Tony Hawk wants to make another video game
Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk is raising awareness for the Salvation Army and its Fight for Good campaign as the charity’s ambassador.
“I’m hoping to raise awareness for Salvation Army and when people choose to give they see that what the Salvation Army does and how they help over 25 million people,” Hawk told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria.” “And when you put money in the red kettles that that money actually goes to local communities, that you’re actually donating to your own community.”
According to Hawk, the Salvation Army asked if he would be interested in shooting a video with ultimate Frisbee and trick shot performer Brodie Smith.
“I love doing stuff like that, anything that’s sort of, is outside the realm of skateboarding but still allows me to do what I do. And we made a video and I thought it came out really well.”
Outside the skateboarding world, Hawk has achieved success as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist as well. Along with celebrities such as U2 frontman Bono and actor/musician Jared Leto, Hawk was an early investor in Blue Bottle Coffee. Nestle reportedly paid nearly $500 million recently for a 68% stake in the coffee company.
“Basically I just, I invest in things … that are close to my heart … that I enjoy, that I participate in and Blue Bottle was one of them. I actually was a big fan of their coffee,” the skateboarding legend said. “And a friend of mine was part of the big group that was buying them and he said, ‘hey … I know you like Blue Bottle, do you want to get in on it?’ I was like yeah, absolutely. Little did I know that fast forward five years later and we’d have this big announcement.”
Hawk’s broader popularity was helped by the success of his video game series that began in 1999 with “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater”, something he said he’d like to continue working on in the future.