Reel Talk: Kolohe Andino

Yesterday Kolohe Andino’s deal with O’Neill expired, rendering him without a major clothing sponsor for the first time since probably 1999…when he was 5. The kid who grew up right before our eyes, sponsored by Billabong and Boost Mobile and other brands whose products he was probably too young to use, traveling through Mexico with Andy Irons and Taj Burrow is now 30 years old, sponsorless, off the World Tour and…thriving?

Today will mark the beginning a new chapter for Kolohe and its hinting at one that sees him adopting a familiar trend with our favorite surfers: he’s doing things his own way. Like Dane and his Chapter 11 cronies, John and the Florence machine, Kolohe is poised to take his rapidly ascending 2 Percent empire global.

We caught up with Kolohe on the Reel Talk “Gramma” couch and got a little foreshadowing. Check back Thursday for the full report on what's next for Kolohe, but today, we’ll keep it Reel.—Travis Ferré