Billy Kay from Fat Lip Clothing
Company Name: Fat Lip Clothing
Athlete Support Manager: Billy Kay
Accepting Sponsorship: All Year
Sports: Motocross, Skate, Surf, BMX, MTB, Wake, Snowboard
Spots Available: 41
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Tell us about your sponsorship program:
We are building our teams with a grass roots focus on 35 amateur athletes and are extending our professional roster 7 athletes this year.Our sponsorship program depends on the level of athlete, region and competitive schedule. At the most basic level we offer full clothing and accessory programs. From there the range increases to contest entry fees, pay for performance, and media coverage incentives. For our top tier athletes we also offer a quarterly stipend and custom clothing programs.
Is there anything unique about your program? Why would someone want to be a part of it?
We are a small, grass roots company - more like a family, actually - and the people we ask to join will be involved in ongoing conversations with us about product development, branding, advertising, etc. The benefit for them is that when a new ad or product comes out, they can see their opinions and ideas come to life.
We don't just send out packages and checks, we're looking for active participation in making our brand and product better. If an athlete wants more from sponsorship than just a sticker on their helmet and cash in the wallet, they might want to give us a call.
What do you look for in a sponsored athlete or team?
For us, being a Fat Lip athlete is less about making the podium and more about embodying our spirit. The Fat Lip brand represents that place where pain and courage inevitably meet. It's about having the stones to step up, even though it's probably going to hurt. Whether it's your first paddle into a 50 footer at Mavericks or dropping into a halfpipe for the first time, we salute you.
Our first clothing line was literally sketched out by our founder while he was in a hospital Emergency Room after suffering a spinal injury at Whistler. So, we like to see people who know that scars are a badge of honor and a sign of having tried a little harder.
We laugh a lot at Fat Lip. We don't take ourselves too seriously. We believe that we are served enough attitude in our daily lives - we don't need more of it on our clothes. Our athletes reflect that.
Finally, our motto is "Let's go!". It's about that moment when we decide to keep going forward instead of turning back. Our athletes are that person in the group is always the first one to go and whose confidence and enthusiasm gives everyone else the confidence to follow...
What is the most important information for someone to include in their application?
Beyond age, location, resume, reel and other sponsorships, we really need to see how they are involved in the sport in terms of competition or other participation.
Most importantly, a letter, story, or vid of them telling us how they embody the qualities outlined above is what we want to see most.
What is the most important thing for people to understand about sponsorship?
We aren't just about competition. If a person is involved in and visible in the sports they love in some other way, then let us know.
Also, whenever possible, we want to be the exclusive clothing sponsor for our athletes, so they should keep that in mind.
Every company has a different method for how often they review applications. Do you have a methodology or schedule? We don't have a set schedule as yet. As mentioned, we are very grass roots. We take 'em as we get 'em.
Has the internet changed the way you manage your sponsorship program or your sponsored athletes? If so, how?
It has made things a lot easier. You can check event registrations, get and post footage and work more creatively with people than ever before. And you can talk to people individually or as a group.
For a small company like us, the speed of the internet can also create burdens. If we have a heavy workload one week and can't get something online, we've missed a window.
Tell us about your newest or most exciting product for this / next year:
For us it is the Fall/Winter line we will be showing to the industry in January '09, which, for the first time will be full custom and include our first technical pieces. We landed a great production partner and that's enabled us to really get to where we wanted to go a lot faster than expected. We're pretty pumped about it.