Here’s an interview with the person who updates the Mirraco site, works with the Mirraco distributors, the media, the Mirraco riders and all those marketing activities. The interview appeared in FreedomBMX magazine # 71 over in Germany but here is the English version.
-Who is Bart de Jong? Bart de Jong was born in Aarle-Rixtel in 1969 and somehow manages to live off of BMX through EBC, my one-man company.
-How would you describe your job? My job is pretty much 24/7 BMX, and that’s not 24 hours per week. I do BMX related jobs left and right to make ends meet. Being a one-man show entails everything form picking up the phone to making sure the tax man is happy. I worked for HARO Bikes for almost 5 years but switched to Mirraco in May 2006. For them I work with the distributors, maintain their website, work with the media, give feedback, take care of the riders when they’re here and there is a plan to hook up some European riders as well that will go through me. Next to that I do international sales for Universal Motocross engineering, a motorcycle parts company from California and set up the distribution network for them. When McGoo asked me for this job I couldn’t refuse. He’s one of my best friends and I wanted to help him out. It’s been going for over three years now. Through EBC I also do BMX consulting which may sound weird but I have a lot of valuable information for a company that wants to start a business in Europe or needs contacts in general. People might have seen me at several events taking care of some judging duties which are in fact cool but hard jobs. I also write stories and take pictures. Most of them end up on www.fatbmx.com but if anyone needs something (story or photos), EBC can take care of that too.
-Tell us how FATBMX got started. I believe it was 1987 when Paul and I started a ‘zine. After 34 issues I got a proper job and there was no more time to get one ready. Jos Wissink introduced us to the internet world and told us we should do one online. We had no clue how things worked so in the beginning we just sent text and pics in the right size to Jos and he would get it online. I believe this started in 1999 or so. FATBMX had been going for a while and it was fun to do but for 2005 I had bigger plans. I wanted updates every day to inform the BMX world what was happening. Someone had to do it.
-How much time and energy do you put in fatbmx.com? It’s fair to say that it has grown to three hours a day. It’s non stop. You check your mail and there’s something new. You re-size the photos, check the text on misspellings, get it all in the right font, highlight the right worlds, put links in where necessary and then upload the whole package. The actual uploading isn’t always the hardest part, getting the info requires a bunch of e-mails most of the time. We’re up to three updates a day these days so we’re not making it easier on ourselves. There’s no pressure from anyone but myself when I work on FATBMX. Getting a compliment left and right keeps me motivated and the 4000 visits per day show that people appreciate the work.
-What kind of BMX jobs have you had over the years? In 1996 I got my first official BMX job which was with GT Bicycles at their European office in Belgium. I got the title: European BMX-Freestyle manager, whatever that meant. Basically it meant managing the European BMX racing team, the BMX freestyle team, setting up demos, work with the International GT distributors, drive the GT rig/ramp, announce the shows, go to the trade shows, give product feedback from the riders to the PD crew in the USA, work with the media, it was a handful. When GT in the USA filed for bankruptcy in 2001, they had to close their European office too. I was unemployed and started European BMX Connection (EBC) and took on whatever BMX job that was available that I could do on a freelance basis. Fortunately HARO Bikes signed on as a steady customer so things worked out.
-How do you make money to live off of these days? If you think you can become a rich man in the BMX world you have picked the wrong sport. I love what I do but it requires working long days and lots of weekends. There are good times and bad times and the good ones cover the bad ones in times of need. I basically patch everything together and make sure the bills get paid at the end of the month. So far it has worked. Who knows how much longer this is possible.
-You worked many years for GT and HARO. What is it like working for American companies? I had a very good time with both of them. Both companies understood that there was more than the USA alone. Both companies had interest in doing things internationally and weren’t afraid to invest in team riders for instance. There are not too many American bike companies around that pay European riders so they can travel. GT and HARO both had that while I was working with them. I don’t think working with a USA company is any different from working with European companies. It just depends on who you have to work with. There are kick ass people and people who don’t get it on both sides of the Ocean.
-What do American companies think about Europeans. Do you need to be convincing to them? GT and HARO both had people who travelled a lot. They did see things themselves or trusted me when I had to say something. The feedback from their International Distributors helped a lot too. It’s difficult for them to understand the European situation when they are living over in California. It would be hard for us to understand Russia and their surrounding countries simply because we don’t live there or travel there on a regular basis.
-What are your plans? I keep saying that if I can add a year to my life the way I spend it now, I’m happy. I’ve got a BMX related job, what more can I ask for? People normally work until they’re 65 and then start traveling. I’ve already done the traveling and when it’s time to get a normal job, I have to take it, and I will.
-We hardly know anyone who has as many BMX connections as you have. Do you spend all day keeping in touch with everyone? That pretty much is my job. It’s hard to explain to people who don’t have a clue. It’s cool to hear from people and it doesn’t take more than a minute to reply these days through e-mail. When I haven’t been online for a bit it’s fun to hit the send/receive button to see what’s there. It can be something interesting each time.
-Because you’ve been riding BMX since 1979 you have experienced many years of BMX. What are for you the biggest changes? I think the BMX popularity goes in cycles. I’ve been in the first boom in the early ‘80-s but was also here when it was dead and people on BMX bikes were laughed at. I don’t think that’s the case any more. I think with all the parks and ramps in all the cities, it will only help BMX become more accepted. We see it on TV on a regular basis and BMX has become a thing for the kids to do. In the past you could choose between football and tennis or hockey but now there’s another choice with BMX/skateboarding/snowboarding. You don’t need to be an outlaw any more to participate in these sports.
-Do you still find the time to ride yourself? Not as much as I would like to. I had a shoulder operation in 2005 which did not help. The new trails down the street are a good motivation though.
-You will soon become a daddy for the second time. How does this influence your job? Of course it makes everything harder from leaving the house for a trip to spending time behind the computer. I work late nights often when the house is asleep. BMX isn’t main priority any more now that I’m married and have a kid but it’s still my job and it puts bread and water on the table, and in good months some Nutella too.
-What’s after BMX? 40 hours/week job. Hope that time never comes.
Photos/questions: Kay Clauberg / FreedomBMX magazine
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