STANDARD H Podcast

As a listener of the STANDARD H Podcast, you may have heard me thank today’s guest at the end of every episode. Jensen Reed not only co-wrote the theme track to this show, he was one of the first people I met when I moved to Los Angeles. Coincidentally, we both moved to California within weeks of one another from the same town of Cary, North Carolina. It’s truly hard to believe it’s been nearly 14...

For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast is a conversation about the lives of entrepreneurs and those who’ve been instrumental in growing companies. It’s hard to believe this episode kicks off Season 4, and today’s guest is Damon Jones. Damon worked as an engineer for the likes of Aston Martin & McLaren and then as many of you may know, he served as the Vice President of Operations for Sin...

This week actually concludes Season 3 of the STANDARD H Podcast, and I will be taking the next month off to focus on the new website as well as the release of several new products so I’m super excited about those. This episode is yet another special occasion where I interview a friend I’ve known for over 20 years. We met in high school, and though we don’t talk every week, or even every month, whe...

Chris Burkard has long since been one of my favorite photographers. His images transport you in a way not many can, and I believe a lot of it has to do with our shared interests of surfing and just being outdoors. The aspect of relatability is unquestionably a role when viewing his work. Chris has sold prints, yes, but he’s also created books; one of my favorites is “High Tide” which features stor...

Jeremy Kirkland has somewhat of a storied music and apparel industry past which in my opinion has served as perfect preparation for his current role as the host of Blamo! a podcast about the world of fashion and the people who shape it. It’s honestly one of the few podcasts where I listen to every episode. We talk about his growing up in St. Louis as the son of a musician as well as his early days...

Kyle Snarr is one of the cofounders behind Cantonment, a new accessories line where Kerchiefs serve as their flagship product. We talk about his love of story telling and how his petrol head father shaped his film school application where he ended up alongside the Napoleon Dynamite crew. Years later, after much success in the marketing sphere building award-winning websites for the very car brands...

Adrian Barker is a content creator behind the brand Bark & Jack, a YouTube channel where he sips coffee and talks about watches. I took to his content a couple of years ago mainly due to his honesty and his candor, and as a result, I’ve been following his wonderfully curated Instagram page, as well. Since our recording, Adrian’s following has grown to 100,000 subscribers on YouTube, he has an...

A couple of years ago I found out about a watchmaking workshop being held here at my good friend and previous STANDARD H Podcast guest, Tim Jackson’s store. Because the class was so great, I thought I’d explore the company a bit further and in doing so, one thing led to another, and the following conversation ended up being among the results. Today’s guest is Nick Manousos who was recently named E...

When I first moved to LA I worked in marketing and PR for what was then a three-pronged business owned by Mike Ryan. Mike is a Hollywood Stunt Driver famous for doing stunts with semi trucks, but alongside his driving, he owned a business responsible for sourcing and placing cars in movies and television shows. At the time, Mike was also one of only two guys racing a semi at the esteemed Pike’s Pe...

12 years ago, I was still fresh from my move to Los Angeles when I started a fashion and lifestyle blog featuring mostly menswear, surfing, and really, just life in Southern California. One day, while strolling down Abbot Kinney in Venice Beach, I came across a row of about 5 bikes on the sidewalk, each hosting the name LINUS across the top tube in a timeless, San serif font. But these weren’t jus...

For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast focuses on the lives and stories of those who have started or contributed in the growth of companies. This episode’s guest easily fulfills the latter category, and has done so in a major way. He’s a watch journalist, an automotive journalist, he cohosts one of my favorite podcasts, The Grey Nato, and he’s certainly no slouch in the photography departmen...

Any car person loves a new car. The smell, the shine...it just makes you feel great. Today’s guest is Wes Walz, owner/operator of Elite Finish Detailing - a full service automotive detailing business supporting their tag line “Making First Impressions Last.” When it comes to cars, what beats that ?! Prior to COVID, Wes and I sat down where I thought we’d chat about his upbringing and how he’s grow...

Over the last 8 weeks or so, we’ve all been tested. These weeks have been labeled “strange times”, “uncertain times”, “unprecedented times” the list goes on...and that’s why I felt today would be a good time to release the following conversation I had with guest, Elliot Aronow. We discuss a topic that isn’t al that easy to talk about, and it can often feel like a buzz phrase, however, it certainly...

Today’s guest is Paul Croughton, the Editor in Chief of Robb Report magazine. I believe I first came across Robb Report some 25 years ago as a teenager in Raleigh, NC, dreaming of one day owning the finer things in life: expensive cars, yachts, beautiful real estate, and of course high end tailoring and accessories. I’ve never been one to obsess over these types of things for their superficial qua...

Today’s guest is Bradley Price, who has incidentally always been into cars. As the owner/operator of the watch brand Autodromo, he has found what I believe to be the only legitimate automotive-inspired line of time pieces. I say that bc they aren’t so on the nose, while at the same time representing automotive history in a very direct way. I had not met Bradley prior to our conversation, and it ti...

As previously stated, season 3 has been prerecorded so amidst these times of COVID-19, please note these conversations all took place prior to Social Distancing recommendations and mandates. Episode 32 hosts Ryan Babenzien, the founder of the very versatile shoe brand, Greats, which has experienced an impressive rise within the saturated market of footwear. We talk about growing up riding dirt bik...

Welp, here we are: Season 3! For those with drive, the STANDARD H Podcast is a conversation about the lives of entrepreneurs, and those who’ve been instrumental in growing companies. Season 3 will host episodes every other week: a change in what has historically been a weekly podcast. The reason is due to the pre-recorded nature of my schedule and since we will all be home for the foreseeable futu...

For the final episode of Season 2 of the STANDARD H Podcast, I sat down with Scott Newkirk who grew up in Mississippi only to find out he’d become a proud D Student and a desire for something more. After a bit of time spent freelancing with retail visual work, Scott left for New York City where he quickly immersed himself into the fashion world with the likes of Barney’s & Armani. He quickly c...

If you’re one of the many thousands on Instagram following this week’s guest David Weiss, then you’ll already know boat design is this guy’s wheelhouse. I use wheelhouse somewhat ironically given his affinity for car design, but that’s kind of where our conversation begins. David is a Raleigh, North Carolina-based yacht designer - something he borderline fell into while wrapping up his time at Nor...

What I enjoy about fashion and moreover S tyle, is the ability to illustrate a sense of self expression without opening your mouth. From across the room you’re able to share your personality by way of wearing things a certain way and pairing things together. This sort of expression packaged as Style is embodied by this week’s guest, Bruce Liles. I actually interviewed Bruce for a class of mine in...

Mike Weddington has had one of the more unique life experiences, let alone professional ones. He’s the 1995 World Champion of Wakeboarding, and now as the co-owner of the Medical supply company Eastcoast Biologics, boy does he have some stories. We talk about his affinity for heavy metal, dropping out of high school, becoming World Champ where he was making good money only to follow that up with a...

I’ve known Kendra Leonard for roughly 20 years. We met working at Banana Republic, and was immediately aware of her innate ability of being an astute, direct woman while also exuding an empathetic approach to leadership - something I think many more people can learn from. One thing you may realize is: Kendra has been through A LOT. She is one of the most resilient people I know and has never waver...

Those of you who have listened to the podcast have heard me talk about Cleer Audio’s headphones. They’re incredibly comfortable and their sound quality punches way above their weight. Today’s guest is Aaron Levine - the Vice President of Marketing behind Cleer Audio, and it’s a real treat, not only due to his partnership in providing the headphones for the STANDARD H podcast, but because he allows...

Jason Water isn’t who you think he is. Sitting across from a guy wearing a Misfits t-shirt, with two full sleeves of tattoos and Vans on, most would think of a touring musician or perhaps a bartender at the local dive. But not Jason. He’s the army of one behind Waters Atelier, a custom clothier here in San Diego offering everything from polos to golf in to the three-piece suit you may need for you...

Born in India and having grown up in Michigan, Shinoo Mapleton has had an exciting journey within the automotive industry. From sales and marketing to engineering and product development, Shinoo has worked with products dating back to the Pontiac Fiero and early days of 3M clear bra products. He now serves as co-founder and co-owner of InoKinetic & Black Shadow Motors which involves engineerin...