To all of you Shreds out there that want to know what a real snowboarding brand is all about and what snowboarding is supposed to represent read this.
To all of you corporate dosters and money grubbing scum, read this and then take your corporate gobbling machines and crawl back to wall street where you belong and leave the industry that you know nothing about alone. We don’t need you and we don’t want you anywhere near us!!!!!
This first article is from 2002 when a true shred Sean Johnson decided to do something to take back something that belongs to us Shreds…snowboarding
The Second article/interview is from 2008 and what Sean Johnson has done with his true values and stoke for snowboarding.
If you weren’t stoked on Stepchild snowboards before you will be now!
Protect the lifestyle and industry that we all represent, it belongs to you!
Thanks to all of you for supporting us here at XA and the industry we all love. Hit us back with what you think.
peace
-----------------------------------------------------------------Transworld Snowboarding - Jan 21, 2002
The rumors you may have heard are true… another snowboard company, just what the industry needs … maybe.
Sean Johnson has teamed up with some fellow derelicts and started his newest endeavor Stepchild Snowboards. “I’m not doing this to get rich,” explains Johnson, “I am just another rider that is trying to help take back the industry. The majority of people making decisions on the direction of our sport don’t even ride,” says Sean. “What I also see happening is that too many companies have been following the same template on how a company should be run. There’s not too much originality anymore and everyone seems to be doing a safety dance. Forum did a successful team video so now everyone is going to do a team video…Duh.”
Stepchild is starting small and according to Johnson if they stay small then that is completely fine with him. “I would rather have 100% control of a smaller company than 10% control of a bigger one.”
In the first year, the main focus will be on the Canadian market. Stepchild will never be sold in the larger sports chain stores and only available to specialty shops. “It’s not like we are a ski company making neon parabolic skis one year and putting skulls on snowboards the next. If I see another skull on a snowboard I think I’ll puke.”
For the first year, Stepchild will have three shapes and sizes: 154, 158.5 and 162.Sean got Rob Morrow to help him with board specs and design.
“There can still be a community in the snowboard industry. I talk to certain companies and they all say how snowboarding is now big business. They fire people just before they have kids and ” that’s what big businesses do.” The only thing big in snowboarding is certain people’s egos.”
Stepchild has no money for a team but negotiations are in the works to sign young up and comer Sean Kearns. “Stepchild’s team will consist of riders who need free boards to ride or sell while they are between sponsors but if you wear a rocker belt or drive an Audi then don’t call us,” says Johnson.
Regardless of what Stepchild does, it should get pretty interesting. Wick Winder Distribution, another one of Sean’s bright ideas, will distribute the boards.
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Washington , USA - Oct 22 2008
Sean Johnson Interview
Washington, USA, 10/22/2008 by Edgar Lanting
Sean Johnson is one of the co-founders of Stepchild. In this interview he explains what it is like to run a business in the snowboard industry and what the philosophy behind his brand is.
Can you tell me something about yourself and what you do at Stepchild?
I’ve been snowboarding since 1985 and have been involved in the snowboard industry since 1990 I started StepChild in 2000 with my good friend Brad Richmond.
Who's behind Stepchild and what's the company's philosophy?
Myself, Brad and Simon are the three owners of StepChild. We have no investors and just try to run a tight ship. The company philosophy is just to snowboard and do our own thing. We don’t want the industry to dictate to us what we should be doing as far as marketing, boards and advertising. We just try to concentrate on stoking out the kids that like to snowboard more than they like to stare at themselves in the mirror.
Who's on the snowboard team?
Right now our Pro Team consists of:
Simon Chamberlain-CanadaJP Walker- USA
Fredu Sirvio-Finland
Markku Koski-Finland
Stian Solberg-NorwayAnd the International Ams are:
Joe Sexton- USA
Risto Ruokola- Finland
Scotty Vine- USA
Chris Wimbles- (Man AM) Canada
Brian McClatchy-Canada
E-man Anderson- Canada
What do you think about all the new board companies that have come and gone in the past years?
I know how hard it is to make money off snowboards. A new start up company is hard to have an impact and even turn a profit within the first 5 years. We are now going into our sixth year and its still a struggle sometimes but we are still working towards something. I think we were pretty naïve when we started StepChild and we are still learning so much right now.
How is it to work for a brand like Stepchild?
That is such a general question that its hard to answer. I guess what I like about it the most is that everyone involved is involved because they love snowboarding. Its not about the money cause it can’t be when you don’t have none. We just love to snowboard and hang out with each other. With the team, myself, Brad, Scott, our reps distributors everyone just believes in what we are doing so that brings a lot of purpose and meaning to what we do.
Life is pretty short so I might as well enjoy myself and the people that I work with. The cool thing with StepChild is that we are all working together because we want to work together-not cause we have to work together. Our business isn’t built off money-its built off relationships.
Any perks?
Perks? Haha yeah right. More like high interest credit card loans, broken snowmobiles, 15 hour days -the list goes on.
How does Stepchild test/develop their products, in-house or external?
We come up with concepts through myself, the team and our board engineer Johnny Q. We do all our own shapes and molds and cassettes. The team actually has a lot of input with the boards. Some one like Joe Sexton will say ? We should make an all jib board.? Then I’ll say Yeah we should let’s come up with some ideas, Then Joe and I will just sit around all night and shoot the shit on what we should do to make the ideal Jib Board. Once we get the basic concept and direction down then we present it to Johnny Q and he does the final polishes. We also have graphic designers like Troy Blackmore and artists like Steve Moore that have always contributed over the years. I think also for the team riders they are just stoked that we take their input seriously. Our whole board line is a collaboration of ideas, riders, designers, artists and dirtballs working together to make great snowboards. Its pretty simple: Listen to your team and make boards that they are stoked on and they will sell.
You probably need to travel a lot for your job, and if so, how is that affecting you?
Road food has really been screwing me up lately. I’m 35 now and I have been traveling for snowboarding since I was 18.
It definitely takes its toll on the body after a while. Personal relationships with people outside of snowboarding have suffered too but that’s cool. The people that matter don’t mind and the people that mind don’t matter.
What are you proud of?
Its not a question of what I’m proud of but more of a question of who I’m proud of. Brad, Simon, JP, Joe, Will, Scott MB, Stian, Markku, Fredu, Risto, Scotty, Ilari man I could go on forever. I’m proud of the people that have believed in our brand and our snowboards. I’m proud that kids are starting to form their own opinions on what they like and don’t like. I like the fact that snowboarders are looking more into what they are buying and who they are buying it from.
Do you still have time to go snowboarding or skateboarding or is every minute of your time consumed by working?
I snowboard as much as possible. I bring my board with me and do pow runs after a day of filming. I don’t hit rails or jibs at all. I just like being in the mountains and the whole experience of riding. I don’t ride as good as I used to but I love it no less. I also have a mini ramp in my garage that gets skated a couple times a week. I only skate transitions though. Street skating hurts. The first time I ever did a kickflip was in 1988. Almost 20 years later I can still only do 1 out of 5.
What do you think about SIA / ISPO?
It was great to be on the floor last year. Its also great to hear what shops and reps have to say about our boards. It's good for me to just shut my mouth and listen. There are a lot of people that believe in us and its my job to suit up and show up and do my best to keep this company pure and not let anyone down. There are still a lot of non-believers out there too. I think they are the ones that are buying into the bullshit snowboard marketing out there. They don’t look much past a cheesy magazine ad to see who is involved in the company and what they are putting back into snowboarding. If the last century of world business belonged to the takers then I truly believe that the next century of world business will belong to the givers.
I'm curious, what's your setup when you go shredding?
I ride the OG pow board for for backcountry and the powder sucks 155 for the resorts. Simon is daring me to try some rails but my steeze is pretty whack. I’ll probably take the jib stick to a couple of small rails next year just to give Simon, JP and Joe something to laugh about.
Snowboarding for me isn’t about how good I am anymore, it’s just about having fun.
It sounds very cliché but its true.
Last but not least: Any shoutouts to friends, family, inspirational people?
I just want to thank everyone that has ever believed in what we are doing shops, riders, distributors, reps the list goes on forever. We are building something cool that we want everyone to benefit from.
