How Did I Get Here? “Know when to adjust and when to stay the course,” says World Surf League’s Paul Speaker
Chief executive officer and co-owner, World Surf League
“I was class vice president, editor of the yearbook and newspaper, and head of the float and prom committees. I played football, basketball, track, and some baseball.”
“I was an economics major. I loved the people but could not wait to go make money.”
“I worked on Super Mario Bros. for 18 months. It was a game changer for me.”
“Everybody would be like, ‘Oh great, the idea guy’s here. Let’s let him come up with some ideas.’ I was 29 and didn’t know it was a stupid title.”
“We’re the governing body of professional surfing—we changed the name to WSL last year—from junior programs up to our world championship tour. It’s incredible fun.”
“I saw that the surf tour needed help, so I flew to Australia to meet with the board of the Association of Surfing Professionals. It was almost a year of negotiation.”
“They’d done some ofcial Olympic winter sports videos. I wrote them letters saying I could ski backward and hold a camera.”