Tony Hawk

Hawk argues the game was the tipping point that gave non-skaters an appreciation for skateboarding.

“You could not explain the nuances of a kickflip to a non-skater before 1998”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 49:29

Hawk says when the fourth game launched, all four titles were in the top ten and Activision handed him a $4.5 million check.

“So at that time, four out of the top 10 games were THPS”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 46:33

Hawk says his Activision contract was the first in which he demanded final approval to protect skateboarding's integrity.

“the very first contract I signed with that approval demand was Activision”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 41:34

Hawk says around 1997 publishers rejected a skateboarding game, with one arguing skateboarding wasn't popular.

“skateboarding isn't even popular. Why would... a skateboarding video game be popular?”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 36:06

Hawk explains his "find your kickflip" message as reaching a milestone imperfectly so further progress becomes possible.

“find your kickflip. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be the dream that you have set for yourself”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 50:56

Hawk attributes his success to relentless determination and caring about learning new tricks rather than accolades.

“I think I was just relentlessly determined. I just never gave up. And through repetition, through failure, I had to figure these things out”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 10:16

Hawk says that when performing he deliberately ignores the possibility of failure or injury.

“When I'm doing that, I don't consider consequence. I don't consider that I might be too tired and give up”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 28:33

Hawk says he had never landed the 900 before completing it at the event, and every previous committed attempt had hurt him.

“the odds were 100% that I'm going to get hurt if I try to make this because every other time that I tried to make it, I got hurt”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 29:07

Hawk says early foundation grants of $5,000 to $10,000 gave community projects validation that often pushed them through approval.

“So the early grants were $10,000, $5,000, but that was enough to give them some sort of incentive and acknowledgement”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 4:46

Hawk says his foundation has contributed to close to a thousand skate parks since starting in 2002.

“It's getting close to a thousand that we have contributed”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 4:09

Hawk says his successful ventures are those he is passionate about and can contribute to beyond money, and that restaurants have been riskiest.

“what has worked is if it's something that I am truly passionate about and that I can contribute in more ways than just money”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 55:22

Hawk says including Birdhouse boards in the game for free made sales go ballistic, with a peak around 1999 to 2005, though the business isn't very profitable.

“When that game got released, our sales went ballistic”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 56:25

Hawk says Activision offered him $500,000 to buy out future royalties before release, which he declined.

“They said, we want to offer you half a million dollars and then you won't get royalties going forward”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 42:43

Hawk says his Airwalk shoe sponsorship fell from $1,500 a month to $300 during the early-1990s downturn.

“I was making about... $1,500 a month from my shoe sponsor, Airwalk”

My First Million: Decoding Tony Hawk’s mindset in 72 minutes (Sep 9, 2026) · Listen from 18:11