Horny Toad Embraces a New Model of Support for Art and Charity with Inaugural Effort to Raise Awareness and Funds for Telluride AIDS Benefit
OutdoorHub 03.07.12
Horny Toad, the Santa Barbara based lifestyle apparel company, announced a new format for working with their outdoor industry influencers. The Horny Toad Influencer Program is a collection of like-minded adventurers, artists, musicians and filmmakers involved in environmentally and humanitarian-oriented philanthropic endeavors in order to make every day an adventure full of good times, comfortable living and giving back.
In celebration of this new type of programing for outdoor industry influencers and ambassadors, Horny Toad Influencer artists donated their art to the Telluride AIDS Benefit (TAB) Silent Action held March 2, 2012. In addition to the auction, from March 1 to March 5, Telluride retailers Jagged Edge, Telluride Sports and The Boot Doctors donated 10% of their Horny Toad sales to TAB with Horny Toad matching an additional 10% donation.
“Horny Toad has supported TAB since our inception 15 years ago,” says Blair Brown, Horny Toad marketing manager “As a brand, we support events, charities and people in a unique fashion because we believe it is more than just marketing, it is about developing a community of like minded individuals working towards the same goals.”
This is the second time Horny Toad has partnered with TAB in the last six months. Last year, Horny Toad joined forces with TAB as part of the brand’s Holiday Gift Giving program. Through this program, a percentage of holiday sales were donated to charitable organizations, including TAB.
About The Horny Toad Influencers Involved with TAB
David Mclain: photographer, adventurer, do-gooder.
David’s approach to photography is rooted in the rich tradition of the National Geographic photographer. He tells authentic stories that engage people and inspire them to dream. A lifelong devotion to craft and seven feature-length stories for the fabled magazine has enabled David to create timeless images with the highest visual standards on earth. More recently, David has become absorbed with cinematography and is actively adapting his eye and skill-set toward shooting motion. Together with colorist and postproduction expert Jerome Thelia, David co-founded Merge, a boutique production company.
Bryon Friedman: entrepreneur, philanthropist, musician, former world cup ski racer.
Bryon has spent the last 10 years of his life traveling the world in pursuit of the perfect run, spending countless hours in hotels, ski lifts, international terminals and cafés surrounded by coaches, athletes, fans and journalists. His trusty acoustic guitar accompanied him on nearly every trip as he crafted the songs that awarded him #1 emerging singer-songwriter on Sirius/XM’s Coffeehouse in 2009. Shortly thereafter Bryon left the World Cup circuit after 10 years as a member of the U.S. Ski Team. He carries with him two national championship titles, 3 top 10 world cup finishes, and a lifetime of experiences waiting to be crafted into songs.
R. Nelson Parrish: eco artist, Alaskan, avid athlete.
R. Nelson Parrish approaches his art as a means of reconciling an ongoing investigation into the subtle contrasts between the natural and man-made conditions and states. Born and raised in Alaska, Parrish finds inspiration in both the rugged elements of his native home and his current surroundings in urban southern California. Drawn directly from his experience skiing, racing and surfing—that is, shifting through landscapes at high speeds—the artist translates the blur of movement into brilliant flashes of color which he appropriately entitles, racing stripes. Thickly layering clear and semi-translucent resin, fiberglass and intense band of pigment onto planks of boldly grained native woods in suspended positions above, adjoining and against one another, Parrish provokes in us the desire to plumb the depths to seek out and discern the synthetic from the natural.
Together, Byron Friedman and R. Nelson Parrish created Soul Poles. Soul Poles is a company dedicated to innovating the greenest equipment in the snow sports industry by merging sustainable design with uncompromising performance and truly original style. These eco-friendly poles are made by hand in Utah, both to provide local employment as well as to curb emissions that cause the climate change threatening our snowy slopes. Two hundred numbered and limited edition Soul Poles are available, painted by R. Nelson Parris.
About TAB Silent Auction
The TAB Silent Auction, curated by renowned art connoisseur Baerbel Hacke, combines the best of local and international art, and also features pieces from the patients of Denver’s Childrens Hospital Immunodeficiency Program (CHIP).
ABOUT HORNY TOAD
Based in Santa Barbara a few hundred yards from the beach, Horny Toad is a clothing company that celebrates the adventure in every day life (both outdoors and in) and always aims to do the right thing. The Toad culture is oriented around community, sustainability, and looking for new ways to accomplish traditional business goals. To learn more visit www.hornytoad.com or call 800.865.TOAD.
