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Industry Vet Steve Douglas On The Olympics & Biz

Earlier in the year, our Skateboarding Editor Dirk Vogel had a chat with Steve Douglas, skate industry legend, to get his professional insight into the state of skate around the world. SOURCE caught up with Steve again to get the down low on his current work at Rolling Thunder Supply Co and Nineteen76 (companies founded by Steve himself), supporting Make Life Skate Life, and his view on how the Olympics will impact skateboarding – from a business perspective and as a skateboarder.

Let’s talk about how you got into skateboarding, going pro and moving to the US, basically how it all started.
I grew up in NW London and in the summer of ’76, I saw skating on the BBC and thought it looked like fun. It took me a while to convince my parents, but I got hold of a board and I knew immediately it was going to change my life. I started skating in contests at 13 but I wanted to be in a place that was 24/7, 365 days-a-year skateboarding. My first trip to California was for 6 months, where I made the final 8 in the only contest in that time (Del Mar Spring ‘85). Then, I came back to the UK for 6 months. November ‘85, I left for the US a week after turning 18 with one goal: To turn pro… and I’ve been living in California ever since.

What hard good brands have you been directly involved with?
As an amateur for Madrid skateboards (‘83), then as a pro Schmitt Stix (‘86), then New Deal in ‘90 as a rider and co-owner till my near fatal car accident in ‘91. We started Element in ‘92 and later Mad Circle, Golden State Wheel Co., Destructo Trucks, 411 Video magazine and ON Video. I was president of Giant Skateboard Distribution up until Element was sold to Billabong, I left in ‘02 when I took a much-needed break. I got bored and then in ‘04 I joined Dwindle as a consultant at first and then as VP of Business Development till I left in 2016. 

Please tell us about the current roster of brands your now involved with.
We have 2 companies that were started in 2018 for Rolling Thunder Supply Co. and Nineteen76 Distribution in 2019.

Nineteen76 (the year I started skating) distributes Primitive, Meow, Heart Supply, Alien Workshop, New Deal and soon Prime8 – primarily to the UK market with some exceptions.

Rolling Thunder (I got the name from a key indoor skatepark in West London, the talent was up there with the US Pros at the time; this park, and more importantly the riders, had a huge influence on me) https://rollingthundersupply.com/rolling-thunder-skatepark/

We license, manufacturer, distribute, and help build brands (where needed) Heart Supply, Meow, Alien Workshop, Habitat, Ocean Pacific, Speed Demons, Vol 1, Blueprint and Zoo York. We also distribute RAD, Pivot trucks, KFD, Verb and Prime8. Our goal is to have a brand and price point for all customers and regions, we sell some brands globally and others for specific regions.

How has the industry changed since you got started?
Well, in the UK in the early 80s, I believe there were just 2 skate shops and there was no mainland European Distribution. We had one girl skater in our group, Sue Hazel, who ripped and was one of the crew. For a decent amount of time there were no real global skate mags, no skating on TV, very few video cameras and of course no internet… basically a different world.

Fast forward to the mid 2000’s (after my time at Giant Skateboard Distribution) and the complete category was entering core stores (they had always been in mid and mass sporting goods stores). This was made possible because of manufacturing in China and Dwindle was at the forefront.

Was this a reason why you joined Dwindle?
One of them yes. Ever since my first sponsor with Madrid, everyone I was involved with manufactured their own boards and I knew manufacturing in China would be a gamechanger for the skate world outside of North America.

Global sales, new deck technology, brand building, completes and price point product were areas that I focused heavily on during my time at Dwindle. Completes are and will remain the global driver of new skateboarders, so as an industry we must continually strive to make them better for all price points and all global sales channels.

You are a strong supporter of core retailers, what can the industry do to help them prosper?
We try and support them in any way we can, seeing as they are, of course, the core of this industry. They are so important in the local scenes; from supporting local events, local riders, local facilities, having tours stop by and some teach kids how to skate etc… Growing participation is the most important way to help them, but also working with them when they need help and doing what you can to support them. We have always tried to improve hardgoods margins where possible.

Please tell us about your collaboration with MLSL?
Make Life Skate Life is just an amazing organisation, what they have done is nothing short of incredible. MLSL build skate parks in places around the world where there is already a strong local and passionate scene. The 1st park can change everything; the first park they built was in 2013 in India. Today, India has over 20 parks. The new film ‘Skater Girl’ (out now on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/81283585) is based in India and I am not sure it would have happened without that first park.

In Jordan, they have just built their second park. MLSL have also built parks in Iraq, Brazil, Morocco, Nepal, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Jordan, and Bolivia. Lebanon is next for MLSL. Please help in any way you can, they are close to the final goal of funding for this park: https://www.makelifeskatelife.org/latest

At Rolling Thunder, we support them as much as we can, both directly and indirectly.

Please explain that more.
We help in 2 main ways:

Directly – We supply those skateparks with Heart Supply completes for their classes (all MLSL parks have people in place offering classes).

We have also just started giving them money for each skatepark project they create, and we have committed to build 2 parks, one this year in the Ivory Coast and another one next year (site TBC). We hope this is just the start.

https://www.makelifeskatelife.org/latest/rolling-thunder

Indirectly – We work with other brands, manufacturers, our accounts and even individuals to raise money for MLSL; the street part extension that’s just been built in Nepal was part of that work.

At Nineteen76, we also raise money for the different projects.

You see the third world as the key to skateboarding’s long-term future, why is this?
I don’t think it’s key, but I think it’s important, and it’s less for sales. If you look at the way the European skate industry has grown over the past 40 years, why can’t all the developing markets be like that also? There is no doubt it will be a lot tougher, but with MLSL and others planting the seeds and now the Olympics… why not? I have always been excited to open up new countries to skateboarding and this has grown more as I get older.

How is the recent boom in skateboarding different from the last?
Way better and great skate parks all over the world, a growing female participation that is 35%+, all parts of skating are going on at the same time and I do not see that changing. Now we have we an Olympic event right in front of us and 2 more in the next 7 years! None of us know how that is going to change the industry. Skateboarding is never dull that’s for sure, it’s exciting right now to watch it all unfold and I have to believe it’s only going to be positive.

When I went to school most of my best friends didn’t know I skated (until I won the European Championship under 16’s). Even then, they only found out when the headmaster told everyone in the morning assembly after me firmly asking him not to! When we travelled to go skating, we would put our boards in big army style kit bags. It just was not worth the relentless grief we would get by having a skateboard in the early 80s, so very, very different to today.

What are your thoughts on skateboarding in the Olympics?
When skateboarding entered the X games, that TV format may of well of been in the Olympics as far as I was concerned. I am a big fan of core contests; Tampa, Slam City Jam, Northampton, Munster, etc.., but as skateboarders we always want to progress and never want to be held back. I was on the Olympic committee (not that I did much to be honest) but I was on it and if it came to it, I would have voted to include it.

Why?
Because skateboarding is always progressing, skateboarding is about the individual and what you want to do with your board. When I grew up, I was told I was skating “wrong”. If I had listened to them, I doubt I would not be writing this now. Some skaters love to compete on a big stage and to be able to express their creativity, now skaters have the chance to do that in front of billions of people, its incredible, why as skaters, would you hold them back?

There is enough room for everyone to have what they want, especially these days. Everyone that skates has a choice, for the people against the Olympics – I get it, but don’t worry, just continue to skate for you and your crew as normal. If watching the news gets you down, then you have a choice, don’t watch the news!

I do think it’s going to be interesting, anyone that has skated since the early days is going to watch and so are the majority of skaters today, but more importantly BILLIONS of people all over the world will see skateboarding for the very first time and at the highest level. The majority of these people I believe will be blown away and many kids all over the world will dream on a scale that’s never happened before. The 2 events street and park are accessible in many areas of the world, so it’s not going to be like snowboarding, the vast majority will be able to try it out for themselves immediately. I hope that this event will help grow skating all over the world.

Women’s participation in skateboarding has grown massively during the pandemic, what can the industry do to keep hold of this important demographic?
Luckily, I think we are well past that stage, they are here to stay, I think it’s fantastic. At Giant Skateboard Distribution, Johnny Schillereff, Bod Boyle and myself tried to license “Rookie” a NY women’s brand in the early 2000’s, it never worked out but now I am so excited to work with Lisa at Meow. I am really enjoying working with Lisa and helping her with the brand on a global level, wait till you see what we have in the Spring ‘22 range!

How do you see the industry coping with the current supply and pricing issues?
It’s the most challenging time I have ever experienced in the skate industry, prices are going up, container prices alone have gone up 500%+. This price rise cannot be absorbed and so every component price is rising, including the cardboard box.

The good thing though is that a lot of products are coming straight from China, so many of our RT branded products are less expensive in Europe than they are in the US… this may seem like a small deal but its something I have focused on since I started in business in 1990 and to make the statement above has taken me a long time. And it makes me smile.

Finally on a personal note, you had a bad accident that ended your riding career, what would your advice be to young riders who are forced to deal with a similar predicament?
First off, be content that you are alive and that as tough as it is, there is more to life. You can still be involved in what you love even though you cannot do the activity the same way you wanted to or maybe even at all. I feel and hope my most important work for skateboarding is in front of me, it’s exciting getting others all over the world on a board and helping that useless wooden toy to potentially change their life like it did mine all those years ago.

#thankyouskateboarding