The traditional action sports landscape is shifting fast. While retail markets face tough pressures and corporate sponsorships tighten up, the pure cultural demand for raw skateboarding has never been higher, and the countdown to the LA 2028 Olympics is only accelerating that fire. The true pulse of the culture isn't found in a boardroom; it’s happening live on the ground.
If you caught the record-breaking attendance and live streams at our recent tour stops like JACKALOPE Block Party Ventura or JACKALOPE Virginia Beach, you’ve seen the proof firsthand. Audiences are showing up in droves for unfiltered, community-driven experiences, giving everyone a front-row preview of this new global era.
The secret is finally out: Bob Burnquist has officially joined the JACKALOPE family as our new Global Ambassador & Strategic Partner.
To dig into this iconic moment, action sports legend Todd Richards sat down for an exclusive interview with JACKALOPE founder Micah Desforges and the legendary vert athlete, Bob. What started as a casual conversation about the festival and the contests quickly revealed a master plan to reshape the global skate and action sports community.
Explaining the Partnership: a meeting of minds
At its core, this partnership bridges the raw, authentic roots of skate history with the international future of action sports festivals. Micah Desforges has spent nearly 15 years building JACKALOPE from an annual rendez-vous for Montreal's community into an expanding global powerhouse.
But taking the next leap (expanding deeper into the US, Latin America, and beyond) requires more than just operational hustle. It requires a deep network of global connections, decades of cultural credibility, and a shared vision with brand partners who want to build the future alongside us.
The spark for this alliance grew organically. After touring together across the 2025 season, Micah and Bob developed a strong friendship and a shared vision. Witnessing Bob's deep understanding of the scene and his involvement in multiple creative endeavors inspired them to turn a tight friendship into an official alliance to guide the brand's international future.
What makes this partnership different is that Bob isn't simply lending his name to JACKALOPE. This isn't a surface-level sponsorship; it is a long-term commitment. Over the next three years, Bob will actively drive JACKALOPE’s creative direction, international growth, and talent development by:
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Shaping Global Expansion Strategy: Guiding the brand's roadmap into new international markets.
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Opening Doors in Brazil: Laying the groundwork to introduce our unique multi-sport festival model to Latin America's deepest skate scene.
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Anchoring the Broadcasts: Hosting the official live webcasts for all Vert contests on the global tour.
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Recruiting Investors & Brand Partners: Attracting visionary stakeholders who align with our community-driven mission.
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Building the Golden Ticket Pathway: Elevating and structuring the global pipeline for raw, undiscovered talent.
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Expanding Media Reach: Developing future JACKALOPE creative projects to amplify the culture on a global scale.
Built Around the Community
For nearly 15 years, JACKALOPE has been proving that action sports deserve a bigger stage. But more importantly, we’ve been proving that the stage should be open to everyone.
From free admission for fans, to open registrations for athletes, to equal prize purses for men and women, JACKALOPE has always been built around a simple belief: talent can come from anywhere. Whether you're a seven-year-old entering your first contest, a rising amateur chasing a breakthrough moment, or a seasoned professional, everyone deserves an opportunity to be seen.
That is why JACKALOPE is more than a festival : it’s a platform. It is a space where friendships are forged, communities are built, and the next generation of athletes discovers what is possible.
The future of action sports won't be defined only by the legends we celebrate today. It will be defined by the opportunities we create tomorrow. Our mission remains completely unchanged: to find the most passionate, creative, and underrated athletes in the world, and give them a stage.
After all, JACKALOPE is where legends are born. And we’re just getting started.
Why JACKALOPE?
When you've won 30 X Games medals and literally built Dreamland in your backyard, you don't just show up for any event. So, why did Bob decide to go all-in as a strategic partner and ambassador?
For Bob, it comes down to a natural click and an authentic vibe. His relationship with the festival dates back to 2019, when he first traveled to Montreal to do a vert demo. He immediately fell in love with what the festival stood for at its core: a community-driven gathering where elite athletic performance blends effortlessly with things he is deeply passionate about, like base jumping, art, and raw creative energy.
"It just felt like something that was missing in these big events... What JACKALOPE represents in the new generation [...] it’s just like, 'Wow, this feels right.' So it was a natural click."
Bob felt that JACKALOPE captured a unique narrative. It doesn’t box skaters in with rigid restrictions; instead, it welcomes a freestyle spirit. Whether Bob is tearing up the vert ramp, BASE jumping, trying the highline, hitting iFLY, or casually entering the street best trick contest just for fun.
The 5-to-10-Year Vision: Where We are Heading
When Todd asked Micah and Bob where they see JACKALOPE in the long run, the conversation shifted from a distant dream to an active reality. With the launch of JACKALOPE’s very first Season Series already underway this year, the foundation is officially laid. For them, the long-term goal isn't just about drawing bigger crowds; it’s about taking this proof of concept and expanding it into a permanent, year-round global blueprint for action sports.
From 5 Events to a Full-Blown Season: Right now, JACKALOPE is sitting at five major events. But Micah’s vision goes much bigger: scaling up to 10 events a year to create a year-round global action sports circuit. What makes this expansion truly unique is JACKALOPE’s core belief in inclusivity. By keeping the doors wide open, this global series becomes a massive launchpad for riders everywhere, creating a platform to uncover raw talent in every city it visits and giving anyone with grit a shot at the spotlight.
The Brazil Expansion: A massive reason for bringing Bob on board as a strategic partner is to finally open up a direct pipeline into Brazil. Now, Brazil already has this beautiful, incredibly deep skate scene that’s been thriving for decades. Instead, our goal is to introduce the signature JACKALOPE model: a multi-sport, free-admission public festival that bridges the gap between grassroots local communities and global platforms. By combining world-class competition with art, lifestyle, and an open-entry philosophy, we aim to complement Brazil’s thriving scene with an inclusive festival format it hasn't experienced before.
Culture & Education Over Medals: For Bob, the vision goes way beyond who stands on the podium. A perfect example of this is how he approaches mentoring for the Golden Ticket contest. He didn’t want to just sit there, look at a clipboard, and pick a single winner based on a score. He explained it beautifully: he's not trying to score a contest. He’s looking for the right energy, progression, and cultural fit alongside the technical skill. At the end of the day, he doesn't care about just handing out trophies and medals; he cares about that human connection and passing down the culture to the next generation.
What to Expect in the Coming Years
You won’t have to wait a decade to see the fruits of this partnership. The roadmap for the immediate future is already firing on. From Montreal to Virginia Beach, Ventura and Australia, JACKALOPE is building a year-round circuit connecting athletes, creators and communities across multiple continents.
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The Canadian Footprint: Expansion continues to thrive right here at home. Between our deep, historic roots in Montreal and regular tour stops in Mississauga, we’re all about holding it down for the local scene. We already have talks in motion to bring the JACKALOPE experience to even more Canadian destinations!
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Coast-to-Coast US Expansion: Virginia Beach just officially renewed its contract for another three years, securing a massive multi-year pipeline ahead of the highly anticipated LA 2028 Games. Meanwhile, the festival just launched a successful event in Ventura, California, with renewals for the next two years expected to lock in very shortly, cementing a true coast-to-coast US presence.
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Going Down Under: The brand officially went global with a major debut in Newcastle, Australia. This international expansion sets the ultimate stage for what’s next as JACKALOPE locks in its year-round global circuit.
What Does This Mean for the Culture and Community?
This is the most crucial part of the equation. Whenever an event grows, the community rightfully asks: Are we losing our soul?
Bob and Micah's answer is a resounding no. This partnership is built to protect the culture by bringing the festival directly to the people. Because JACKALOPE events are free to attend, they democratize the culture. It means the upcoming generation can absorb the energy of world-class skate culture firsthand, participate in the community, and experience action sports at its highest, most explosive level.
When a JACKALOPE event touches down, we transform the city into an active playground; bringing main-channel media attention and elite sports directly to local communities while fiercely protecting the creative freedom of the lifestyle.
Ultimately, the alliance with Bob Burnquist proves that massive global growth doesn't have to mean selling out. As the hype accelerates toward the LA 2028 Games, this partnership is about building a protective wall around the culture, ensuring that no matter how big the festival grows, our North Star remains completely unchanged: preserving that raw, unrestricted freestyle spirit.
As we enter this next chapter, we're actively looking to partner with brands, destinations, media partners and strategic investors who believe in the future of action sports and the power of authentic communities.
If you're interested in helping shape what's next, we'd love to start the conversation. LET'S TALK micah@tribu.co.
The global season is officially here. Keep your eyes on our platforms, check the tour dates, and we'll see you at the next stop!
