L8night with Choccy

Our guest this week is surfing a pioneer and business owner icon that helped put Rhode Island surfing on the map! He was an early advocate and leader in Surf and Skate scene which led to the legalizing of surfing at many local breaks as well as saving one of the East Coast’s premier big-wave, Ruggles, from harbor Developers. In 1971, he opened Waterbrothers Surfshop and also created Surf Fest, a mid-Summer Extravaganza day of enjoying classic surfboards and skateboards, which is said to be the largest expo of its kind in the country. This Cultural Icon is being celebrated in a New Documentary “Water Brother” and we are pumped to sit down with the “Godfather” of Rhode Island surfing, Sid “THE PACKAGE” Abbruzzi.

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Our guests this week are good friends that went into the restaurant business together. 24 years ago, they were young, surfing a ton, and both had a lot of experience working in the restaurant industry. Maybe they were naïve, ambitious, or just a couple of young entrepreneurs looking to live out the American Dream of owning their own business? Call it “crazy coincidences or circumstances”, but they were able to buy an Iconic Restaurant “The Glider Inn” in Seal Beach. Over the years they have stayed true and focused on the Fundamentals, Great Fresh Food, Warm Ambience, Family Atmosphere, capped off with Stellar Service! Fast forward to today their original venture Mahe’ is still a local & tourist favorite. Since then they have expanded with the additions of “The Brant Kitchen & Bar”, and “Ola Mexican Kitchen” at Pacific City in Long Beach and Huntington Beach!  We welcome to the show “The Dynamite Duo” or better yet “The TNT” of the restaurant world Toby Reece and Tony Andrews!  

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Our guest this week has a laundry list of jobs and accomplishments. From graphic artist, Creative Director, and VP of Creativity, he has worked his way up the corporate ladder at some incredible companies, including Paul Frank, The Walt Disney Company, BRG Sports, and Igloo. He was Co-founder of C-Preme Limited, which flipped the helmet industry upside down with a brand called Raskullz! But as if that wasn’t already enough? He went into business again and disrupted the cooler industry with Yewww which was acquired by Igloo! He is still at the helm for the last 8 years as VP of Creative Services at Igloo / Dometic and yet somehow, he still finds time to teach a class at OCC. We welcome to the show Mr. Ben “PROFESSOR” Soto to the show!

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Leus Towels X L8night with Choccy partnered up and did the Boardroom Show. We sat down with some incredible Surfers and has a great times! Thanks to Scott Bass for the hospitality! Thanks to John Monson and Bruce Beach for supplying the Yeti coolers to keep our Capacity Brewing, Ashland Hard Seltzers, and Shoots Beers icy cold.

Eric "BIRD" Huffman / BIRD'S SURF SHED

Yuji 'YUJI-SAN" Kanbayashi / SURF HARDWARE

Johnny & Matt / AHI-WAVESLEDS

Matt Calvani / BING SURFBOARDS

Jordan Brazie / VALARIC SURFBOARDS

Special thank you to Eric Trine and Parkit Movement for hooking us up the coolest chairs!!

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Our guest this week is a Young Pro Ripper from Newport.  When he isn’t chasing swells or travelin he holds down a salesman position at one of the best shops in the world Surfside Sports!  He is one of very few to pack some thick tubes out at Cylinders when it is pumping, resulting in a couple of concussions and a GoPro Wedge Entry Clip of the Year. Make sure to check his sick edit charging some Keggers at Nias in the IPD movie “Passport”.  He is a humble cool kid, with tons of talent, and has some Grande Cojones. We welcome to the show Ty “TY-BORG“ Burgess.

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We partnered up with Leu Towels for a booth at the Boardroom Show. In episode #1 we spoke with

Master Craftsman-Surfboard Shaper- Chris Christenson

Former Pro Surfer-Vissla- Keoni "BAGS" Watson

Surf Journalist-Author- Chris Ahrens

Surf Industry Veteran-Ken Eikenburg

Rip Curl Team MGR North America-FCS-Rev Surf Development- Kekoa Bacalso

Rev Surf Development-Juneil Calzo

Surf Satirist-New Dad Podcast- Jonathan Wayne Freeman

Packrat Records- Mikey

Shoots Poke & Beer-Chris Slowley

Aerial Surfer-Winch Pioneer-Surfboard Shaper-Josh Sleigh

Thanks Boardroom Show & Scott Bass for your hospitality.

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Our guest this week comes from a Surf Family and got introduced to surfing at the age of 2. So it is no surprise that he was destined for greatness on a surfboard. He has put in more time than just about anyone at Lowers. This young buck has a couple of WQS wins under his belt, but recently just came off a Huge Win and Biggest thus far in his Career, at a QS 3000 Event in Japan. We are big fans, and are pumped to see him continuing doing great things and he is just another example of how deep the talent runs through San Clemente.  We welcome Kei “K-CHAN“ Kobayashi.

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Our guest this week is a former Pro Surfer and industry executive with over 25 years of experience.  His first industry gig was working at Inflight Surf Shop, while he was honing in his surf skills to go pro!  This 3x national champ committed a few years traveling the world to qualify for the tour, but made the smart choice to go to college and get an MBA in Business, Communications, and Global Logistics.  His resume is lengthy and impressive working over the years as a Marketing Manager, Consultant, Corporate Account Manager and knows the ins and outs of Logistics, Trade Compliance, Production, Licensing, Operations, and Sales. This guy is so well rounded, intelligent, and it is to no surprise he has held many VP positions with companies including Ports America, Fedex, Quiksilver, and most recently Free Fly.  We welcome our friend and industry power-house, Mr. Mike “RILES” Reilly.  

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Our guest this week is an incredible talented and stylish Surfer! He has a signature Board Model or 2, called “Uncle Buck” with the Iconic Hobie Surfboards where he also works at their Dana Point location. He has been helping with “Surfers Healing” for 20+ years. It’s an organization to show people with Autism the STOKE OF SURFING! We are pumped to hear about surf stories and giving back to the community. We welcome George “BUCK” Barry. 

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Our guest this week is a Surfer, Dirt Biker, US Army Veteran, Cancer Survivor, and Photographer/Video Creator. He has a marketing and Communications Degree which led to some interesting Jobs, from Slim Tire Sealant, Applied Racing, Nitro Circus, and Ogio. But, battling Cancer and the loss of a leg, it was necessary to have a flexible schedule which led to creating his own Company 15 years ago, called B2 Action Sports Marketing. He is an “Adaptive Athlete”, has a huge heart for people, and shares his passion and Love for Surfing through Photography and Video Content! We welcome Brian Bott FAKELEG PHOTOGRAPHY to the show. 

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