How Did I Get Here?: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO

Preface ix

Credits xv

Chapter 1 Toucan Sam Teaches Me a Lesson 1
The day I knew it was time to take control

Chapter 2 Building a Better Birdhouse 9
The birth and near-death of our first business

Chapter 3 Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Hoodie? 21
Risking our homes to make T-shirts and hats

Chapter 4 “Is Tony Hawk a Real Person?” 33
From motion capture to gaming franchise

Chapter 5 What the Hell is a HuckJam? 45
Innovation and improvisation on a million-dollar ramp

Chapter 6 “Extreme” is a Four-Letter Word 63
“This is how we do it in our world”

Chapter 7 The Denim Debacle 75
Some business ideas that didn’t quite fly

Chapter 8 Final Cut 83
The key to image control: get your own editing bay

Chapter 9 Hashtag is Not a Death-Metal Band 97
Reaching out through tweets, apps, and satrad

Chapter 10 How to Never Get a Movie Made 113
Hollywood will break your heart, or at least piss you off

Chapter 11 Stinky Diapers in First Class 123
How to balance travel and family: bring ’em

Chapter 12 Giving Back 153
Family, friends, Regis, and a very smart fifth-grader help me build a charity

Acknowledgments 165

Index 175