We set our interns loose at the US Open in Huntington Beach, and wouldn’t you know it, some actually came back with footage of the surf. Wow! Not only are they good looking, but they’re smart and professional too. As it turns out, the conditions were actually decent–a total rarity for the event. Taking a break from her all week partying at the Volcom house, Intern Charlotte managed to capture one of the best heats from day 6.
Interns are so much fun. Everyone should have one –or six in our case. In this clip, Intern Andrew shows us that decorating your work space shouldn’t be left to amateurs. (By the way, Andrew is 18 and single. He currently attends Brown and hopes to open Providence’s first ever Wahoo’s. He’s originally from San Clemente, but just don’t ask him if he knows Ryan Sheckler.)
Oh what a tangled web she weaves. Meet Charlotte, one of our many stellar summer interns. Fresh, funny and always well-put-together, Char is by far the most ambitious character in the office. Currently a double-major undergrad at Fullerton, she hopes to one day end world hunger through generous donations of Jamba Juice. Having been blessed with a great attitude and killer style, she brightens our office with her megawatt smile and an always sunny disposition. Here, she tells us how Swell couldn’t survive without her.
Our summer internship program launched a few weeks ago, and so far this season’s crop has blown us away. After pouring over countless submissions, we found Nicki’s to be one of the most creative and compelling. Fresh from an amazing merchandise and apparel grad school program in Italy, Nicki has turned out to be way more fashionable than Whitney and a whole lot smarter than LC. As our resident know-it-all for surf industry gossip and anything not hot, here Nic fills us in on why working at Swell is so freaking awesome.
After much cajoling and a few death threats, we’ve decided to give you all VIP access to our world famous models. Here, you can observe them in their natural habitat as they behave coyly and restrained for our cameras. Let us tell you this was no easy task, as we had to encourage them for hours with Starbucks and Hills reruns to come out of their cages.
When Pinky first heard about our …Lost surfboards and clothing giveaway, he charged and created two masterpieces within a few minutes. Honest! Watch in real time as the master gives two custom boards the real treatment.
Taylor Steele’s latest and greatest, Stranger Than Fiction, is about to embark on its world tour with the first stop hitting La Paloma in Encinitas on June 20. The complete tour dates are as follows:
Friday, June 20th- La Paloma Theatre: 471 S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Sunday, June 22nd - Hurley Headquarters: 1945 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92672
Tuesday, June 24th - South Coast Cinema: 162 S. Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Saturday, June 28th - Saint Rocke: 142 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Friday, July 11th- Ventura High School: 2 North Catalina, Ventura, CA 93001
Wednesday, June 25th - Rio Theatre: 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Wednesday, June 25th - Balboa Theater: 3630 Balboa St at 38th Ave., San Francisco, CA
Friday, June 27th- Minor Theater: 1037 H St., Arcata, CA 95521
Thursday, July 10th- High Dive: 513 N. 36th, Seattle, WA 98103
Thursday, July 3rd- Next Door: 43 N. Hotel St., Honolulu, HI
For anyone who’s wanted to give it all up to live the real life of a nomadic surfer, Surfwise is an absolute must see. Focusing on the infamous life of Dorian “Doc” Pakowitz, his wife Juliette and their nine children, the documentary holds no bars when it comes to describing the unorthodox and controversial environment the iconic Orange County surf family endured. From the cramped camper all 11 lived in, home schooling, strict discipline and strange practices, Surfwise proves that while America has run out of frontiers, it hasn’t run out of frontiersmen. Click here for showtimes.
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about surfers/skaters/videographers Alex Klein and Bryon Derballa’s monumental documentary and blog, God Went Surfing With The Devil: A Documentary About Life In The Middle East. Currently only 22 days into their journey, the American pair and their growing crew post real-time dispatches from Israel and Gaza. Having gained the attention of major media outlets world wide their story has become a real-life Truman Show of sorts, with independent fan websites and message boards rumored to have launched this past week. Here’s a brief post from April 29:
“The warning came abruptly.
‘TZEVA ADOM… TZEVA ADOM…’ Everyone had roughly twenty seconds to find shelter before the Qassams struck. Tearful children and frantic mothers ran for their lives. The bomb shelter was crowded. Everyone huddled together. Some wept, others prayed, many fearful, and one or two nervous giggles. The bombs exploded and the crowds emerged gingerly. A few drove home, shaken. Others returned to play as though nothing had happened”
It’s on! After years of speculation and anticipation, “Bra’ Boys” will finally make its US debut today in select theaters nationwide. A “best documentary” award winner at numerous film festivals world wide, Boys is narrated by Russell Crowe and tells the story of the cultural evolution of the inner-Sydney beachside suburb of Marouba and the social struggles of its youth. Central to the story are the Abberton brothers, Sunny, Koby, Jai and Dakota. One is charged with murder, another pursues a career as a professional surfer only to to be charged as an accessory in his brother’s crime, another tries to hold the family together, and the youngest attempts to separate himself from his siblings’ notoriety. The documentary uses archival footage and blends it with current interviews to create a story of that is compassionate and confronting, involving against-the-odds success and predictable failures.
Mark your calenders. April 10 will see the debut of the long awaited New Zealand installment of the ridiculously popular Drive Thru series. Two showtimes are scheduled for the La Paloma theater in downtown Encinitas, with TW Editor-in-Chief Chris Cote performing as the night’s MC. Hilarity and fart jokes are sure to ensue. For a complete rundown of times and special events, click here.
In the early 1990’s a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop and graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Developing their craft with almost no influence from the “establishment” art world, this group, and the subcultures they sprang from, have now become a movement that has been transforming pop culture. Starring a selection of artists (Ed Templeton, Thomas Campbell, Harmony Korine, Barry McGee, Shepard Fairey) who are considered leaders within this culture, “Beautiful Losers” focuses on the telling of personal stories…speaking to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.
Recently awarded as an Official Selection of the SXSW art and music festival, “Beautiful” is slowly but surely making its way around the country. To learn more, please click here.
Timmy Turner will bring his latest documentary to the Forum Theater in Laguna Beach on March 28. Titled Tsunami Diaries: Voyage To The Epicenter, the film focuses on Turner and friend Dustin Humpherys’ relief mission to Indonesia following the catastrophic tsunami of 2004. Enlisting the help of friends and family, the two set out to bring whatever medical supplies, food and provisions to the regions most devestated areas. For more information on this showing, please call 949-494-8971, ext. 201.
Do you like to watch? We thought so. And so did Rip Curl, which is why they’re debuting their new Mick Fanning documentary on their website FOR FREE. So wake up your friends from their car naps and gather ’round your cube for a meaty lunch special.
The annual Ocean Film Festival gets underway in San Francisco, February 1 -3. Now in its fifth year, the festival’s current focus concerns political and environmental issues threatening the sea’s life and lively hood. The image above is from “Sliding Liberia”, a documentary about the war torn and poverty stricken African region, and its children’s attempts to rebuild its future.
Should you be in Santa Barbara on January 27th, we recommend you check out the highly anticipated “Bustin’ Down The Door“, premiering at the city’s annual film festival. An action-docu-drama (we just made that up), the film focuses on the 1975 turmoil when Oz and South African surfers Mark Richards, Rabbit Bartholomew, and Shaun Tomson made their debut on the North Shore, crashing headlong into a culture that wasn’t ready for a revolution.
Why are we just know hearing about this? While browsing the latest submissions on Shred Or Die we stumbled across Dissent TV, which can only be described as a network pilot, disguised as celebrity insider interviews, disguised as action sport viral videos. While only four segments have been produced, hardcore fans are anxious for more. Featuring a low key interviewing style, host T. Hawk is able to bring out an everyday-dude side to Lance Armstrong, and then later goes on to showcase the mad vert skillz from Ed Helms of “The Office.” We dig it.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than You Tube, along comes Shred or Die, the world’s first video sharing site dedicated exclusively to all things action sports. A collaboration between the Or Die Networks (creators of Funny Or Die) and Tony Hawk’s THI/900 films, Shred is a one-stop shop for thrills, chills and bloody carnage (just do a search for Bucky Has A Baby to see what we mean.) Viewers are encouraged to leave comments as well as vote, with the hope that this ratings system will weed out any crap; i.e. don’t send in any clips of your mom. The vid above has been getting more eyeballs than a female guard at San Quentin.
Still bumming over getting shut-down at Hef’s last mansion party? Then we suggest you set yourself up as part of Bobby Martinez’ regular entourage because he’s about to become Mr. Hollywood. Participant Productions and State Street Pictures have teamed up to create a biopic on Bobby’s early life in gang-ridden Santa Barbara and eventual rise to the top ranks of the WCT as the tour’s first Mexican-American. Sure, we’re all too familiar with what La-La Land considers a substantial surf flick (we only just stopped laughing over “In God’s Hands” sometime last week), but this project seams to have some serious backers behind it as Participant also produced “An Inconvenient Truth” and “Syriana”. We’ll keep you posted as more details emerge.
So it’s 2:51pm on Sunday, absolutely nothing is on TV, and we finished the last beer around noon. But before we completely gave in to our Sunday blues, we came across this ruthless clip from Lost TV, showcasing their team getting rinsed inside and out at the Wave House in San Diego. Featuring Ryan Carlson, Timmy and Ryan Knight, Mason Ho, Punker Pat and a few other random drunks, it’ll definitely end your weekend on a high note.
As our Halloween treat to you, we’ve found quite possibly the scariest video you’ll ever see. Don’t run away, don’t cover your eyes; for seeing is believing. The truth is out there.
We’ll admit, getting to see Natalie Portman’s bare ass, as perfect as it is, isn’t the only reason you should check out Wes Anderson’s new short Hotel Chevalier. But it’s a pretty damn good one. Serving as a mini prologue to the soon-to-be-released The Darjeeling Limited, the 13-minute short depicts an awkward lovers’ goodbye between Jack (Jason Schwartzman) and his ex (Portman). Filmed entirely in room 204 of a fictional Parisian hotel, the story gives viewers a sideways glance into Jack’s mindset prior to embarking on a spiritual journey through India with his brothers following their father’s death. (more…)
