Catching Up With: The Element Crew & Von Zipper’s Greg “GT” Tomlinson

kailee bradstreet

• November 06 2009
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Last week we dropped by the Element and Von Zipper headquarters in Irvine, California and had a chance to catch up with Ryan Kingman and the Element crew and took some time out to chat with Greg “GT” Tomlinson, as he juggled a myriad of tasks including updating Von Zipper’s social media sites and simultaneously filling us in on the new sunglass and goggle lines. From his second story office, GT took us through some of the brand’s recent initiatives including several projects that will be launching in the near future. Kingman also filled us in on a few projects that won’t be unveiled until early next year, took some time to give us a quick tour of the building and showed us the brand’s “it” item at the moment - the flannel.

Here’s some photos from our trip and A list of Ten of GT’s Top Five:

Ten “Top Five” Questions With GT, Von Zipper’s Marketing Director

Top five trips you’d like to go on next year:
I do a fair bit of traveling throughout the year, which is one of the aspects of my gig I really enjoy. Any trip is a good one as far as I am concerned. I’ve always said the best two days of a trip is the days you leave and the day you come home, but anyway!
In no particular order:
1. Mammoth. A road trip with me and my kids (partners in crime), shredding the gnar, bunny slopes and all.
2. Australia. I need to do a bit of a walk about. I’d like to hit the four corners. Besides I think I was born a misplaced Australian.
3. Indo “boat trip dealio.” I think I am the only one who has never been on one, even though I feel like I’ve been there one hundred times from all the videos, stories, and slideshows I’ve seen and heard.
4.  A full blown Eurotrip would be nice. A couple of weeks worth. Trains, autobahn, ferries, funny languages, no business diversions. Just me, Hunbun, bread and cheese…
5. I just got a sailboat (yikes), so I’ve been planning a bit of adventure. The whole deal: treasure, broadsides, flaming beards, Rum. No port of call will be safe!

Five things you’d rather be doing right now instead of sitting at your desk:
Really? I dig my job but…
1. Splashing around with my kids. We’ve been doing a bit of spear fishing lately and soon the water will be too cold for my arthritic joints.
2. A motorbike ride would be nice today.
3. Fixing my motorbike (see answer #2)
4. Somewhere there is snow… I’d like to be riding it.
5. Warm and tropical? Anytime is the right time.

Top five non-productive Web sites to visit at work:
I don’t really geek out on too many sites that don’t have to do with work in someway or another.
The typical stuff:
1. Facebook
2. twitter
3. Ebay
4. craig’s list
5. anything to do with Motorbikes/NBA/Surf/Music/Political/News and gear

Top five favorite iPhone apps right now:
I just lost a bunch but the one’s I use the most are:
1. TEXT
2. Facebook
3. Scrabble
4. Skpe (where I can)
5. GuitarToolKit

Top five sunglass styles of all time:
1. Rayban Aviators (stole my dad’s when I was 12 and never looked back)
2. Anything that Jackie O wore in the day~ big, dark, heavy frames (she made sunglasses mysterious)
3. Vaurnet Cat Eyes (the first pair I actually shelled out my own loot for)
4. Rayban Balorama - the original wrap around bad ass, rock n roll steez.
5. VonZipper Rockford - the frame that defines who VZ is (and has helped to keep my kids fed)

Top five excuses to get out of work:
1.Kids are sick & Hunbun has to work
2. Ooops my motorbike broke down on the way to work (happens more than I care to admit)
3. Missed my flight
4. Waves are firing - its been too long since I used that one…
5. Famine! Flood! Fires! Wild Dogs! Locusts! I couldn’t find my keys!

Top five lunch meeting spots:
That would be MILF mountain: it is close to the office, has all the food groups covered and it occasionally lives up to it’s name…
1.Thai This
2. Mitsui
3. Nalu’s (kine kine thanks Tony & James)
4. Albertson’s (when it’s a not so formal meeting)
5. Juice it up (But they just closed it. Dayum!)

Five of the most interesting things in your office right now:
I have way too much junk in my office… No particular order:
1. Custom Ukulele made by Wolfgang Bloch (newest addition)
2. Signed Laker Basketball Shoe by Shaq (oh, memories)
3. Weird “Thomas and Smith” single fin surfboard ( I tell everyone it’s pre “Gordon and Smith”)
4. A Sergeant Pepper’s Suit (just in case I get the urge to play the Benefit for Mister Kite)
5. People seem to like my “J.NUB,” a painting of some city girls on a bunch of sewn together denim. Oooh la la sasooon!

Top Five places you’ve surfed lately:
I am a bit broke off at the moment so I’ve doing a fair bit of acupuncture and physical therapy..
1. Doheny - completely underrated. All you need is no expectations.
2. Right’s at Point - Couple weeks back. I struggled on a couple and nearly got run down by a stand up paddler. Dayum, I gotta get back down there and regulate!  Ha!
3. I recently body whomped gravels - that was fun.
4. Went to Mundaka, but didn’t ride a wave. Wait there’d have to be one to ride one, snap!
5. I’m saving it for Hawaii -Yeah, that’s it.

Top five sales lines of all time:
1. You’d be a fool not to buy this!
2. The price? That’s the best part…
3. No really, It sells itself, but if it doesn’t I’ll take it back.
4. This is the next big look, totally on trend…
5. Did I tell you my kids are really hungry?