THIRTY YEARS OF FREESTYLE

RECREATING AN ICON

Haro Bikes was looking for an authentic way to celebrate its 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 revealed that the Haro Freestyler frame and fork concept originated in 1982. With a significant milestone approaching (1982 - 2012), I proposed the "Thirty Years of Freestyle" project as a comprehensive solution to celebrate Haro's ambition of bringing its history to life.

In September 2011, I flew from London to Los Angeles to begin my project. With my own Haro Freestyler (Serial Number 00064 1982) tucked under my arm and an old-school TomTom GPS unit—loaded with US mapping from a dubious website—plugged into the cigarette lighter of my rental car, I set off for Orange County. My goal was to find the resources to manufacture 300 authentic replica Haro Freestyler frame and fork packages. A chance conversation with former Haro team rider Bob Morales directed me onto the 55 Freeway toward Santa Ana.

I pulled into a small business park on South Grande Avenue and tentatively walked into a small industrial workshop. I was warmly greeted by John Severin, also known as True Torch Welding. Johnny ushered me into a small reception area, where he cleared away a layer of clutter from his desk and wiped it clean with his sleeve. Under my arm, I carried my 1982 Haro Freestyler frame and fork, while in my other hand, I held a rolled-up blueprint. This blueprint was a two-dimensional black-and-white technical drawing of the frame, created by Doug Olsen, an engineer at the original manufacturer, Torker, and it would be essential for the project.

The production of this iconic frame and fork model, the first ever designed for BMX Freestyle by the sport's originator, Bob Haro, required a focused project management approach and collaboration with various external vendors and contractors. Bush Plating in Garden Grove handled the chrome plating; notably, this same company also plated the original Haro Freestylers built between late 1981 and 1983, as well as the US-made GT Performers in the mid-1980s. The decals were digitized from an unused set that had been dormant for 30 years. I remember standing in a screen printing workshop in the West Country of England, watching the printer mix inks by hand to match specific colors that were no longer commercially available.

Within a week, a prototype was in progress, and recognizing the significance of the process about to unfold, we decided to document the manufacturing journey for inclusion in the project activation plan. The edit of this process can be viewed further down this page.

A month or two later, the softcover brochure I had planned to accompany the frame and fork sets in their presentation boxes transformed into the first of two history books that I researched and wrote for Haro over a two-year period. This process involved tracking down the riders, team managers, and support staff from the company's formative years. The process required some relationship (re)building and a lot of face to face conversations over fish tacos and margeritas.By the time September 2012 arrived, Haro had reconnected with the iconic founding community of riders, managerial staff, and visionary product designers, all of whom had helped position the company as the market leader in BMX Freestyle during the 1980s.

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.