Steve breaks down how HeroQuest went from a COVID-era album into a full IP with an anime, a trading card game, and collabs with Burton, Malbon, and Cressi. He explains why every product he drops needs a “collectible soul,” and how the JOOLA Hero and Hyro paddles come with HeroQuest cards, including serialized 1-of-1 chase cards hidden in the boxes.
Steve also opens up about the punk and hardcore scene that taught him business at 15, starting Dim Mak out of his college co-op, and turning down a PhD to chase the label. He gets into running up $100K in credit card debt across 10 cards, why his father never funded him, and how DJing small LA bars dug him out and launched the next chapter of his career.
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Timestamps:
1:07 — How His Wife Got Him Into Pickleball
2:09 — Losing 98% of Table Tennis Games to His Wife
5:37 — Trading the Skate Ramp for a Backyard Court
8:41 — The Phoenix Flames Deal That Fell Through
9:07 — How HeroQuest Was Born During COVID
11:56 — Why Every Product Needs a Collectible Soul
13:23 — Starting a Grading Company for Music
13:43 — The JOOLA x HeroQuest Paddle Drop
16:07 — How the JOOLA Collab Came Together
18:04 — The Mixtape That Changed His Life
22:13 — Straight Edge Hardcore and the DIY Code
27:30 — Flipping Thrift Shirts and Selling $3 Tapes
29:19 — Starting Dim Mak in a College Co-op
31:41 — Turning Down a PhD for The Kills
32:43 — $100K Deep Across 10 Credit Cards
32:59 — Why His Dad Never Funded Him
34:24 — DJing His Way Out of Debt
36:34 — Gaga, Skrillex, and the Dim Mak Scene
39:10 — Only Hiring People Locked Into the Lifestyle
41:03 — Finishing Hundreds of Remixes (and the Drake Flop)
42:28 — Nerves on Center Court at PPA Vegas
43:59 — The Aoki Foundation and Brain Health
44:40 — Bryan Johnson’s First Cold Plunge
46:17 — Why Racket Sports Are Good for the Brain
47:04 — Drafting a Celebrity MLP Team
49:43 — Harder: World-Class DJ or Pro Pickleballer?
52:02 — The $8K a Month Bar DJ Math
54:00 — Is Pickleball Cool?
56:47 — Main Stage Rush vs. Winning on the Court
57:17 — Why a Unicorn Exit Doesn’t Compare
58:16 — Fighting to Stay Relevant
1:00:16 — The Cake Finale