During the 08 ISPO, Bataleon presented its 2008/09 board range and they have a board out with a smiley…I thought hard and remembered that a few years back – like 14 years back! – 2 Nitro riders had their pro decks with a smiley..the Seth Bros right?
I know, you are thinking you have to be pretty old school to remember that kind of stuff, but if you were riding in the 90ies I’m sure you would too!
It’s quite cool, coz Seth Neary dropped us a comment on our Bataleon post and we got in touch. A Good opportunity to know wassup in his life after his long carrier as a snowboard pro!
You will discover that Seth has been really active on the design scene and worked on some siick product design projects with major snow/skate artists through his design studio Driven. Seth has also an interesting and positive point of view on the levels our sport has reached today and some really gooood advice for you kids who want to live out of your passion!

Keep on Rockin BrO!

Hey Seth! Thanks for taking the time to answer our Qs!
How long have you been a pro rider and what are your best memories of these times?

I rode for Nitro Snowboards for 8 years, 2 AM and 6 Pro. Those are some of the best times in my life. Nitro really took care of me, and they were a great sponsor and a fun group of people. The thing a lot of people never really realized was Nitro was/is a true snowboard company – rider operated and rider driven.

Competing on the ISF world tour was an incredible experience. All the places we traveled and the people we met along the way was really fantastic. Best memories are with the 94-97 Nitro Team – Max P, Fabien R, Nici P, Nicola T, Chasta, and of course Seth Miller. In 1996 we won every major half-pipe contest in Japan. I think we were all real proud of that. Hanging with the Asthetiker crew was always sick, Go-Go, Patrick Van Der Graff, All the Swiss hommies, Nicolette, Daniel Frank, Ingemar, Jorgen Norvic, etc. I miss all those guys.

Can you tell us the story behind the smiley design of your Nitro pro model? what do you think about seeing this design back on a deck in 2008/09?

The Smiley graphic came about from a sick summer in Les 2 Alpes. Seth Miller and I were really coming into it, we were managing our riding careers and partying careers very well. We were very influenced by 1970 muscle cars, metal music, and the whole mental aspect of the 70′s – party hard and rip harder. We also liked the movie Dazed and Confused and the Smiley graphic came from the CD soundtrack. Tommy Delago designed the graphic with Seth and I and a six-pack in a hotel room in France. We kept saying make the eyes lazier make the eyes lazier. The bottom of the board said “Keep on Rockin” which basically meant Keep On Rockin!

When I had come across snowbroader.eu and saw the ISPO news update I was super stoked to see Bataleon re-upping that graphic. Not that they were thinking of the Nitro Smiley – but it was just cool to see. Nitro actually did that graphic again a couple years ago but they killed it – they actually put a bullet in the head and called it a graphic suicide. I heard the designer Mike Dawson always hated that graphic and wanted to kill it.

Seth, when did you stop your snowboarding career as a pro and why?

I stopped riding Pro in 1999 due to years of east coast flat landings, kinked pipes and two degenerative disks in my back. The two disks are basically flat like a crape’. I was in a lot of pain for years and only recently I’ve been getting my nerves cauterized. The Dr. said we know you’re in pain so we’ll just turn the nerve off. It worked and I’m snowboarding again, skating and playing soccer. I feel a lot better.

What are you up to today? Can you tells us more about Driven Studio?

After I attended college and got my degree in graphic design I tried to work with Nitro but it didn’t work out. I worked at a small local firm for 2 years to develop my graphic design skills – and after 2 years I was ready to challenge myself again. I broke out and started freelancing. Burton Snowboards has been real good to me the past couple years and hooking me up with loads of freelance projects. A lot tee shirt graphics, softgood production work, glove design, and loads of video editing.

I joined forces with long-time friend and accomplished photographer, Skye Chalmers to open Pursuit Gallery and design studio in downtown Burlington. We share a large space in the heart of Burlington and 7 times a year we put on art shows. It’s been a great experience – we’ve had solo shows with Phil Frost, Chris Pastras, Bigfoot, Randy Gaetano, Marin Horikawa and group shows Andre Razo, Aaron Rose, Cody Hudson, Jerry Hsu, Lifetime Collective, and many more. The Gallery has been RAD.

I got to a point in my graphic design career where I had to get more legit so I started Driven Studio. It’s a lot like snowboarding and skating – I learn new tricks everyday and when I produce a catalog or an ad it’s like landing a dope trick. Again I’m making a living at something I really enjoy.

We have been exchanging some emails, and you are pretty stoked about one project you have been working on in particular: the GASP project for Gordini. How did it all work out for you?

Gordini approached Driven Studio and asked if we would want to get involved with their Goggle project and we said sure. This past spring we made-up some goggles incorporating some of my favorite artist and Gordini was into it. Driven Studio conceptualized, brokered, and executed the first-ever Gordini Artist Series Project (GASP). Slated to hit retailers for the 2008/09 season, GASP features a trio of limited-edition goggles designed by creative luminaries Mark Gonzales, Chris Pastras, and Andre Razo. My background is skating and snowboarding and to be able to work with these artist and to produce these goggles was the sickest experience ever. Gonz is the biggest legend in skating, Pastras “Dune” has always been one of my favorites and I’m a big fan of Stereo Sound Agency, and Andre Razo (vertelife.com) is a good friend and sick skater/artist. What more can I say… the goggles are sick and available in Europe!

What are the other important projects you have been working on? and how do you connect with snowboard companies to help them out on their product designs?

I produced a snowboard graphic for Cameron Diaz, which was cool. She art directed the whole project and Burton produced the board. (Thanks BPRS – Burton PR Squad) I worked on a TV commercial with Luis Guzman. Like I said – it’s like snowboarding – you never know what’s over the next hill. One day I’m doing some business cards for a real estate dude and the next I’m designing packaging for gloves. Life is Good. I have a daughter now – Josephine and I took her snowboarding at 4 months – that was a fun project.

We’ll take advantage of your experience and ask you about your opinion of snowboarding today. What’s your feeling on how our sport grew since you were a pro?

It’s completely nuts! I can’t believe what riders can do today. Watching the progression over the past 10 years is unbelievable. I wish I could ride at that level – the pipes, kickers and all mountain riding is sick. I will say a couple straight airs would be nice to see once in a while but the overall progression is rad. It’s nice to see how many people are into it – I mean that was the goal earlier on right?… to introduce this sport to everybody and get it excepted everywhere. The sport could do without a lot of the haters – who ever said being successful and making money was a bad thing?

What piece of advice would you give to young rippers who want to make it to the pro level?

Quit school, don’t listen to your parents, make-out with your girlfriend in public, live out of a car, only work when you need to, tell the pro you admire he sucks, listen to Johnny Cash, let skiers know they still suck and going backwards on skis looks stupid, let skiers know if skis were meant to go backwards God would have put eyes in the back of their heads, and snowboard everyday, fast.

And finally our traditionnal question: what do you think of snowbroader and what should we improve?

I think it’s RAD! I check-it everyday – it’s in my favorites. I can tell the people producing the site have real passion for the sport and live it. “Keep On Rockin”

Thanks Seth!