Neil Ridgeway is the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Rip Curl and along with Andy Higgins and Brooke Farris was responsible for bringing together the revolutionary Rip Curl Search WCT Events that set the benchmark for exploratory surf contents at an elite level.
Starting at the legendary left hander St Leu on Reunion Island and holding events in Mexico, Chile, Portugal, Bali and San Francisco between 2005 and 2011 - the events created some of the most legendary moments in pro surf history.
We discuss the origins of Rip Curl's Search as well as why the idea of turning it into an event was such a controversial decision within the brand. We discuss the highlights, lowlights and challenges of running events in different places each year and finish off by looking at the future of events, including wave pools, in the context of the legacy of the Search events.
I fascinating insiders perspective on some of the coolest events in the history of pro surfing - this episode will kiss you where it feels good.