Fusing both his experiences as a longtime skateboarder and carpenter, Ocean Beach resident Christopher Campbell, 32, founded Photon Light Boards last December.
His is a business venture that installs custom light designs, using dozens of LED lights, into skateboard decks.
In the seven months since its inception, Campbell said Photon Light Boards has fitted more than 23 skateboards for customers both locally and from as far away as Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, Oregon and New Mexico.
In addition to advertising on his Web site, word of mouth and online skateboard talk forums, Campbell said he’s been fortunate to gain patronage from skateboard shops.
“I did five boards for a skateboard shop in Massachusetts,” he said.
Campbell said he can install a wide variety of light colors, including pink, red and yellow, into skateboard decks, fitting them into many different custom pattern designs. Campbell said his most popular design so far has been the installation of headlights on the front of the boards.
“My coolest design has probably been the crop circle,” he said.
A native of Hawaii, Campbell said he spent a good part of his formative years traveling the United States and also living abroad in England and Germany before settling in Ocean Beach, where he’s lived for the past seven years.
“I think traveling the world opened up my eyes,” he said. “That’s why I’m doing this, I think. Because I got out and saw everything ” what’s cool, what’s not ” raves, people dancing with lights.”`
Campbell said his skills in carpentry and skateboarding have helped him navigate the direction of his personal journey.
“I was a carpenter for 12 years, a framer, and I got kind of burned out on it and I just liked working with skateboards,” he said. “I’ve been skateboarding for 17 years.”
Campbell also talked about his inspiration for launching Photon Light Boards.
“The idea was just, cops are always telling us to get off the skateboard at night. If you have no light, you can’t skateboard at night,” he said.
As a result, he and a friend, whom he initially started the venture with, began constructing some early prototypes. These involved skateboards with taped-on Christmas tree lights. Utilizing his trade skills, however, Campbell took the idea further.
“I’m a carpenter, so I showed him how we can drill it in and do everything,” he said. “And he showed me how to do electrical circuits.”
Employing his experience as a skateboarder, Campbell modified the design, using shock-proof LED lights and other durable materials for a more functional design.
“You couldn’t grind or anything with the taped-on lights,” he explained. “Once you put it [the lights] in the wood, you can do all you want.”
Campbell said people frequently ask whether the lights are durable and if they can grind it against surfaces when doing boarding tricks.
“LED lights are basically shock-proof,” he explained. They’re not glass.”
These days, Campbell said he typically churns out around five boards per week, working fulltime, and displays them on online forums such as eBay. Several of his prototypes are also currently on display at Rock Paper Scissors International Galleria. He said prices for installation start at $75 and go from there, based on customer needs and wants.
Meanwhile, Campbell said he wants to someday go worldwide. He also said he wants to continue designing for skateboard companies. Campbell said he recently met with Gravity Skateboards CEO Michael Bream to collaborate on a promotion board.
“He gave me a board for a New York/Manhattan slide competition, a nighttime slide competition,” said Campbell.
For more information on Photon Light Boards, visit www.photonlightboards.com, or call (619) 787-2188.