well. We sometimes arranged with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to arrange VIP seating for severely sick children. At a pre-show meet-and-greet, I promised one of the terminally ill kids I’d do a 900 for him. It took me a few tries, but I made it. On my way back up to the ramp deck, I pointed at him, and his older brother burst into tears. After the show, I went backstage and found a quiet place to cry myself.
By the end of the second tour, we decided to do away with the big-name bands and create our own house band to play covers of our favorite music. That worked out well, and the whole thing started to hum like a well-tuned engine. It wasn’t easy, spending seven weeks on the road each year, but the road has its own allure once you get into the rhythm.
HuckJam Happy Meals?
In 2004, we spent a long time negotiating a contract with Fox Sports to film a one-off HuckJam show in Phoenix for a 60-minute special to air on Fox’s new cable channel, Fuel TV, the first-ever 24/7 action-sports channel. We also cut a deal with Fox to film and create an eight-part reality series, Tony Hawk’s HuckJam Diaries. It was mutually beneficial: Fox wanted original programming for their new network, and we needed sponsorship dollars to keep the tour alive. Also, I was (and still am) a fan of Fuel TV.
That same year, I was offered a hefty two-year endorsement deal with McDonald’s and Powerade. McDonald’s wanted to create a Happy Meal with small skate-related toys, and we talked them into using the Boom Boom HuckJam brand. I knew I’d take flak from some core skaters, but I wasn’t being duplicitous: My kids were fiends for Happy Meals and McNuggets. McDonald’s also agreed to sponsor the 2005 summer tour. They were promoting Powerade as one of their “well” drinks, so Powerade came in as a major sponsor as well. We decided to book another tour, and McDonald’s sold 22 million Boom Boom HuckJam Happy Meals that year. And the toys were actually some of the coolest they’ve ever sold.
McDonald’s interpreted the many disciplines of the Boom Boom HuckJam tour into what turned out to be a very popular Happy Meal toy set.
As the tours progressed, it became increasingly clear that our audiences, primarily families, were there to see the action, not see bands, so we ditched the live musicians and created an original pre-recorded soundtrack. Pat’s husband, Alan Deremo, an accomplished studio musician, arranged the music and wrote many of the tracks.
The tour kept morphing. In 2006 and 2007, we restricted it to Six Flags amusement parks across the country: eight stops, four shows per stop. The next year we went crazy with a manic 24-city tour that almost killed us all.
Meanwhile, Pat was out pitching the Boom Boom HuckJam to various licensees, which enabled us to extend the brand into markets beyond the core skate world, without placing my name front and center: school supplies, DVDs, bedding, linens, party supplies, room décor, vitamins, flash drives, toys, pool toys, bikes, skateboards, helmets, and safety pads. I’m grateful that those products have kept the show alive and continue to generate income even when we’re not actually touring.
But—and I can’t say for sure the other athletes agree—I’m jonesing to get back out there. There’s nothing like skating in front of an appreciative crowd filled with people of all ages, especially when you can do it without worrying about how you’re going to get scored by a bunch of judges.
6
âEXTREMEâ IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD
âThis is how we do it in our worldâ
Dear Tony Hawk
I am 13 teen years old and I am your biggest fan. I have all your T-shirts, and merchandice. I also have your bio, the Falcon 2 deck, ââThe Endââ video, and your trick tips tape. In school, some kids bad mouth you and say you are a sell-out and I look at them in despise.
Sincerely,
In 2002, we cut a sponsorship deal with a marketing agency for a
By the end of the second tour, we decided to do away with the big-name bands and create our own house band to play covers of our favorite music. That worked out well, and the whole thing started to hum like a well-tuned engine. It wasn’t easy, spending seven weeks on the road each year, but the road has its own allure once you get into the rhythm.
HuckJam Happy Meals?
In 2004, we spent a long time negotiating a contract with Fox Sports to film a one-off HuckJam show in Phoenix for a 60-minute special to air on Fox’s new cable channel, Fuel TV, the first-ever 24/7 action-sports channel. We also cut a deal with Fox to film and create an eight-part reality series, Tony Hawk’s HuckJam Diaries. It was mutually beneficial: Fox wanted original programming for their new network, and we needed sponsorship dollars to keep the tour alive. Also, I was (and still am) a fan of Fuel TV.
That same year, I was offered a hefty two-year endorsement deal with McDonald’s and Powerade. McDonald’s wanted to create a Happy Meal with small skate-related toys, and we talked them into using the Boom Boom HuckJam brand. I knew I’d take flak from some core skaters, but I wasn’t being duplicitous: My kids were fiends for Happy Meals and McNuggets. McDonald’s also agreed to sponsor the 2005 summer tour. They were promoting Powerade as one of their “well” drinks, so Powerade came in as a major sponsor as well. We decided to book another tour, and McDonald’s sold 22 million Boom Boom HuckJam Happy Meals that year. And the toys were actually some of the coolest they’ve ever sold.
McDonald’s interpreted the many disciplines of the Boom Boom HuckJam tour into what turned out to be a very popular Happy Meal toy set.
As the tours progressed, it became increasingly clear that our audiences, primarily families, were there to see the action, not see bands, so we ditched the live musicians and created an original pre-recorded soundtrack. Pat’s husband, Alan Deremo, an accomplished studio musician, arranged the music and wrote many of the tracks.
The tour kept morphing. In 2006 and 2007, we restricted it to Six Flags amusement parks across the country: eight stops, four shows per stop. The next year we went crazy with a manic 24-city tour that almost killed us all.
Meanwhile, Pat was out pitching the Boom Boom HuckJam to various licensees, which enabled us to extend the brand into markets beyond the core skate world, without placing my name front and center: school supplies, DVDs, bedding, linens, party supplies, room décor, vitamins, flash drives, toys, pool toys, bikes, skateboards, helmets, and safety pads. I’m grateful that those products have kept the show alive and continue to generate income even when we’re not actually touring.
But—and I can’t say for sure the other athletes agree—I’m jonesing to get back out there. There’s nothing like skating in front of an appreciative crowd filled with people of all ages, especially when you can do it without worrying about how you’re going to get scored by a bunch of judges.
6
âEXTREMEâ IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD
âThis is how we do it in our worldâ
Dear Tony Hawk
I am 13 teen years old and I am your biggest fan. I have all your T-shirts, and merchandice. I also have your bio, the Falcon 2 deck, ââThe Endââ video, and your trick tips tape. In school, some kids bad mouth you and say you are a sell-out and I look at them in despise.
Sincerely,
In 2002, we cut a sponsorship deal with a marketing agency for a
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