from Jan Welch on 13 Oct 2021
For the fourth episode of the Then And Now Interview Series, I chat with Brian Freeman. Like myself, Brian started his skating career in Austin with Texas legends like Jason Howard, Mason Richard, and Zachary Gutweiler. In this interview, we go back to when we first met and discuss Brian’s early days in Austin, his influences, and his new sponsor Iqon. We also talk about his Bfree blade Acadamy, SkateIA, ways people can make money today blading, and cool things happening in the industry.
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This interview is also available as a podcast on all major streaming services. Just search for “Then And Now Blading”.
You can also listen to the podcast with BFree here. https://redcircle.com/shows/then-and-now-blading-podcast
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Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
01:17 – Julian Issac and Houston
06:08 – The first time we met
07:27 – LST and Brian’s early days of blading in Austin.
10:41 – Skaters who influenced Brian
15:09 – Moving to Oakland
18:07 – The fires of Northern California
19:55 – BFree Blading Academy
23:23 – Brian’s YouTube Channel
23:47 – SkateIA Certification
26:46 – How to market yourself as a skate instructor
29:51 – Skating for Iqon
34:43 – Big Wheel Blading
39:06 – Ways to make a living through skating
43:22 – The industry has grown up
47:24 – Iqon and Montre Livingston
49:50 – Blading Cup and positive changes in the industry
51:13 – Doing your part to help the sport grow
54:29 – Sponsors
55:17 – Matt Mickey and Intuition Skate Shop
56:18 – The future and COVID
57:30 – A rundown of Then And Now
01:01:12 – Shout-outs
Show Links:
Brian Freeman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bfreebfree/
Brian Freeman on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC53BWp_ZPUewhDSg0ub5wbA
BFree Blading Acadamy website: https://www.bfreeblading.org/
BFree Blade Acadamy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bfreebladingacademy/
BFree Blade Academy on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BfreeBladingAcademy
SkateI Website: https://skateia.org/
Iqon Website: http://www.iqon-brand.com
Iqon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iqon_brand/
Disroyal Distribution Website: https://disroyal.com/
Disroyal on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disroyal_distribution/
Disroyal on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DisroyalDistribution
Distroyal on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxFMTaWqF8znUw17X-mWvbQ
Links:
Then and Now Website: http://www.thenandnowblading.com
Then and Now Podcast: https://redcircle.com/shows/then-and-now-blading-podcast
Then And Now Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thenandnowblading
Then And Now Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenandnowblading
Then And Now Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thenandnowblading
Then and Now Twitter: https://twitter.com/thenandnowblade
Jan Welch’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/janericwelch
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Check out my other YouTube channel Vermonting with Jan Welch to see my homesteading videos. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYTnteksEybN8esWRfwO0Wg
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