Unity Skateboards
by Bud Stratford
On the web at: www.unityskate.com
Unity Skateboards is a kick-ass little company out of North Carolina. What makes it so good, when there's about 50,000 tiny little companies popping out of the woodwork these days...? Listen up, because I'm about to tell ya.
"Every single Skateboard company should have to label where all of their product is made..."
Let's start with that name- "Unity". Something that skateboarding could use a lot more of these days. Y'know, skateboarding is waaaayy too fragmented, and horrendously over-populated with the "cooler than thou" sort of blokes. Everyone's far too concerned with Jereme Roger's shitty rap "career", who's gayer than who, who had the best banger in whatever video... I mean, give it a goddamned rest, already. It's just skateboarding, for pete's sakes. Go out, grab a board, and go ride that shit. It's very simple, kids. Why do we need to make it a big-'ol drama-fest all the damn time...? None of that other shit matters, anyway. So, why are we wasting time even discussing it...?
"Stop using sex, money, gimmicks to sell your product. It's a lie, a consumer gimmick to keep your eyes on something else, [other] than the real product. If your shit is good enough graphic- and quality-wise, with the right pricing structure, and righteous guys actually running the business... you don't need gimmicks to sell your shit, it will sell on its own..."
Unity is basically a "new-school" brand, with an old-school soul. The guy that runs shit over there, Tyler Creason, is wise beyond his years. He's pretty fuckin' judgemental, he stands strongly on his principles... shit, dude, even "having principles" these days is a real fuckin' accomplishment for most "industry" types... he can't compromise for a damn, I don't think dude even knows what the hell "compromise" even is... because, he's a true-blue skater. He never falters, and he never fails. That's what skaters used to be like, before everything got all "mainstreamed" and then went straight to hell. Rebels, y'know? Yeah... that's Tyler, alright. Straight troublemaker. Good kid.
Here's the "troublemaker" himself, doing a signing at some skateshop, somewhere. Knowing Tyler, it's probably a thousand miles away from nowhere. The kid gets around.
These big, yellow quotes that you see through here? Those are quotes straight from The Guy, Himself. He believes in stuff. Like, doing the right thing. Supporting the core retailer... something that very few skate brands seem to give a shit about, anymore. Labeling where products are made. Supporting American jobs, and American industry. Having some fuckin' pride in something. Touring all over the place, to support anyone and everyone. I met Tyler once in Wilmington, Ohio... Unity was there to support the city's drive to get a new skatepark bult. Wilmington, it might be important to note, is smack-dab in the middle of nowhere. But, Unity made it all the way out there, just to show their support for the cause. I don't know about you, but I thought that was pretty cool. Very few companies would have done that. Actually: None of them did. Except, Unity.
Supporting your fellow skater. Another cause that Unity's totally down for...
Our boy Tyler, out and about, and having fun. The way it outta be...
"Major companies have no idea what to do right now, to make [their] sales grow. They are bankers now, not skaters..."
There's something to be said for doing it "the right way", whatever the cost. Unity makes a solid, quality product. It's expensive to do. So naturally, they'e not exactly raking in the cash hand over fist over there. But, it's no worries. They do stuff that they can be justifiably proud of. And, I'm proud of 'em. I've known Tyler for a couple years now. He kind of reminds me of me, when I was his age. Raring to get up, get going, get roaring, and take down all of the bullshit that the world is gonna toss his way. He's ready, too. He's on it. He's been taking the names, and he's got a plan to take 'em all down. The kid's definitely got some balls... and, good for him. I wish more company owners had that kind of mojo these days. To stand up, stand proud, and throw a punch at something that obviously sucks ass.
"...A middle class family struggles hard for skateboards for their kids. So, yeah... I've seen kids get so mad at their brand new (major company inserted here) board just splitting apart, breaking like it was made out of particle board. Their parents get pissed - "We just bought you that!" The kid feels bad, and I have even seen people QUIT skating because they just couldn't afford it..."
Tyler's a champ. That's important. He even calls me up once in a while, and calls my ass out. You know how many companies I've talked shit on, over the years?! I mean, let's just take the IASC Retard Contingent, for example... that's gotta be a few dozen "brands", right there. I sucker punch [John] Bernards every chance that I get... he makes it easy, of course. He's always doing something worth sucker-punching him over.
Yet, not one of those jackasses has ever done shit to me. Nothing! Yet, this punk-ass little fucker will never hesitate to call my personal cell phone, to give me some crap. That's not a bad thing at all! That's actually, pretty damned impressive! So: Get smart, and get into his corner right away. That's the winning ticket, the safe bet. He'll go far, or die trying. But: You just can't kill a fully determined, piss-and-vinegar skater. There's just no way in hell. So: My money's on "going far", and I'm stickin' to it.
"If you're in the business of being a skateboard company, it should be your utmost priority... to yourselves, and your consumers... to involve them, be true to them, and tell them exactly what they are getting..."
As far as the "image" of the company goes... the same stuff basically applies. It's either very '80s "neon", "punk", or "troublemaking". Lots of skulls and shit. I mean, let's just face facts, right here: This company isn't particularly well-suited to the "wussy" contingent in skateboarding, that's fer damned sure. It's pretty hardcore. And, that's just fine with me...
So, yeah. While other "industry leaders" are chasing their tails in the never-ending search for corporate profits and "shareholder value", and the other 49,999 "small companies" ain't sayin', or doin', jack shit out there... Unity stands out, big time. Good going, guys. Keep it up.
