A small look into our interview:

What keeps you going?
There are 2 things that keep me going.
One is creativity and inspiration. The amount of creativity that wants to come out of me never ceases to amaze me. I always think, “this must be the last season we do… How can I come up with yet another collection?” But somehow I always manage to do it. It amazes me.
The second is my team. Whenever I feel burnt out, I see the 15-20 people that work for me and I know they count on me and my decisions to keep food on their table and a roof over their head. They’re like my kids. I can’t be selfish and just stop working because I feel like it.
Other lives are at stake now. It’s real.

When Tony Hsieh was only 24 years old he sold his company, LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265 million. The year was 1998. It was only one year later when Hsieh met an entrepreneur named Nick Swinmurn who had an idea: a business that would sell shoes on the Internet. At the time investors scoffed at the idea, but Hsieh saw an opportunity and wisely invested. From the beginning, Hseih was very active in Zappos and his hard work has paid off. In 2008, Zappos hit $1 billion in gross sales and was featured as one of the “100 Best Companies To Work For” in FORTUNE Magazine. There is an obvious correlation between the emphasis on company culture at Zappos and their overwhelming success. The brilliance of the Zappos’s culture has been thoughtfully fabricated by their passionate and humble CEO Tony Hsieh, which is why we felt he would be perfect for our project. As much as we’d like to share the entire interview with you, we’re saving most of it for the book. Don’t worry, we’ll give you a sneak peek…

A small look into our interview:

What is something you had to learn the hard way?
Letting the company culture go downhill at LinkExchange. At LinkExchange, I remember when it was a lot of fun when it was just 5-10 of us working around the clock, sleeping under our desks, and having no idea what day of the week it was. But we didn’t know any better to pay attention to company culture, so by the time we were 100 people, the culture of the company had gone completely downhill. That was actually one of the main reasons why we decided to sell the company.
I wanted to make sure the same mistake didn’t happen at Zappos, so our #1 priority at Zappos is company culture. Our belief is that if we get the culture right, most of the other stuff, like delivering great customer service or building a long term enduring brand, will happen naturally on its own.

Preview:
Let’s start with a simple one. Who is Cody Hudson?
I think that would be me.
Since I last interviewed you almost 5 years ago, what’s been happening?
I’ve managed to get married, I’ve managed to keep the studio open for 5 more years, I’ve managed to spend more time in the studio working on my personal work.
What do you think of robots?
I’m not the hugest fan of them, I went through a phase of drawing them a lot about 13 years ago but luckily have moved on to other interests. I look back at those paintings and drawings and I’m not embarrassed because they helped me get where I am now, but I am not super excited about that work much.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career and do things differently, would you?
That’s a hard one because everything I did (between going to a 2 year technical school instead of a traditional art school and leaning how to use a computer on my own and working odd jobs at the animation house, etc) lead me to where I am now, so to go back and do it differently might have a different result. And not to say that result would be bad, but it would be different and I kinda like where I am now.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
A marine biologist until I learned I had to study amoeba for way too many years before I could even get in the water with dolphins. Last week, I had a brief desire to be a ghost chaser. Often times, I think it would be rad to deliver flowers all day.

Best advice you could give to someone coming out of college…
Scroll through your contact list, or at least a portion of it, once a week and make sure you’re making an effort to keep in touch with the people you care about and/or respect. Relationships are still everything. You never know who you can help or who can help you.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?
Probably wanted to be tether ball champ. Back when all you had was BMX, gleeking, trading cards, cursing and tether ball. Never ran no biker shorts though, we were little then but you still had to find different ways to be fresh. Couldn’t be no geek man, had to earn your keep.
Have you ever questioned whether or not you should be an artist?
Not much, the need to produce things came naturally, no questions asked. A lot of it seems like it’s more about problem solving anyway, like how to make stuff happen, with which materials, and what steps will it take to get there. Assembling alternative solutions for getting things done.
How do you define success?
Success is what you make it I guess. It’s like landing a trick, you set it up you knock it down, in some situations it means being able to do whatever it is that you do, your way and without much compromise. But with success comes responsibility. Blowing it if you let it go to your head.
What is going on with Skypage in 2009?
Kind of psyched man, been painting more public spaces, doing artist collabos with Left Field and Heel Bruise in the first quarter. Got a few new tees on the way too, more Skypage objects, the Skypage Mixtape volume 2 is on it’s way. Working on more text heavy art, type stuff, behind the scenes branding and book making. Right now I got this zine I’m creating for a show in March with my buddy Thomas and perennial art maker Lance Mountain.
What do you think of robots?
Robot’s are cool man. I liked Kubrick’s 2001 and the idea of robots malfunctioning. The Enforcement Droid in Paul Verhoven’s Robocop was especially crucial. Human cyborgs from the future, sent to destroy people in the present, all that stuff is pretty legit.
Favorite color?
That universal buff color usually looks good on everything.
Where do you find inspiration?
Movies, move making, cool old stuff from other eras, human interaction, sunlight you know, being outdoors, catching momentum, people who make a positive impact on others, social change, spare change, breaking waves, breaking stereotypes, 2010, I want to be there.

Favorite beverage?
Served best when cold and right after a long day.
Last place someone might find you?
Probably street-pasting or lining up for limiteds.
What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
Nothing never came to a sleeper but a dream.

Thank you for your time SKYPAGE and we look forward to the Left Field Project x SKYPAGE collabo tee! *coming soon*
artist/graphic designerinterview by duane fernandez

mike sexton vs LFP from left field project on Vimeo.
I’d like to thank Rebecca for her patience and for her help on this, I couldn’t have done it without you… I’d like to thank Mike for being Mike. It’s just as I thought it would be. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people that can help me take something that lives somewhere in my brain, find it, cultivate it and reproduce it in this world – just as I saw it in it’s infancy. I’m fortunate, thank you.

The show is on Friday. Hope to see you all there. Please cruise out to support and meet Mike.

One of the things I love about Giant Robot’s success is that it started off as a zine. Have you ever wanted to put out a zine issue? Cut and paste, photocopied, black and white, scanned in the photocopied pages and still have the glossy cover and quality pages in between?
All the time. But scan it? The idea would be to submit it as is and let the printer deal with it. I don’t know if that would be a goal, but making zines is one of the best things you can do. It takes little money and a lot of effort. The more soul, the better the zine.
Alright Eric, you win the Lottery, two million dollars right in your lap, but here is the kicker, you have to spend it all within the next 2 weeks. What do you do with it?
Difficult, it’s not enough money. I think I’d just upgrade my work tools and work spaces. 2 million may not really cover that, but it would be a great start. I can buy stuff too I guess, but I have plenty of stuff already.
What’s the worst interview question you have ever been asked?
I hope it’s not the “you hit the jack pot” one I just asked.
There are no bad questions, just unresearched ones.
Years ago people would ask, for some odd reason, if we were associated or owned by the Beastie Boys. It was offensive then. Maybe it’s because we were doing something new, did it on our own and then hearing that people thought we were owned by a band was a big let down.
Asian American students have asked, “how much money do you make?” It’s an honest question and not a bad one, but why are they always Asian American?
The most tiring question is “why are you called Giant Robot?”
Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
I honestly don’t look that far. I only hope I’m satisfied with myself then.
According to Chinese Astrology 2007 will be the year of the Pig. What is your sign?
Rooster.
What are the characteristics of a Rooster?
I’m not sure honestly. All I know is that growing up, it was referred to as cock and now it’s rooster. I miss being known as a cock. Maybe that’s a characteristic.
I found this online, “People born in the Year of the Rooster are deep thinkers, capable, and talented. They like to be busy and are devoted beyond their capabilities and are deeply disappointed if they fail. People born in the Rooster Year are often a bit eccentric, and often have rather difficult relationship with others. They always think they are right and usually are. They frequently are loners and though they give the outward impression of being adventurous, they are timid. Rooster peoples emotions like their fortunes, swing very high to very low. They can be selfish and too outspoken, but are always interesting and can be extremely brave. They are most compatible with Ox, Snake, and Dragon.> I just looked it up for our benefit.”
Are any of these attributes true?
Probably all of them. It’s a bit weird to read it and see myself in everything, however, if I look up any other attributes, I fit those too. I hear I’m a typical Leo, so I’m sure I’m the typical Rooster. I hope being “typical” is a good thing, I grew up thinking it wasn’t.
Do you follow Astrology?
I don’t follow zodiacs. But I have AB blood, and I hear I fit the profile of an AB blood having person. I guess I have two parts to myself. Most people don’t know their blood type in America, but in Japan, it’s important.
What do you wish more of in 2007?
More of the good parts from each year in the past. The bad will come with it regardless. I suppose this means there’s no point in wishing, but it’s fun, isn’t it?
How did 2006 treat you?
This was a great year for me. A lot happened and I got to do many things. I think I took 20 roundtrip flights and flew around the world. Paris, Newcastle, Madrid, Tokyo, Hong Kong and more. I don’t have a favorite memory, I think they all weigh in the same. I curated an art show at a university, did many cool speaking events, and met great people. If you gave me an hour I could tell you more about this year.
Which of the Voltron Lions is the weakest? I think the Black Lion would whoop the piss out of Optimus Prime, your thoughts.
I didn’t grow up watching Voltron. I’m one generation or so back.
Mazinger Z would have killed them all anyway.

These next two questions were not in the zine but I wanted to include them here:
What did Eric Nakamura want to be when he was a kid?
I wanted to be a world champion pro tennis player with the style of Bjorn Borg and the heart of John McEnroe.
Why did you start Giant Robot?
Tennis wasn’t going as well as I hoped, but making zines and putting projects together is something I’ve always been into doing. There were no magazines I was interested in, so GR is sort of everything I’d want in a magazine. Art, design, history, culture, travel, idiots, and more.

More information about Eric Nakamura here:
www.giantrobot.com
Eric’s blog
** Warning about his blog: He always posts pictures of delicious food. Going to his blog will induce hunger.
interview conducted by: duane fernandez