Ryan deserves a shoe pay check for sure.
Hope gets one or is getting one.
He had a Solo Magazine interview recently where he basically concedes that skateboarding for a living is over, and he talks about how he's approaching things moving forward.
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https://soloskatemag.com/en/ryan-lay-finding-the-right-thingWhat is your job there [at Skate After School]?I work with the board of directors, I handle all the fundraising, marketing, photo stuff, managing the budget, making sure that we’re on track with our annual goals. Most of the time when I’m at the program I’m filming, shooting photos or working on creative projects. It’s a lot of fun. I realized during the first few years, as much as I love working for kids, I don’t necessarily have the temperament to handle 30 screaming kids that just got out of school. [laughs]
Is this your career plan for the time after skateboarding?In a lot of ways, I am moving into the after already. I’ll probably become a full-time staff member at some point this year. I haven’t had a lot of stability with skating in the past, so I’ve worked hard to transition into this and skate when I can.
What does “not much stability” mean?To put it clearly, I don’t make a living with skateboarding, [laughs] and now I’m in my early thirties. I love skating, I had great opportunities and I continue to work on projects I’m into, like this interview, but I also realized that, at a certain point, you have to make some calculations. There are also other things out there I want to do and accomplish. I’m really excited for this next stage in my life and thankful to have sponsors that are on board with it, but it’s hard in skating right now, there’s not much of a middle class. There are a lot of income disparities and inequalities, just like in every other industry. There are people who have shoe deals with the big brands and they make a decent living. For everyone else, it’s kind of hollowed out.