Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hawk says declining Activision's $500,000 royalty buyout led to his first million
“Right before the release, they called me and said, we want to offer you a buyout of future royalties. I said, what does that mean? They said, we want to offer you half a million dollars, and then you won't get royalties going forward. At that time in my life, …”
Disclosure
Tony Hawk: Activision gave him a $4.5M check for Pro Skater
“When the fourth game was released, if I have this right, I had lunch with my connection at Activision. I actually went up to LA. He's like, I really want to talk to you about the game and the future of it. And fourth game just got released. It got to be in the…”
Insight
Tony Hawk: Skaters often lose motivation after reaching milestone accolades
“There's a mindset, especially in skateboarding, where you want to make it, right? You want to get on the cover of Thrasher, or you want to have a good video part, or you want to win a contest, and if you get to that goal, you might lose your incentives.”
Opinion
Hawk says Back to the Future sparked a 1986-1990 skate boom
“When Back to the Future came out in 85, kids wanted skateboards. I mean, Marty McFly invented the skateboard, and a lot of kids, that was their first glimpse of what's possible. So there was this sort of wave of popularity that happened, like, 86 to ninety-ish”
Insight
Tony Hawk: Great skaters show fierce intensity rather than joy
“There's a, they can't quench their desire, and they do some of the craziest stuff. They do some of the hardest things, and they just have this look of intensity, not joy, It doesn't look joyous. That's what it is.”
Assertion Supported
Tony Hawk: No skateboarder had landed a 900 before 1999
“No one had made it completely and ridden away.”
Assertion Supported
Hawk: Early THPS prototype featured Bruce Willis skateboarding with a gun
“And the first version of what became THPS that I got to play was Bruce Willis on a skateboard with a gun strapped to his back. Doing all eyes and kickflips across the desert.”
Disclosure
Tony Hawk: Birdhouse Skateboards is not profitable, but he doesn't care
“Yes, Rob's right, it is not a profitable business but I don't care.”
Assertion Contradicted
Tony Hawk: Foundation has contributed to nearly 1,000 skate parks
“It's getting close to a thousand that we have contributed to.”
Disclosure
Hawk required sponsors to donate 10% to 20% to his foundation
“Any contracts that I entered into in terms of endorsements at the time, I made sure that 10 to 20% went straight to the foundation or that they were able to give even more.”
Assertion Partly supported
Hawk: Early skateboarding competition first prize was only $100
“To reach the top of skateboarding at the time I did it meant that you got your picture in a magazine. That was it. I mean, truly, like, first place for a competition was a hundred dollars.”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Hawk: Skate royalties exceeded his math teacher's salary by age 17
“And then once I was 16, money started to come in through royalties and suddenly realized that I was, I live making more than my math teacher. At age, 17.”
Disclosure
Tony Hawk: Peak annual earnings during the 1980s skate boom were around $100,000
“I would say probably in, in my best year was, In the 100,000 ish, you know, in the late eight, mid eighties, late eighties, that was like lawyer salaries sort of thing.”
Disclosure
Tony Hawk: Airwalk cut his monthly sponsorship pay from $1,500 to $300 within one year
“I was making about 1500 dollars a month from my shoe sponsor Airwalk. They would call me every month or so and say, oh, you know, we really got to cut you down a little bit. So then that went to a thousand and then two months later that went to 500 and eventua…”
Assertion Supported
Tony Hawk: Rodney Mullen invented the kickflip, 360 flip, and flatground ollie
“You know, Rodney, like, he created the flat ground ollie. He created the kickflip, the three 60 flip, the impossible, and he did it, and he was on to the next one.”
Assertion Supported
Hawk: Modern skaters land back-to-back 900s and kickflip varial 900s
“They do 900. They do back to back 900. One kid did a kick flip body barrel 900. You know, so he's got a kickflip in the middle of the 900.”
Assertion Supported
Hawk: 14 years passed between the first 720 and 900
“The era that I grew up in, a three 60 was the most you could spin, and then Mike McGill did the five 40, and then I did a seven 20, And then, 14 years passed, and between that and a 900.”
Disclosure
Hawk: First million dollars came from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
“Well, I mean, you're talking about My First Million, that, that's where it came from. Without question.”
Assertion Supported
Hawk says Nintendo rejected his early 3D skateboarding game pitch in 1997
“So I went with him to meetings. We met Nintendo. We met a few software publishers and just no takers.”
Disclosure
Hawk modified friends' PlayStations to beta-test Pro Skater with real skaters
“I burned copies of it from my friends while we were developing it, so like a few of my friends have beta versions of THPS, and I actually modified their PlayStation so they could play it, because I wanted honest feedback from real skaters.”
Insight
Tony Hawk: Hitting an imperfect milestone unlocks future progress after setbacks
“Find Your kickflip , it doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be the dream that you have set for yourself, but get to that stage, because then there's more to offer. There's more to get to after that.”
Disclosure
Hawk discloses angel investments in Nest, Blue Bottle, and Liquid Death
“Nest, Blue Bottle well, Liquid Death, but they're, You know, they're still trying to figure out what they're doing. Events.com I think is about to go public. And a bunch of others that I'm still holding on to.”
Prediction Open · timeframe Sep 2029
Hawk predicts portfolio company Events.com is about to go public
“Events.com I think is about to go public.”
Disclosure
Hawk: Kevin Rose introduced him to his Blue Bottle Coffee investment
“Kevin Rose. Cause he was a hardcore skater when he was doing dig and he actually got me to go to my first comic con cause he wanted to do an interview with me. And it's funny cause I live in San Diego and I avoided comic con like the plague because of all the …”
Tony Hawk