VHS Nostalgia: The History of Volcom Films

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 7:09 PM ET

Stoney Baloney, Magna Plasm, Football Shmootball, The Bruce Movie…to most, this smorgasbord of strange words wouldn’t mean much; but to some, especially those who were alive and riding surfboards in the late nineties, early 2000s, these funky phonetics evoke a simpler time of surf cinema, one rife with Super 8 film, claymation skits, iconic soundtracks, and innovative surfing.

These are just a few of the titles under Veeco Productions, Volcom’s filmmaking division. Around the turn of the century, the legacy surf, skate, and snowboarding brand put out some of the most influential, experimental, beloved, weird, uncanny, “Youth Against Establishment,” arthouse-style films ever seen in the space. They would go on to inspire countless filmmakers and athletes. And now, Veeco Productions just dropped a look behind-the-scenes at this era. Hit play below.

“I feel really lucky that we’ve been able to put out the films we have and go through those life-changing events when making them, and showing them to people,” says Volcom cofounder Richard Woolcott. “It was almost like a dream. In the beginning when we started Volcom, it was like, we’re starting an apparel company, and we’re gonna build a group of team riders to represent the company. And then the next step was, ‘Let’s get all these guys together, make a film, and tell a story about them.’ It was born organically.”

From there, the short film documentary takes a look at the early days of Volcom films, the first being the snowboard flick Alive We Ride (1993). Little did they know, but it would serve as the starting point for many films to come. And like most of the films in their catalogue, it would influence other boardriders from other sports. Snowboarders inspiring surfers inspiring skaters, and everything in between. “It just blew my mind,” says longtime Volcom surfer Ozzie Wright about that first snowboard film. “I wanna do stuff like that. It had a massive impact on me.”

If you’re looking for a little nostalgia, and you’re feeling like you don’t know up from down within the turbulent current state of the surf industry, hit play above. It’ll bring back those good times.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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