....

The First Stoked Steve Blog Post

This blog is my attempt to capture the behind the scenes running of Stoked Mentoring. There is so much stuff happening all the time that it's hard to record everything. I want to be able to look back and see where I was mentally, emotionally, and physically when these wonderful things happen. Additionally, when I first started Snow Mentor, I kept a blog, and it allowed people to read the "why" and the "how" behind the creation of the program. This medium will allow myself to just express who I truly am and the things I'm interested in while living the live of a social entrepreneur.