Fortunate Encounters

My name is Steve Brydzinski, and I’m interning at Exit Philadelphia – a skateboarding and apparel retail store in the heart of the Northern Liberties.  Jeremy Wieland, the owner & operator, is a well known skateboarder from here, Philadelphia, and has made many great friends and acquaintances with important and famous people in the skateboarding industry.  My time as an intern so far, has given me a few fortunate encounters where I was able to meet and hangout with some of the biggest names in skateboarding.

I was fortunate enough to meet Mark Gonzales, Chris Cole, Tom Asta, Ishod Wair, the French converse team, Tyler the Creator & the Odd Future crew, and much more.  These are all people I envy, and look up to for inspiration.

I never in a million years, would have thought I’d get the opportunity to not only personally meet these guys, but I was also able to hangout with, converse, and travel around Philadelphia skating with them.  I got to pick their brains, and learned a ton of awesome things about them, as well as details about their professional skateboarding careers, the companies they ride for, and also the large and successful companies in which they own.  It was amazing to learn how skateboarding could provide them with such amazing opportunities. I asked Alfonse, the French team manager, “do you have any words of wisdom or advice that would help me for when I graduate?  Or even now.”  Alfonse told me, “you’ll get nothing, and no where, unless you take chances.  Utilize what you know and who you know, then take your plan, and make it reality.  Who cares if people think you’re crazy, or if they think you’ll fail.  Prove them wrong, let them be failures.”  I don’t think anyone in my life has ever said anything more motivating and useful like that.  He’s so right.

It truly was amazing spending time with these guys I have looked up to for so many years.  Best internship EVER.