Friends, please read the announcement below for details on our 10th Anniversary celebration.
Group Y is ringing in a decade as first and largest collective of action sports and youth culture leaders in the U.S., with an ten year track record that includes organizing over 150 nationwide events, building a 50,000-strong online and live event community, and curating over 250 guest speakers nationwide including top entrepreneurs, executives, athletes and musicians, who all share a common talent: authentically engaging with youth culture. The festivities are set for Wednesday, August 10 from 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. at SeaLegs on the Beach in Huntington Beach; with food, drinks and a speaking appearance by Ryan Kingman, President of the newly launched Villager Goods coconut water.
“It’s incredible to see how Group Y has grown over the past decade with the support of the sports and entertainment industry, world renowned athletes and creatives, our dedicated marketing partners and the media.” says Mark Sperling, Group Y co-founder. “When we started back in 2006 there was a huge need to create a forum that would allow this community to come together to share ideas and experience that would grow the industry and address the uniqueness of youth culture programs and products. This night will be about sharing stories, creating new ideas and saying thank you.”
Sperling will conduct a one-hour Q&A with Kingman, who launched Villager last week with an unprecedented 26 of the world’s top athlete-investors from the surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding industries. Kingman will discuss his 20-year path from Element team manager to Chief Marketing Officer of Stance during its meteoric rise, and finally to Villager where he’s working with the athletes to grow a community dedicated to health and wellness.
Pre-registration is $35, or $40 at the door. Register at GROUPYNETWORK.COM OR HTTPS://GROUPY10THANNIVERSARY.EVENTBRITE.COM
ABOUT RYAN KINGMAN
Ryan Kingman is a brand marketing executive and entrepreneur who brings over twenty years in sports, youth culture and entertainment to Villager Goods. His ability to visualize untapped opportunities and bring to life creative, marketing and partnership ideas has been game-changing for top athletes, brands, consumers and retailers.
Co-founder of the skate, surf and snow sports industry’s first athlete-owned organic beverage brand dedicated to the idea that a like-minded, health-conscious community of individuals can spark a movement that will positively impact the lives of others.
Ryan’s career began as a young Team Manager turned Marketing Director at Element Skateboards, where he spent over a decade building the brand from a small hard goods label with strong credibility among core athletes, to a global leader in hard goods, apparel and footwear with revenues in excess of $200 million.
Most recently Ryan was the Co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer for Stance, where he and the team pioneered a new approach to sock manufacturing and marketing: identifying a new category in lifestyle apparel, developing an inspirational and incentivizing athlete-investor model and growing the brand from zero to $70 million in six years. By establishing a unique marketing platform that spans a wide array of sports, cultures and communities, Stance established licensing and endorsement deals with an incredible roster of athletes, brands and performers, from Rhianna to the NBA, MLB and Star Wars. The brand’s groundbreaking success – a result of excellent products and an original approach to marketing – has earned SIMA Image Awards for Breakout Brand of the Year 2012 and Accessory Brand of the Year in 2013 and 2014; and a Cannes Lions advertising award in 2016.
Spending most of his youth in Hawaii with deep roots in the skate and surf communities, Ryan and his family live in San Clemente, California where they aspire to live a life of health and wellness.
ABOUT GROUP Y:
Founded in 2006, Group Y is the original and leading collective of professionals focused on youth marketing, action sports, entertainment and other progressive and expressive cultures. Our mission is to intersect influencers across industries and ignite ideas that inspire the current and next generation leaders and decision makers.
Leveraging events, outreach, content and consultation, Group Y takes the work out of networking and strengthens the areas where industries overlap. https://GroupYnetwork.com
