Behind the phenomenal HUF skate team lies team manager Tyler Cichy. With a brand intrinsic to the heart of skateboarding and a strong team to further this legacy, Tyler’s role is as vital as it is fulfilling, seeing rising talent flourish and the brand break new ground with compelling videos and apparel. We talked to Tyler about his view on the skate industry, how he started with HUF and an insight into HUF’s latest video, HUF 002.
Hey Tyler, thanks heaps for chatting! First of all, how long have you been at HUF and what is your role there?
Hey, No problem! I have been at HUF since September 2011. I am the Team Manager.
Where are you based, and how did you get involved with HUF?
I live in Los Angeles not too far from the HUF HQ. I got involved with HUF through a friend. He was living with one of the guys who worked at the SF HUF retail store doing video commercials. When they moved down to LA to start a brand I was hanging out helping with what I could and skating with everyone.
What does a day in your life look like? I can imagine it would vary quite drastically as team manager.
I don’t really have a typical day but I try to go to the office every Monday. It depends what we are working on at the time. Im usually coordinating projects, shoots, sending boxes, budgeting or out filming working on a project with a rider. I don’t know what to do with myself in LA besides “work.”
How has your experience been in working alongside industry legend and HUF founder Keith Hufnagel?
Working with Keith is cool. He’s very understanding and has given a lot of people chances they might not have had somewhere else. We have been through a lot over the years but its still unreal to me.
What do you make of the current state of the skate industry? Is it taking a turn for the worst or better?
Skateboarding itself is growing and getting better… For example GX1000 crew. As far as the industry goes things are changing, I don’t know if things are getting better or worse but they’re changing. We always adapt as skateboarders and its the act of skateboarding thats important. We will see where the industry takes us.
You’ve played a vital role in building HUF’s stellar lineup of riders. How are new skaters found?
It changes from time to time. In the beginning a lot of it was team rider referrals of people we saw fit. As time went on and we had a lot of pro’s I wanted to build up some amateurs from flow. Finding new guys is different always but somebody's style is important.
Talk us through the latest video, HUF 002. I really dig how both 001 and 002 have been released in place of a full length. What was the thought process behind this series?
The team had been wanting to do something different. We released a lot of tour videos for years. I was filming full parts with team riders and giving them away because at the time it felt like we had video guidelines we had to follow. Things are always growing and thought it was a good time to mix it up. It is also a good outlet to bring new people in.
What other brands have killed it this year?
I am a big Quasi fan.
In a nightmarish sequence of events, you can only listen to five songs for the rest of your life. What would they be?
1. Albatross- Fleetwood Mac
2. Tezeta (Nostalgia) - Mulatu Asatke
3. Stay with me Spiritualized
4. County Line - Cass Mccomb’s
5. Lazy Calm - Cocteau Twins
What does HUF have in the pipeline for 2019?
Team additions, new footwear models, apparel team , HUF 003
Cheers Tyler! Be sure to follow Tyler here and suss out the rest of the HUF team here.