Tell us about how you got into skateboarding?
I got into skating because it was the coolest thing in school… ha-ha, just kidding… it probably was one of the worst things to do at school, I used to hide the fact the I skated but at the same time prided myself with it. It probably was the rebel aspect that really drew me to it, I never really fit in so much, so skating was all the fun and friends I needed
How did you come up with the name EL Señor ?
I came up with the name ‘EL Señor New York’ because of my wife Nubia, she is Dominican and in Spanish it means ‘the mister’ We are the misters of the skate jewelry game. Señor also rhymes with my name Spencer, sort of.
Is it hard to build a team ? What does it take to be part of your team?
We do not have your typical skate company so building the team was/is easy. we have over 200 team riders, from the triple OG legends to the 90’s golden era pro’s, current pros to the new up and comers. We have photographers (RIP to one of our team members Ricky Powell) tattoo artist, surfers, artists, DJ’s, music producers, rappers, and musicians. We have a truly diverse team
With the industry being flooded with new pros that we never heard of from smaller brands. What is your opinion on that?
To me pro is pro… it is like making to the NBA, either you made it, or you did not. The criteria for me are that someone (a sponsor) pays you their hard-earned money, they believe in the pros’ talents and compensate them for it… it does not need to be a big check, it is about the principle… If skater ‘Y’ starts a company and has never been pro and then he produces a board with skater ‘Y’s name on it, I do not count that as being or turning pro… you can’t turn yourself pro…. period…. But more power to all the small brands and even the small brands that become big and kick someone in the nuts,
What makes EL Señor different than other brands out-there?
El Señor New York is way different than any skate brand that has very existed.
We started a new genre for the skate industry. Yes, people and brand have made jewelry that was skate inspired but we saw the full potential in jewelry and made it into skate boarding’s first and only Jewelry Brand. As a pro I was an innovator and creator, as a business owner we are still innovating and creating never been seen before products, in what is one of the most innovative and creative industries on the planet
Do you or do you have someone come up with the graphics or designs for EL Señor?
Spencer Fujimoto is the creative director and does most of the graphic design work with partner Michael Maestas.
Do you think it is hard from being from New York to get your brand out-there compared to some brand from Cali?
Our brand is from New York and now we are in Hawaii. I do not think it is any harder in any other state than Cali… it is the Cali myth. Big fish little pond or big pond little fish, it can be hard to stand out in Cali because the competition is rough, skate and biz wise. The internet with social media has leveled the playing field… a bit, inject a lot of money and it does not make any difference where u from.
Let us say: I am a shop owner, you come to my shop & you want me to carry your brand. How would you get me to carry EL Señor in my store?
Our major selling point is that most of our jewelry is about $60 which is the price of a hoodie, although our jewelry takes up about space of a pack of bearings, so really the only thing in most skate shops that can have such a big return on such a small item is the Bones swiss bearings… Spice up your display case and get those $60 add on sales at the register… It is going to be the best product for value to space ratio. Hoodies, take up an enormous amount of room, how many hoodies are in the stock room over piled???? And our necklace are one size fits all, again a great space saver and less decision making for the buyer and customers.
What is your day like?
I like to start the day with a 2-3 mile run, I have been nursing a strained back for the last couple months, too much desk time during the holiday rush. Make tea, maybe breakfast maybe skip it and hit the office and get to work, computer, emails, pack boxes, customer service, shipping, logistics, phone calls, social media posts, blogs, shoots, sculpting pieces, drawing, sketching, phone calls, facetimes, drop off packages, receive packages, track down lost packages, maybe skate, meditate, swim in the ocean is my Zen moments, clock out and spark up the grill for dinner. I probably missed a bunch of stuff, ha-ha, who ever said ‘don’t take business personal, never had their own business.
Thank you for talking with us & wish you the best of luck with EL Señor. Is there anything you want to say to someone that wants to start their own brand?
If you want to start a brand, start it. Or do not. ppl would always say to me when I was hustling and did not have El Señor, they would say, ‘ You should start your own brand.’ I would tell them, ‘when the time is right.’ Really, I did not have a good idea to execute, I waited for it to come to me without stressing… my point is what works for them may not work for me and what works for me may not work for you, do what your heart tells you, you are smarter than you know.
I want to say thank you to True Sk8board Mag for the opportunity to be heard, and thank you to my partners Stevie Williams, Nubia Fermin, Alex Corporan, Marcus Mcbride, and Michael Maestas
