Vissla Creators & Innovators 2024 Gathering

Such is the beauty of the Vissla Creators & Innovators gathering, an event that has been running for nearly a decade and gathers some of surfing's finest shapers, artists, and stylists for a long camping trip and creative get down. This latest gathering featured Alex "Superwolf" Villalobos, Derrick Disney, Travis Reynolds, Trey Martinho, Nick Melanson, Alex Lopez, John Simon,Danny Hess, and was organized by maestros Thomas Campbell and Donald Brink.

"If you're a surfer in California, you understand this place through a different lens. It’s not just Hollywood, rockstars, and a place to be. It's a wild place that, as surfers, we get to know far more intimately than others. You’re connected through the state parks and beaches to get to the waves. To be able to camp out on such beautiful land, like Jeremy's this year (and Tim's in the past), is so special to all of us. We have so much gratitude for this land and coast."

Donald Brink

We caught up with Brink to hear his perspective on the energy behind these gatherings, “if anybody put a bunch of friends together to build surfboards and camp for a week, they will realize how interesting life can get. I tell people, if this looks fun, go do it! Because it’s not an elitist thing, it's a repeatable act--by any group of friends with creation at heart."

We also spoke about the fires currently raging and he said that, "The property we were on was cared for by such a sweet dude, Jeremy Black, who I spent a lot of time with and who I shaped a board for as part of our deal. A few years prior, he had lost everything in the Malibu fires including all of his boards. Listening to him and his story was such a touching experience–to shut up and learn from someone who had been through the worst scenario imaginable. I hope the best for everyone living through it again now."

The inspiration behind the shaping portion of the event came from two boards from the personal collection of Paul Naude, founder of Vissla, that were shaped for none other than Miki Dora. After all, if you're to have a shaping event in Malibu, what better way than bust out some boards that were made for Da Cat. In the film we see the crew examining the boards and realize that they were later models, shaped for Miki when he was living in J Bay, and were likely refined versions of what he rode at Malibu decades earlier.

Of the boards, Brink said, "Being able to ride those old boards was really, really cool. So unique and refreshing. They didn’t ride how you would think, it was a trip. Then the boards that were created were not just impressive, they were delightful to witness and then to experiment. Derek and Alex’s board was really a wild ride."

The shapers were paired in three teams of two: Alex Lopez & Derrick Disney, John Simon & Nick Melanson, Travis Reynolds & Trey Martinho, and were all glassed by Superwolf. "Glassing a board with legends like Superwolf at 2 am when it's freezing but you've got your friends and a few beers is tons of fun. It is exhausting though, I couldn’t do it endlessly (laughs). You come away with hope, energy, and inspiration but there’s definitely exhaustion involved. I’m grateful for it all."

While the gathering did face stiff offshore winds throughout, especially on one of the days, they scored fun swell and surfed Malibu, Zuma, and even up into Ventura county. Yet, a pinnacle part of the experience happened neither in the water nor the shaping bay and rather came from the artistic direction of Thomas Campbell.

With everyone in their wetsuits they gathered near one of the big dunes on Zuma for what proved to be a very bonding (although challenging) experience. “The photo shoot with Thomas was quite a coordination effort in the face of those winds. Whatever it looks like there, just know that it felt much, much stronger. That wasn’t even the windy day. The team building of it, which wasn’t even the goal, was incredible. All of us coming together in our wetsuits and working together to create those shots was a huge bonding experience. All of us trusted Thomas and his vision, you could just tell that he knew that it was special. The end result was so much higher than just a group photo.”