STANDARD H Podcast

For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast is a conversation about the lives of entrepreneurs and those who’ve been instrumental in growing companies. It’s hard to believe this episode kicks off Season 4, and today’s guest is Damon Jones. Damon worked as an engineer for the likes of Aston Martin & McLaren and then as many of you may know, he served as the Vice President of Operations for Singer Vehicle Design. Needless to say, his resume is impressive but there’s more. He recently worked with Guntherwerks while launching his own company, Engineered by Damon. Though there is a significant amount of car talk, to simply label Damon a “car guy” would be a massive understatement. His interests go far beyond 4 wheels, however. He has a healthy attraction to midcentury architecture, photography, and well, all things beautiful, for that matter. There’s a lot in this one. We talk about the importance of story as it relates to products, as well as a deep dive on his Insta Famous Porsche GT4. We discuss his exclusive LEGO kit called Project Black Brick, one of the many extensions of his business, what he feels was his biggest risk to date, one purpose-driven trip to a tanning bed, and Damon even shares a story of how Lewis Hamilton missed out on getting a McLaren F1 for free. It’s a fun one, for sure.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

@standardh_cyclesquad

Damon Jones

https://www.engineeredbydamon.com/

@damon_jones

@engineered_by_damon

@mad_for_mid

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

This week actually concludes Season 3 of the STANDARD H Podcast, and I will be taking the next month off to focus on the new website as well as the release of several new products so I’m super excited about those. This episode is yet another special occasion where I interview a friend I’ve known for over 20 years. We met in high school, and though we don’t talk every week, or even every month, when we do, we pick up where we left off as if no times has passed. Bradford Philen is one of the people I think of when I think back on my high school days and the times always involve this mental playback of us laughing. He is a teacher in Manila, Philippines but is temporarily in Long Beach, California for the next few weeks so I was so happy to catch up with him via Zoom. He’s an incredibly bright, thoughtful, compassionate person with a great sense of humor, so it was a no brainer to have him on the show. He shares his experience from working for the Peace Corps in Africa, he’s lived in New York City, China, and now Manila as I mentioned. Brad’s life experience while traveling the world teaching and learning has shaped him into someone I consider to be one of the most cultured, open-minded friends I have and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m super excited for Brad as he’s written his third book entitled “When the Color Started” which is due to release on October 15th, so mark your calendars. It’s a collection of fictional short stories - each taking place in different locations and told through the eyes of different characters. I can’t wait to read it and perhaps after listening to our conversation, you’ll feel the same. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll catch you in Season 4!

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_cyclesquad

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Bradford Philen

https://bradfordphilen.com/

@bradford.philen

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

Chris Burkard has long since been one of my favorite photographers. His images transport you in a way not many can, and I believe a lot of it has to do with our shared interests of surfing and just being outdoors. The aspect of relatability is unquestionably a role when viewing his work. Chris has sold prints, yes, but he’s also created books; one of my favorites is “High Tide” which features stories behind his images and includes some fantastic photos of fellow North Carolinian Ben Bourgeois in the Caribbean. The book also hosts some cold water adventures, a subject which became Chris’s Ted Talk in 2015 entitled, “The joy of surfing in ice-cold water.” Burkard serves as an ambassador to Sony and sheds a little light on what it’s like being able to work with such a major company and how that partnership formed. He offers some great advice as well for those looking to create similar partnerships. This is a quick one, and I really enjoyed getting to know Chris and it was great he dedicated the time considering he just returned home to California from his 43rd trip to Iceland. I think you’ll find his story to be fascinating.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Chris Burkard

https://www.chrisburkard.com/

@chrisburkard

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

Jeremy Kirkland has somewhat of a storied music and apparel industry past which in my opinion has served as perfect preparation for his current role as the host of Blamo! a podcast about the world of fashion and the people who shape it. It’s honestly one of the few podcasts where I listen to every episode. We talk about his growing up in St. Louis as the son of a musician as well as his early days as a musician himself in New York City. Jeremy started Blamo! with the use of a robust Rolodex and a goal to have fun. He now leads Blamo Media which is comprised of multiple podcasts hosting some of the most well known people, well, globally. Many of you listening to this are probably already familiar with Jeremy, so I was excited to offer us fans a behind the scenes look at Blamo! and several subjects he obviously doesn’t discuss during his own episodes. I think you‘ll all enjoy the story behind the man of one of the world’s largest menswear podcasts, and Jeremy even offers some information about a very special narration project he’s working on, so stay tuned for that.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Jeremy Kirkland

@thekirkland

Blamo! Podcast

https://blamopod.com/

@blamopodcast

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

Kyle Snarr is one of the cofounders behind Cantonment, a new accessories line where Kerchiefs serve as their flagship product. We talk about his love of story telling and how his petrol head father shaped his film school application where he ended up alongside the Napoleon Dynamite crew. Years later, after much success in the marketing sphere building award-winning websites for the very car brands that influence STANDARD H, Kyle was plucked and became the head of marketing for Gear Patrol. Kyle and I are nothing if not birds of a feather as we both are product guys through and through. Cars, gadgets, knives, watches. We love it all and obsess over the details. Being a product guy is what led Kyle to launch Cantonment with two friends which started as a side project/hobby 4 years ago only to launch at the beginning of COVID-19. It’s times like these that allow creativity to shine and what I love about Cantonment is their team-driven approach to the business from day one and I think you’ll agree. We close out the show with why the Land Rover Defender is so drooled over and also what might make its way into Kyle’s dream garage.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_garage

@standardh_shop

@standardh_travel

Kyle Snarr:

@kyality

Cantonment:

http://cantonment.co/

@cantonmentco

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

Adrian Barker is a content creator behind the brand Bark & Jack, a YouTube channel where he sips coffee and talks about watches. I took to his content a couple of years ago mainly due to his honesty and his candor, and as a result, I’ve been following his wonderfully curated Instagram page, as well. Since our recording, Adrian’s following has grown to 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, he has an online store which you can visit at BarkandJack.shop and he’s also launched a Facebook group where conversations can further continue. Aside from watches, I was super excited to chat with Adrian mainly due to YouTube being such a unique business to delve into and he offers quite an in-depth explanation as to how everything operates. In this episode we really go down the rabbit hole of several subjects; all of which I knew would be great due to Adrians honesty and his openly candid personality. I ask him what he considers to be overrated, underrated and we talk all things business as it relates to what he’s been working on. We chat about getting over the hurdles of limiting beliefs, fighting against our own expectations, and how all of us actually could get more done in our day. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and Adrian is certainly an inspiration when you hear him describe some of his low moments including his dealings with dyslexia. The first 4 minutes of this episode is comprised of what is usually reserved for getting audio levels and just general banter, really, but Adrian and I were chatting about customer service and taking part in what I feel is a topically relevant conversation so I left it in. Needless to say, Adrian and I hit the ground running, and we could’ve gone on all day I think, so I hope you’re able to settle in with your fresh cup of coffee or you’ve cracked a cold beer, because this was a fun one. I hope you enjoy it.

LINKS:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Bark & Jack

barkandjack.com

barkandjack.shop

@barkandjack

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

A couple of years ago I found out about a watchmaking workshop being held here at my good friend and previous STANDARD H Podcast guest, Tim Jackson’s store. Because the class was so great, I thought I’d explore the company a bit further and in doing so, one thing led to another, and the following conversation ended up being among the results.

Today’s guest is Nick Manousos who was recently named Executive Director of the Horological Society of New York. Offering classes and workshops, as well as an extensive library, HSNY has served as the go-to hub for everything from entry level time keeping knowledge to learning to actual assemble a watch by way of their on-site and traveling workshops.

We talk about him growing up in the surf & skate community of Santa Cruz, California, his early days hacking into telephone systems, his contributions to Hodinkee, and of course his time at HSNY and all of the great work they’re doing for us watch lovers and horological history buffs.

Whether you’re into watches or not, you should definitely visit HSNY’s museum-like office space, and certainly check out their lecture series. My conversation with Nick serves anyone who can identify with having a penchant for anything technical, so I hope you enjoy it.

Due to COVID-19, the following is strangely the second consecutive episode featuring a Disclaimer:

Several events mentioned in this interview including HSNY’s Gala as well as all classes were cancelled. Their Executive Director actually retired since our meetup in New York, which is why Nick has filled those shoes. Nick has also informed me that after their usual summer break, HSNY will start its lectures again in September, but they will all be online for the foreseeable future.

LINKS:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Horological Society of NY

https://hs-ny.org/

@horologicalsocietyofny

Nick Manousos

@nmanousos

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

When I first moved to LA I worked in marketing and PR for what was then a three-pronged business owned by Mike Ryan. Mike is a Hollywood Stunt Driver famous for doing stunts with semi trucks, but alongside his driving, he owned a business responsible for sourcing and placing cars in movies and television shows. At the time, Mike was also one of only two guys racing a semi at the esteemed Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb: the second oldest race in America behind the Indianapolis 500.

It was 2007 when today’s guest Brian Scotto founded a magazine called 0-60. I was first in contact with Brian when he reached out about doing an article on Mike. 0-60 was based in New York City and I was going to be there the following week, so I suggested we meet for lunch and talk about it. The article went great and the magazine was awesome.

12 years later, Brian is now living in Long Beach, California and heads up [HOONIGAN], a multi-media company best known for its production of Gymkhana videos starring Ken Block acrobatically driving an arsenal of tire-shredding cars. Collectively the videos have amassed a viewership in excess of 550 million views.

Given I’ve been a big fan of effectively everything he’s produced, I reached out to Brian about me now interviewing him, and he kindly obliged. His story is a fun one and we conduct some serious car talk as you can imagine. I thoroughly enjoy how he goes into what’s been easy for him as well as the challenges that opportunity can bring. We also get a back stage pass to what goes into making those incredibly viral videos.

What I thoroughly enjoy, and frankly get inspired by, is other people’s passion. And it’s fair to say you can hear Brian’s passion in this conversation. He’s well on his way to building an empire, but at the end of the day, he’s as curious about what you have going on as he is about how he’ll attract millions of eyeballs on YouTube.

I truly had a blast seeing him again, and I’m certainly excited to see what they have coming, so stay tuned to hear about it.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

@standardh_podcast

@standardh_shop

@standardh_garage

@standardh_travel

Brian's Instagram

@brianscotto

[HOONIGAN]

@thehoonigans

https://www.hoonigan.com/

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

12 years ago, I was still fresh from my move to Los Angeles when I started a fashion and lifestyle blog featuring mostly menswear, surfing, and really, just life in Southern California. One day, while strolling down Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach, I came across a row of about 5 bikes on the sidewalk, each hosting the name LINUS across the top tube in a timeless, San serif font. But these weren’t just any bikes. They weren’t mountain bikes, nor were they road bikes requiring a kit of spandex. Interestingly enough, they weren’t beach cruisers, either. They were (and still are) simple, really well-designed city bikes. Pre-dating the “Commuter” craze of the last decade, Linus bikes were often sold as single speed bikes, with swooped back handle bars, which made the riding position more upright and comfortable, and they came in colors far more interesting than just black or white. To this day, I get complimented on mine which I soon purchased after featuring Linus on my blog which is actually still in existence though all but ignored since 2013 and can be found at: www.screamingmouth.com. When I would feature brands, I’d email a link to the post to those companies, so my first interaction with Linus’s founder, Adam McDermott, actually took place over email in 2011. Funny enough, he and I had never met until this interview. Adam was born in South Africa, though much of his childhood was spent in Malibu as apartheid provoked his mother to move them to California. Adam started Linus through motivations predicated on lifestyle changes and environmental impact, something certainly resonating even more so today. I stand by the notion that Linus makes the most comfortable bikes on the planet, and also serve as an incredible value-add given their price point, so I was excited to sit down with Adam. What I love most is this is really a story of someone wanting something that they couldn’t find and they decided to just figure out how to get it done. I think a ton of entrepreneurs can absolutely identify with this mentality - with the motivation to keep pushing until the mission is complete. Today, Linus is carried in over 200 stores worldwide and is bolstered by quite a large assortment of bikes and accessories. This past Christmas, I actually bought my wife a Linus which has been instrumental during the time of COVID-19, as we’ve been exploring much of San Diego as a way to switch up our exercise regimen. I guess I can’t say enough about the bikes really, so I’ll leave it to Adam to share even more.

Links:

STANDARD H

https://standard-h.com/

@standardh_

Linus Bikes

https://www.linusbike.com/

@linusbike

Passion Fine Jewelry

https://passionfinejewelry.com/

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

https://www.independentintime.com/

@independentintime

For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast focuses on the lives and stories of those who have started or contributed in the growth of companies. This episode’s guest easily fulfills the latter category, and has done so in a major way. He’s a watch journalist, an automotive journalist, he cohosts one of my favorite podcasts, The Grey Nato, and he’s certainly no slouch in the photography department. Of course I’m talking about James Stacey. During what can only be described as HODINKEE's meteoric rise, James has contributed to some of my favorite HODINKEE segments, so I was looking forward to hearing a bit more about his background. As a writer, he discusses the importance of developing your own voice. We absolutely talk about his fascination for gold watches. And since he’s hosted a few episodes of Talking Watches, HODINKEE's flagship product, James offers us a backstage pass into what filming an episode entails. We go fairly deep on some car talk as well as photography including what gear he’s been using as well as how he typically captures watches. We wrap things up on a more personal note and James shares his weakness for female singers. James and I caught up several weeks ago making this episode a STANDARD H Podcast first by way of recording over Zoom. We each settled in with some bourbon so perhaps you’d like to do the same. This was a fun conversation, so I hope you enjoy it.

LINKS:

STANDARD H

@standardh_

James Stacey

@jestacey

The Grey Nato

@TheGreyNato

HODINKEE

@hodinkee

Passion Fine Jewelry

@passionfinejewelry

Independent in Time

@independentintime