SIMA Adopts Liquid Nation Ball
The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association’s new Humanitarian Fund now has a party to call its very own.
SIMA has adopted the Liquid Nation Ball as the fund’s main fund-raising event. “The Liquid Nation Ball is to the Humanitarian Fund as the Waterman’s Ball is to [SIMA’s] Environmental Fund,” said Dick Baker, chairman of the Humanitarian Fund and president of Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp.
Originally the brainchild of brothers Santiago and Fernando Aguerre, founders of Reef Holdings Corp., the Liquid Nation Ball was launched in 2004 as a fund-raiser for SurfAid International, a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization that improves the health of people living in isolated regions. The 2005 ball raised $250,000 through the auction of collectible surfboards and surf trips.
“SurfAid will remain our number one charity,” Baker said, “and we have 10 to 15 different charities that are applying for funding.” Proceeds from Liquid Nation will be distributed in the form of grants to surf- and boardsport-related social and humanitarian nonprofit organizations.
The Aguerre brothers will remain involved with the ball. Santiago Aguerre will act as the event’s chairman. “SIMA’s intent is to keep the Liquid Nation Ball as people have come to know and enjoy it—as a relaxed, must-attend party for the who’s who in the surf industry,” Baker said. The 2006 event will again be held at Fernando Aguerre’s home in La Jolla, Calif., on Sept. 9—the second day of the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo.
Organizers promise exotic food, an open bar and live entertainment to get the expected 450 attendees in a charitable mood. “We’ll attempt to raise more money,” Baker said, “and raise awareness for a lot of worthy causes.”
Boardsport companies get arty
Surf and skate companies continue to expand their focus beyond the waves and ramps to sponsor musicians, filmmakers and artists.
Costa Mesa, Calif.–based RVCA has created the RVCA Artists Network Program. It showcases the talent of established as well as unknown artists who inspire the younger generation, the company said. The artists create designs to be used on the company’s T-shirts. Partial proceeds from the sale of the shirts go to charities of the artists’ choice. “Whether it’s skaters, musicians, surfers or graffiti writers, we want to help promote the genuine integrity of these subcultures while simultaneously giving back to the community,” said founder and designer Pat “PM” Tenore in a statement.
Venice, Calif.–based Insight has tapped its “chief nomadic artist” Steve Gorrow to paint black-and-white murals depicting pop icons on the walls of some core shops in Southern California.
This month, ZJ Boarding House in Santa Monica, Beach Bums in Riverside and Powerline 6 in Hermosa Beach have all been graced with Gorrow’s work. They all include a small Insight logo. “The response from the retailers has been great,” said Insight USA Chief Executive Jesse Faen. “The idea is to support the accounts and give them a bit more originality,” he said. Insight also sponsors Insight 300 Seconds, a filmmaker’s contest that Faen describes as “a vehicle to support creative people around the world.” With $20,000 in prizes, the 3-year-old contest takes the top 10 winning films around the world for a series of screenings.
Latest on the creative scene is Huntington Beach, Calif.–based Quiksilver Inc. The company has launched Quik Film, a new division to focus on filmmaking. The new division is aimed at helping artists and athletes make short films expressing themselves as they live the action-sports lifestyle, the company said.
Aspiring filmmakers may submit two-to-five-minute films by Feb. 28 to the division’s Web site, www.quiksilver.com/films, for the chance to win $5,000, half of which is to be spent on the production of another film that may be distributed by Quiksilver. The voting will be conducted by visitors to the site during March.
Eschewing the “typical action-only surf/skate or snow videos,” the contest’s organizers stress the importance of creativity.
The relationship between surf and skate brands and creative types is organic, Faen said. “Surfers and skaters, by nature, are creative people. It’s a natural collaboration.”
—Erin Barajas
