Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 191 Location: Texas

*Wishes she could skate with Merlyn, or at least MEET him before he retires...*

Joined: 07 Jun 2008 Posts: 166 Location: Toronto, Canada

So did I HL. Before I read this I decided to take another chance at Heelys and practicing till I learn the tricks I couldnt learn before. But anyway its Merlyn's choice.

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

.................i really don't know what to say..............

Team Heelys - Northeast Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 1803

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 533 Location: London, UK

awww balls =*(

Well,

Thank you dave.

For scouting me out and getting me on the team.

For helping me believe in myself the many times i thought i wouldn't be able to do a trick.

For introducing me to so many amazing people i probably would have never met had it not been for you.

Thanks, Seth.

Beyond instarage, the emotional impact, like a delayed train, has finally hit me.

Merlyn- MERLYN- is actually going to go do something else.

This.. just... this is reality-incongruous. Merlyn? Quit Heelys?! What? No! Just.. what?! He's got a skatepark of his own FFS!

Yeah, Merlyn, have fun with whatever comes next for you, [insert generic expression of well-wishing here]. Maybe it'll be even better.

Team Heelys - Northeast Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 781

merlyn, thanks so much for all that you've done for heelys and for me. It'd be very sad to see you gone. Best of luck for what you decide to do next Smile

.

Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 469 Location: Ol' Virginny

To be honest, I glanced at the title of this thread 3 times before I even clicked on it because I thought it said "Merlyn RETRIES" (like he fell a few times and is gonna give it a try again??) Lol. When I realized it was actually RETIRES, I was like WHOA!

Even though the dude is gonna quit working for the man, I doubt he'll throw em all away and give it up cold turkey (I may be wrong there). I'm sure they'll get strapped on every once in a while. You ever lay there at night and dream up something in your head and think.. "I can probably pull that!" (that use to be me 20 years ago on flatland bmx). Even after I gave up the steel for more conventional methods of transport, I'd still break out my whip for an occasional reality check!!

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

so.......if the team does keep going, who will be the captain?......

Team Heelys - Northeast Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 1803

Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 32

Merlyn, Heelychat....former Heelers of runandroll,
Heelys are dying. So are the American car companies. The world is changing.

I might be the saddest one of all to hear Merlyn's news, although I new it was coming. It's because him and I are counterparts. He pushed Heelys as an aggressive sport. I push Heelys as a special effect. He taught me how to grind. I taught him how to look good doing it. We skated in the first national Heelys commercial together. He was the first to air-out tru. I wrote the first training guide on Runandroll.com.
We've been working together on exploring the versatility of Heelys since they hit the market in 2001. We have seen many EMMs and CEOs go through the responsibility of the brand.

Everything that he said in his statement about the state of Heelys is accurate. I know this because I've experienced it to. Recently, the man in charge has treated me as expendable. He threatened to "fire" me for something that I did at a celebrity demo here in Hollywood that he didn't like and now he wont return my calls/e-mails. There is a huge change coming to the website in January. From what they showed me, they are expecting to win some awards with the awesomeness of the website design. One of the changes will be a focusing more on pro-skaters like you and me -but he wont respond to me. As you may or may not know, I've accumulated my Heelys video archives into a great website and promotional video for a Heelys Coach position I created to help market the shoes for actors on stages across the country. I do not even know if they like my idea.

This disconnect between the pro skaters and the corporate staff is killing the brand. If the communication stops, or if more of us retire, I believe Heelys will fade away like the rest of the companies that wont make it through this recession.

There is something that we can do. We have a secret weapon.

"Road to Red"

"Road to Red" is a low-budget independent feature film that I'm staring in that showcases Heelys in a very cool way. My character Jimmy, uses the shoes throughout the film as a type of a steady-cam for shooting skateboard videos. The movie is kind of about making the last great skateboarding video which brings skateboarding back to its roots which is surfing. The film is a suspense thriller and will be rated 'R' so it will be geared towards an older audience.

If significant buzz is created for the film, we have a very good chance of landing a distribution contract with a major studio. Do you know what this means? A world-wide release of a film that showcases Heelys in a big way! A way a lot of kids and young adults might be interested in trying out themselves. Boom! Heelys is back. Now for an older audience.

There is already a great buzz growing in the film-market based on a longer version of the trailer you are about to watch. There are a few countries/territories who are dying to start bidding for it.

During the making of the film I utilized the shoes to obtain shots that only a skilled Heelys rider could get. I did some stunts that could have got me killed if I didn't hit the turns, or in some cases, the rocks, in the right way. I will be editing podcasts on the making of the film periodically over the next 6 months or so leading up to its release in Summer '09.

Please support Heelys and my film by watching the material that I generate for you and doing your best to help create the buzz. We will all miss Merlyn. If we wish the product to survive without him, it is up to all of us now to continue to generate interest for the product., just as he did, by doing it in our unique way. I offer you mine.

please watch the just released trailer for Road to Red
www.roadtored.com

and please rate and continue this discusstion on YouTube (please watch in high quality)
http://www.youtube.com/user/roadtored

yours truly,
Michael Buffo
TC for Team West Coast[/url]

Team Heelys - Northeast Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 1803