THIRTY YEARS OF FREESTYLE

RECREATING AN ICON

Haro Bikes was looking for an authentic way to celebrate their unique history in BMX. We designed and delivered “30 Years of Freestyle” - A project that focused on the story of the company founder, Bob Haro, and his vision for BMX product development.

My initial research identified the origination date of the Haro Freestyler frame and fork concept as 1982, and with a nice round milestone approaching (1982 - 2012), I pitched the "Thirty Years of Freestyle" as a multi-faceted project solution that reflected Haro's ambition to activate the history of the brand. 

In September of 2011, I flew from London to Los Angeles to get underway. With my own Haro Freestyler - Serial Number 00064 1982 - tucked under my arm, an old school TomTom GPS unit (with US Mapping downloaded from a dubious website) wired onto the cigarette lighter socket of my rental car, I set off for Orange County looking for the resources to manufacture 300 authentic replica Haro Freestyler frame and fork packages. A chance conversation with ex-Haro team rider, Bob Morales, put me onto the 55 Freeway towards Santa Ana. I pulled into the lot of a small business park on South Grande Avenue. As I tentatively walked through the door of a small industrial workshop, I was greeted warmly by John Severin (AKA True Torch Welding). Johnny ushered me inside to a small reception area where he cleared a layer of random clutter from his desk and wiped it clean with his sleeve. In a cardboard box under my arm, was my own original 1982 Haro Freestyler frame and fork. In my other hand was a rolled-up paper blueprint - a 2d, black and white technical drawing of the frame that would form the centerpiece of the project. Within a week, a prototype was underway, and recognizing the magnitude of the process that was about to unfold, we decided to record the manufacturing process for use in the project activation plan. The edit can be viewed further down this page.

A month or two later, the soft cover brochure I planned to accompany the frame and fork sets in their presentation boxes had evolved to become the first of two history books I researched and wrote for Haro during a two year period. That process required me to find the riders, team managers, and back-room staff from this formative era of the company, and by the time we rolled the calendar back around to September 2012, Haro was reconnected to the community that a served it so well in the 1980s.

The production of the frame required close project management and also some services provided by additional vendors and contractors. Chrome plating was applied by Bush Plating in Garden Grove - the same company, in the same facility, that plated the US made GT Performers in the 1980s. The decals were digitized from an ordinal 30 year old set that were unused. I recall standing in a screen printing workshop in the west county of England watching the printer mixing inks by hand to match colors that were no longer available off-the-shelf.

The uniquely successful aspects of the project was our ability to drive revenue through pre-sales and related products, including apparel. This project initiated a new Authentic/Vintage revenue source for Haro, enabling them to develop and sell retro-inspired products to a new demographic with a high level of expendable income. Haro now operates a dedicated Vintage/Retro, E Commerce channel that has developed to become a significant factor in their business model.

SERVICES

Creative Project Management, Digital Content, Print Content, Research & Interviews, Video, Event Management, Financial Modeling, Contributor and VIP Management, Graphic Design, Trade Show representation, Board Reporting, Product Management, Social Media Campaign, PR and Communications, Campaign Management, Historical Consultancy, Staff Briefings.

HAND MADE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

One of the value-add components that was delivered within the Haro Freestyler frame and fork package was a video edit that recorded the manufacturing process while raising insights from some of the key influencers in BMX history. "Making Freestyle History" was produced by REEL Visuals, and co-directed by RISE Creative. We researched and supplied rare archival footage of Bob Haro and many of Haro's team riders from the early 1980s. The recipient of each sequentially serialized, limited edition frame received a DVD Copy of the edit along with a signed letter of authenticity.

THE THIRTY YEARS OF FREESTYLE PARTY

AT THE HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO, LAS VEGAS

The project delivered excellent revenue through sales of the Freestyler frame and fork and enabled us to hold a celebration event to thank and honor the riders, staff, and the extraordinary community of fans and enthusiasts who have served to position Haro as the number one brand in BMX. Each invitee was presented with a personalized Freestyler frame package with their name stamped into the dropout where the serial number is usually found.