Bob Burnquist - Grinding for the Greater Good - ZEROPOD Ep 13

Bob Burnquist - Grinding for the Greater Good - ZEROPOD Ep 13 w/ a Skateboarding Legend (& Nouner!)

Today we have skatboarding legend @bobburnquist interviewed by @toady_hawk for @thenounsquare ZEROPOD.

Check the full episode on Youtube:

SUMMARY - Skateboarding legend Bob Burnquist discusses his involvement in a crypto project, the importance of skateboarding culture and community, and the potential of web 3 and NFTs to promote positive impact and collaboration.

• 00:00 🛹 Bob Burnquist, a professional skateboarder, discusses his involvement in a crypto project and the creation of his NFT character inspired by Tony Hawk, highlighting the rebellious nature of skateboarding and its role in his upbringing in São Paulo.

  • Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk are still good friends after many years and recently had a fun skateboarding session together at a jam session in Tampa, Florida.

  • Bob Burnquist, a professional skateboarder and web3 enthusiast, discusses his involvement in the crypto project and the creation of his NFT character Toady Hawk, inspired by Tony Hawk, in an episode of the ZeroPod podcast.

  • Bob Burnquist grew up in Brazil, started skateboarding at a young age, and almost became a professional footballer before pursuing skateboarding.

  • In the 1980s in São Paulo, there was a transition from a dictatorship to a more accepting society, but being on the rebel side was cooler despite the oppression and restrictions on skateboarding.

  • Skateboarding was once illegal and faced pushback from authorities and conformists due to its rebellious and expressive nature.

  • Growing up in São Paulo, Bob Burnquist found skateboarding as an escape from poverty and a way to stay focused, with his parents using it as a tool to educate and guide him.

• 08:36 🛹 Skateboarding legend Bob Burnquist discusses his journey from amateur to professional, along with the influence of Tony Hawk in popularizing the sport and inspiring Brazilian skateboarders.

  • The speaker discusses their journey from being a young skateboarder in Brazil to becoming a professional, experiencing both success and failure along the way.

  • After receiving a harsh lesson from his father, the speaker realized that his lack of effort in skateboarding contests was affecting his performance and decided to start trying harder.

  • Skateboarder Bob Burnquist discusses his journey to becoming a professional skateboarder and the transition from amateur to pro.

  • Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk played a significant role in popularizing skateboarding, with Burnquist focusing on skating and having a good time while Hawk was more strategic and forward-thinking.

  • Skateboarding legends like Bob Burnquist and Christian Hosoi have inspired and energized skateboarding scenes around the world through their demos and performances, leading to increased belief and success for Brazilian skateboarders.

  • Tony Hawk's involvement in mainstream skateboarding and the creation of his video game helped push the sport to the masses and establish him as an identifiable hero.

• 15:15 🛹 Skateboarding legend Bob Burnquist discusses his experience skateboarding with Tony Hawk, highlighting Tony's graciousness and how they went from playing pinball together to being characters in a video game, and how Tony's success helped bring attention to skateboarding and pushed the sport into mainstream popularity, while maintaining its strong subculture and camaraderie.

  • In 1993, the speaker broke their foot while skateboarding in Germany but still competed in a contest in Belgium two weeks later, despite the pain, and was excited to meet their idols.

  • Bob Burnquist did a nose blunt back revert trick that no one else was doing at the time, and Tony Hawk made him feel comfortable and they played pinball together.

  • Bob Burnquist talks about his experience skateboarding with Tony Hawk, highlighting Tony's graciousness and how they went from playing pinball together to being characters in a video game.

  • Skateboarding legend Bob Burnquist discusses how Tony Hawk's success in the skateboarding game and landing the 900 at the X Games helped bring attention to skateboarding and pushed the sport into mainstream popularity.

  • Skateboarding has maintained a strong subculture and camaraderie despite going mainstream due to its cultural diversity and the individuality of skateboarders.

  • Skateboarding is no longer limited to a specific type of person or music and has become diverse and widespread.

• 20:55 🛹 Skateboarding offers various avenues for individuals to pursue, such as becoming an Olympic skateboarder or a professional skateboarder, and Bob Burnquist discusses the importance of the skateboarding culture and community, as well as his involvement in creating a prop for a podcast episode and his support for projects involving NFTs.

  • Skateboarding offers various avenues for individuals to pursue, such as becoming an Olympic skateboarder, a professional skateboarder, or organizing skateboarding events, and the Tampa Am event showcases a mix of old school and new school skateboarders.

  • Cultural events like the Olympics created a vacuum that is now being filled with skateboarding and other extreme sports, and while winning a gold medal may be a reason to start skateboarding, the reason to stay is different and involves diving into the culture, such as the subculture of Nars, a fork of nouns focused on extreme sports, which is how Bob Burnquist got involved.

  • Bob Burnquist discusses the crossover of extreme sports into a lifestyle of high performance and the importance of Nars as a cultural community, particularly in relation to his work with skateboarding cares in Brazil.

  • Bob Burnquist collaborated with a group in Brazil to create a prop for a podcast episode, with the help of Philipe Gushu and GBA, resulting in prop 142.

  • Bob Burnquist discusses his involvement in web 3 and the importance of community support, specifically mentioning the impact of a project involving NFTs on education and art for children.

  • You don't need to be an official organization or have any specific setup to make a positive impact, just put up a prop and people will support it if they believe in the cause.

• 27:53 🛹 Building a diverse community through niche areas of activity, targeting specific regions and cultures, and highlighting real projects that promote democracy is important for creating strong connections and a positive image, rather than focusing solely on expensive NFTs.

  • Nars spoke to Gami and they decided to niche out different areas of activity, including skateboarding, in order to attract a diverse community and create separate sections for different interests.

  • Building a brand by targeting specific regions, languages, cultures, and subgenres allows for the creation of strong communities and connections.

  • Highlighting real projects that aim to help each other and promote democracy in voting is important in a time of market volatility and drama, as it gives the space a better image and name compared to projects focused solely on expensive NFTs.

  • Expensive NFTs contribute to a treasury for public good, but there are more affordable ways to participate in public good through narow tokens and little nouns.

  • Having a reason behind flaunting expensive NFTs and using governance and props to help others is what attracts more people to the community.

• 33:24 🛹 Bob Burnquist and others are using blockchain technology and social media to find funding and support for social programs and community initiatives, making it easier to contribute and receive assistance through donations and governance tokens.

  • I can ask different entities for money, such as a web 3 community, a Brazilian bank (since I am sponsored by Bank of Brazil), or a drink company, as I am constantly seeking funding for social programs.

  • Finding nouns for helping and doing things makes sense, and with social media and governance tokens, it becomes even more exciting and understandable, leading to an exodus of people embracing it.

  • Bob Burnquist partnered with a podcast at a blockchain event in Rio, where he agreed to participate if the host donated to skateboarding cares, and the host purchased a signed skateboard from Bob's online shop using his Google account and credit card, receiving governance tokens along with the physical product.

  • The integration of public goods funding with blockchain technology allows for easier and more efficient support of various causes, such as the Uganda skateboarding crew.

  • Skateboarders use social media to showcase their skills and support organizations like Skateistan and the skate park foundation, but it can be difficult to find ways to financially assist them.

  • With social media and web 3 tooling, it is now easier to support and receive support for community initiatives through donations and governance tokens, similar to choosing products on Amazon, but in a wallet setting.

• 39:11 🛹 Skateboarding and web 3 foster community and connection, with web 3 allowing global awareness of issues; skateboarding's rebellious nature and initiatives like "nouns" promote understanding and helping others doesn't require much.

  • Skateboarding and web 3 both foster a sense of community and connection, with web 3 allowing people from around the world to be more in tune with each other's problems than local government officials.

  • Skateboarding involves the constant thrill of being kicked out by security or running from the police, but you can still experience that feeling by skating in someone's backyard without permission and potentially facing consequences.

  • Web 3 and crypto punks are breaking barriers and promoting understanding, similar to skateboarding's rebellious nature, and being mainstream is cool.

  • Bob Burnquist discusses the impact of a project called "nouns" and gives an example of a cool initiative where people in São Paulo put up props to give sweatshirts to people on the streets.

  • Helping others doesn't require much, as demonstrated by a skateboarder who used his skills to make a difference in people's lives.

• 44:17 🛹 Bob Burnquist is excited to be part of the noun community and hopes to promote positive impact and collaboration through web 3 and skateboarding, while also raising money for cancer through Grind for Life.

  • Using social media and AI, it is important to teach people to use crypto as a tool for positive impact and onboarding, rather than just speculation and scams, in order to break negative first impressions and promote security in the industry.

  • Education is important when it comes to controlling your own assets and being prepared for the challenges of self-sovereignty, and there is a proposal to gift a skateboard head to Bob Burnquist as a governing member of the DAO.

  • Bob Burnquist discusses his efforts to promote and encourage others to buy and use the noun platform, his excitement about being involved in governance, and the potential for collaboration and growth within the noun community.

  • Bob Burnquist is excited to be part of the nouns Dow and hopes to contribute to the growth of the web 3 movement through events and media, while also expressing excitement about the potential impact he can make.

  • The speaker discusses ongoing projects involving programming classes and skateboarding as tools to improve communities, with the goal of expanding and creating a larger community impact.

  • Bob Burnquist is promoting an organization called Grind for Life that raises money for cancer and wants to bring the concept of web 3 and skateboarding cares into the skateboarding community, and he is being praised as a great ambassador for web 3 and crypto.

INSIGHTS - Impact and Influence of Skateboarding on Society

/

• 🔥 The success of Brazilian skateboarders like Bob Burnquist and Christian Hosoi has fueled the belief and confidence of future generations, showing that they can compete and excel on an international level.

• 🎮 Being involved with the Tony Hawk game was a crazy experience for Bob Burnquist, highlighting the impact and influence of the game on the skateboarding community.

• 🚀 The launch of the skateboarding game and Tony Hawk's 900 trick at X Games in 1999 propelled skateboarding into the mainstream and brought attention to the sport.

• 🌍 The concept of extreme sports has evolved into a lifestyle of high performance and activity, encompassing various activities like surfing, skating, snowboarding, skydiving, and Moto.

• 💰 Having a reason behind flaunting expensive NFTs is much better, especially if that reason involves helping others.

• 🌍 Burnquist's involvement in social programs showcases his dedication to using his platform for positive change and making a difference in the community.

Skateboarding as a Lifestyle and Subculture

• 🚸 Finding something you love can provide direction and motivation, even in the face of challenges and distractions like drugs, as it did for Burnquist with skateboarding.

• 🌍 Skateboarding is a cultural phenomenon that attracts people from all walks of life, each with their own unique personality and style.

• 🛹 The skateboarding community is diverse, with different avenues for individuals to pursue their passion, whether it's competing in the Olympics, creating video parts, organizing festivals, or running skate parks.

• 🛹 Skateboarding is not just an extreme sport, but a subculture that offers a sense of community and passion, as seen through Bob Burnquist's involvement with Nars and his dedication to skateboarding.

• 🛹 Bob Burnquist recognized the importance of creating a separate platform for skateboarding within the larger Nars community, in order to attract core skateboarding brands and maintain the authenticity of the sport.

Bob Burnquist's Journey and Achievements in Skateboarding

• 😎 Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk have maintained a strong friendship over the years, which adds to their bond as skateboarding legends.

• 🏆 Bob Burnquist's rapid rise in the skateboarding world, going pro at the age of 14, highlights the exceptional talent and dedication required to achieve success in a competitive field.

• 😔 Bob Burnquist's experience of going from winning his first contest to placing 30th in the next one highlights the ups and downs of pursuing a career in skateboarding and the importance of resilience in the face of setbacks.

• 🏆 "It's better to know what you want...when I turned Pro it was all these am contests that we skated and I qualified first...I can win this contest...I'm Pro give me the check." - Bob Burnquist on his determination and ambition in skateboarding.

• 😖 Bob Burnquist's dedication to skateboarding is evident in his willingness to skate on a broken foot, despite the intense pain.