Surfwear tycoon Bob Hurley spent his early days around Huntington Beach, California, shaping for labels like Hot Stuff, Infinity, Wave Tools, and Lightning Bolt. After spearheading Billabong USA from 1983 to 1998, Hurley transitioned to the creation of his namesake brand, centered around an ethos of innovation that he observed in the youthful counterculture of Southern California at the time. While he stepped down as Hurley's CEO in 2015, he remains deeply involved in surfing, still sculpting foam, as well as working with John John Florence on the latter's own namesake company.
In this episode of Soundings, Hurley and Jamie Brisick sit down at the executive's ocean-front home in Newport Beach to talk about the key ingredients for his entrepreneurial success, Southern California's surf scene through the decades, the highs and lows of the industry, sponsoring Occy, learning to shape, and legacy.
Produced by Jonathan Shifflett.
Music by PazKa (Aska Matsumiya & Paz Lenchantin).