For the young person who has been told that following his dreams are an unrealistic goal and there is no money in anything like the surf industry but for a lucky few… Chris Darling’s story should be your inspiration. Some of his greatest success came while the giants of the surf industry were skeptical about using surf videos for profit or promotion. Chris Darling is the father and originator of surf, skate, snowboard and motocross video distribution.

By the time Chris’s company had grown to it’s full potential, Surf Video Network would be the sole distributor for many of the worlds best known surf films. Movies like Pump, Filthy Habits, Crusty Demons of Dirt, One track Mind along with those releases like Hal Jepsen’s Cosmic children and other legendary old surf films would all get their start in video with Darling.

Chris’s story really begins upon his return from a three year tour in Vietnam where he was already on the fast track to the typical American idea of success. He was working as a marketing representative in the oil industry, and being groomed for a seat at the Petroleum Club. However, this lifestyle began to wear him thin with it’s long hours, high stress, and late night company parties. Like many men with vision and drive he began to wonder how he could build a future for himself instead of other men. As he remembers, it was a very traumatic time in his life, he didn’t know what he wanted to do, but he was sure he didn’t want to continue to live the lifestyle he was living.

Even though he had just been married and the prospect of being on his own was daunting, he resigned from his position and began to think about things he liked to do. A long time surfer and movie buff, the first two things that jumped into his mind for a new career were surfing and making movies. Seeing little future in actually making money from going surfing, he decided he wanted to make films about surfing. Unsure about how he would accomplish his task, but confident in his ability, he took a leap of faith and bought one of the first entry level professional video cameras on the market. He was now comitted.

His first project was producing a show he named , “ Surf Preview “ where he would travel from Anaheim, up and down the Southern California coast filming the surf at different spots and reporting the wind, wave and tidal conditions. This was a completely new concept that would later be copied by others.

After awhile doing the show, Chris was tiring of lugging around a heavy camera and long early morning drives, when a chance encounter would change the course of his business direction and life. He was at the beach filming his report, and some surfers who were holding a professional surf contest approached him thinking he was from the news. As it turned out the one of the Surfers was the contest director for the newly formed Professional Surfing Association of America or P.S.A.A.

He was stoked to have some coverage for his event and Chris ended up staying for two days filming the contest. Much of the footage of these events would lead to his two highly successful and ground breaking films, ” P.S.A.A. Volume ” one and ” P.S.A.A. volume two. ” These films, like few others, would capture the essence of southern California professional surfing. As it would turn out, Chris would leave his televised surf report and begin to put together his first movies.

Coming out of the mellow Hippie era of no competition, and making money was only for the greedy…the eighties could not be more different. In the eighties competition and making money were considered virtues and surfing had adopted this attitude with an aggressive competitive style. Surfers were hungry for anything to do with surfing and surfing as a business was becoming huge.

The following year, the new owners of the P.S.A.A. retained Chris as one of their marketing representatives to assist with search for a national sponsor. Thinking big, he approached a beer manufacture who was the leading sponsor of pro sports in the U.S. and made a proposal.

A half an hour later, their marketing executive walked in and told him they would commit to ten million dollars over the next ten years and come aboard as full sponsor for the tour. Chris had closed a deal for the fledgling P.S.A.A. that would be the largest offer in surfing history up to that point.

Excited about his accomplishment, he returned to his office to report the good news, and everyone seemed really happy but the new owner of the tour. He had obviously figured out he was now supposed to pay Chris a commission . A bogus lawsuit would follow, but they would end up settling. The doors were now slammed on him following the tour, but he had some money and two finished movies, so he started his own distribution company.

The first stores to buy his movies were video stores who were literally on every street corner. Surf shops would not buy movies in those days because of the cost. Even video stores would only buy them to rent. Business became really good with his two movies, so he decided to give phone selling a try, and to his amazement, sold thirty five hundred dollars worth of videos to stores on his first day. His future was beginning to look bright.

During this time, he ran into Dave Natal, who would turn out to be his partner. Dave had a couple of movies of his own, which along with Chris’s two movies became the seed stock for the company they would name, Surf Video Network. This early alliance would forge strong relationships with many of the famous film producers of the time, who would trust Chris to distribute all of their films.

During this time, one of the largest skateboard clothing manufactures solicited Surf Video Network to handle the distribution of their skateboarding films. Unknown to Chris, the videos he would sell to a large video chain store would contain un-erased porn. Highlighting the fact that the skate company had used prerecorded tapes for their videos production to save money. A common practice at the time, but one that would have dire consequences.

Chris had sold thousands of these movies to the movie chain, and before long, the calls from distraught mothers began coming into these retail stores about porno scenes at the end of their child’s skate video. Lawsuits followed, and Chris remembers those company executives who were so arrogant to work with, suddenly became patsies when they called Chris, with shaky voices, asking if he could round up all the videos.

Stacy Peralta of the skate boarding empire Powell/Peralta also called Chris to distribute their newly finished films, “ The Bones Brigade “ and “ Future Primitive. “ both films would be huge hits, and by the time their third movie, “ Domain “ had come out, it would go on to sell thirty thousand copies it’s first two months in distribution.

Chris Darling and his company Surf Video Network had become the sole pioneers in the distribution of action sports videos. They literally had no competition. But for the vision of one man, you’re left to wonder if things like the Fuel channel or the X Games would even exist.

Surf Video Network is still in business and still one of the only places surf shops call to get classic surf, skate, snow and motocross videos. With many American companies using offshore distribution, Chris along with his son and daughter, still run the business in America with integrity and hard work. Just as it’s always been run. Their years in business and loyal following, is a testament to others wanting to start their own company in a field they love, but have been told there just isn’t a market. Chris didn’t raise himself to the top of a pack of competitors. He created his own industry… and in doing so, helped change the face of the surf business forever.