Clay Marzo Inks New Deal With RVCA

It has been announced that Clay Marzo has signed a new three-year deal with RVCA. The 34-year-old hasn’t been with a major label since he was dropped by Quiksilver in 2013. The goofyfooted aerial whiz and slab whisperer has Asperger’s Syndrome, a developmental disorder that can lead to impaired communication skills as well as repetitive or restrictive thinking and behavior, chronicled in Marzo's 2009 film "Just Add Water."

Over the last few years Logan “Chucky” Dulien, the creative force behind the seminal Snapt film franchise, has been championing Marzo. Apart from including him in Snapt 4, he has covered Clay’s expenses across various trips and negotiated on his behalf to secure sponsorship. SURFER caught up with Dulien to talk through the process and what the new deal means for the radically gifted Maui surfer.

The news has broken that Clay has signed a major deal with RVCA. How does that make you feel personally?

For me, this is the most rewarding part of making surf movies. I surf every day and I'm very passionate about making the movies and doing it with the guys I really believe in. Over the years I’ve worked with several guys where it’s been both frustrating and motivating to work with them on having an impactful section in a surf movie, and as a result, get the support that they rightfully deserve. Parker Coffin and Benji Brand secured sponsorships through their parts in Snapt 3 and 4. Through those parts, my contacts in the surf industry see just how great these guys surf, and what great attitudes they have. So, I kind of told myself at that point, like, hey, we got one left. We got Clay. And to me, he's one of the most impactful surfers with the most radical core fan base on the planet.

Why do you think he’s been relatively ignored by the major players in the industry for so long?

Within the surf industry, the honest truth is that they're looking for influencers. The brands are looking at Instagram numbers, followers, likes and comments. So a surfer has to be a self-promoter these days. And one thing these guys have in common is they're very humble. And right now we live in a time where I feel like some of these brands are focusing on guys that are good at doing selfies and being able to film themselves taking a fucking sauna or an ice bath.

And that, obviously, isn’t one of Clay’s strengths.

No, and look, I'm not here to judge those guys or their approach. But Clay can get left in the dust if he doesn't have a hype man or someone willing to speak up for him. So that’s a role that I kinda have organically morphed into. I felt like I should go above and beyond for a surfer like Clay. And I've never taken a commission and I never will. I do this just strictly out of friendship to support them the way that they've supported me in the Snapt films. But on my little roster, Clay was the last one left.

To me, he's one of the most impactful surfers with the most radical core fan base on the planet.

That felt strange, given just how many people love to watch him surf. The reaction to your Instagram post was a good example.

I believe Clay surfs 10 times better and has a 10 times bigger fan base than so many other contracted surfers. So the most baffling part to me was the simple math. These brands sponsor guys to help sell product and with Clay's fan base that will happen. I’ve seen it happen before in the Snapt movies where individual surfers push the needle. Clay is one of those surfers.

But it still wasn’t easy. It’s been a long process right?

Yes, over the last six months, we've had a lot of so-called deals on the table. And we've gone and met in person with some of these brands. And as soon as we've met with them, for lunch or dinner, I’d get a call afterwards saying, “Sorry, Chucky, we just can't do it. Clay doesn’t talk, or have the personality and this and that.” So there were so many letdowns. But we were always clear about what Clay’s strengths are. And with his Asperger's, it’s not in social situations.

But RVCA saw the value?

Yes, and a shoutout to one of my oldest mates Mike Brophy, the RVCA Marketing Director, who has really gone to bat for Clay and made it happen. The timing was good too, as they’d lost a lot of their team riders. But RVCA was founded on sponsoring guys like Matt Archibold, Christian Fletcher and Aaron Gorkin, who were just super impactful badasses. So by just letting Clay surf, it’s a way of getting back to the roots of the brand.

And how did Clay take the news?

I didn't tell him until it was all official because there had been so many false dawns, but when I did, I could hear him welling up. And that brought tears to my eyes. He said it was one of the best days of his life. And look, Clay's not going to go buy some million-dollar house. He doesn't want fancy cars, watches or jewelry. All he wants to be able to do is go get barreled and surf and enjoy his time in the ocean. That's where he finds his inner peace because, on land, that's where everything's awkward.

So we can look forward to seeing a pretty sick section of Clay in Snapt 5?

The aim in my movies is to get surfers excited to go out and surf. With his section, I just want to have Clay’s mega fans psyching on his part and show that, at 34, he’s surfing as good as ever. It won’t be easy, he has already logged so much gold in Indo. His edit is all about dissecting all the 10s, from the nine-fives. There’s a 35-second tube at Deserts, I mean that's almost a section! But the main thing aside from him being able to pay his bills, this deal just allows him to keep doing what he loves. It allows him to keep trying to pursue his dream. He’s such a God-gifted, creative, imaginative surfer, it would have been such a loss.