Geoff Rowley

Career

Flip Rowley's first sponsor was Deathbox Skateboards, a company that was later renamed "Flip Skateboards"—at this time, Rowley was also riding for Gullwing. In a "Check Out" segment for the Transworld Skateboarding magazine, Deathbox founder, Jeremy Fox, wrote:

Technical, burly, stylish, quiet, punker, street urchin: these are the descriptions that neatly fit young Geoff Rowley ... He doesn't care about music or anything outside of skateboarding. Although Geoff is from Liverpool (home of the Beatles, by the way) and looks like a rough kid, he is actually one of the least attitude-infested skaters out there today. Geoff is starting to send out 'waves' across Europe, and when Deathbox ships him over to the US, these waves will certainly come over with him.

Rowley later explained the full extent of Templeton's influence during his early years in the US and stated, "I'll be forever in debt to him" due to Templeton's openness towards Rowley, as the two discovered that they shared the same interests. Rowley explained: "I got on really well with him straight away. As soon as we started talking it was really obvious we'd be good friends. We were into similar music and were from a similar generation."

Rowley was revealed as an announcer for the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) Super Crown World Championship event on 22 August 2013. The championship event was held in New Jersey, US on 25 August 2013 and featured the competitors who had qualified during the 2013 SLS season. Rowley received an invitation to compete in the series when it was launched in 2010, but he eventually declined the offer due to a competing offer by the Maloof Company responsible for the Maloof Money Cup events—Nyjah Huston replaced Rowley's position. In his pre-championship interview, Rowley predicted that Paul Rodriguez, Chris Cole, Huston, or Luan Oliveira would emerge from the event victorious.

In October 2015 Geoff Rowley left Flip.

Vans Rowley has produced a signature line of shoes with Vans footwear since 1999, the year when his first vulcanised shoe model was produced. Rowley is credited with re-introducing the vulcanised skate shoe, whereby a new generation of skate shoes were designed with the benefits and functional superiority of the vulcanised process. In 1999, Rowley performed a "fifty-fifty" grind on the Staples Center's "hubba" ledge, in Los Angeles, US, for his first Vans advertisement; the photographic image led to a significant level of recognition due to the vulcanised shoes that he is wearing in the photograph – at that time, the predominant trend in skate shoe construction consisted of large, bulky designs. The Vans website has written of the innovation:

At the time when Geoff hit Staples no one was skating low-cut, thin vulc shoes. No one had felt their board in nearly half a decade. Shoes at the time were so disgusting and bulky we try not to think about them. But when Geoff shot that ad, doing the gnarliest trick on the biggest hubba, showing people it wasn't about creating a bulletproof space shoe for the year 3000 that would last for six months but rather the priority is and always should be about board-feel everyone took a long, hard look at their feet and wondered, 'What the f@#k are we wearing?' History was rewritten that day, by this man. and he explained in an August 2013 interview that the video will represent a team of grateful Vans riders returning the support provided by the shoe brand thus far.

Trick invention A skateboard trick is named after Rowley: the "Rowley-Darkslide". It is a variation of a darkslide in which the trailing foot is placed on the inside of the truck for the duration of the slide.

Sponsors As of 2021, Rowley rides for his own Free Dome Skateboards company, Lost Art Skateshop and is sponsored by Vans, Independent, and Mob Grip.

Toy Machine Rowley was announced as joining the Toy Machine Team via Toy Machine's Instagram on May 27, 2024.

Management Alongside sponsored skateboarders, David González, Louis Lopez, Arto Saari, Curren Caples and Erik Ellington, Rowley is a client of management company RPRT. RPRT was founded by Matt Meyerson, is managed by Ken Perkins, and is described as "a hybrid agency whose core competencies include film/tv production, talent/athlete management, event production (they currently produce Expose NY, a twice yearly fashion showcase during NY Fashion Week geared towards the media and stylists) and brand consulting."

Skateboarding influences Rowley's early influences were professional skateboarders, Natas Kaupas, Kris Markovich and Danny Way.

Despite maintaining pride in his British roots, Rowley has identified the US as the home of skateboarding, explaining in 2012, "... it's the area where it was born, you know? Everywhere needs a heart and this is the heart of skateboarding." In terms of inspiration, Rowley has identified his friends and skateboard videos, both old and new. Following the release of the list, Rowley stated:

I think my generation—myself, Jamie [Thomas], [Andrew] Reynolds—we're the first street guys to ride these real big obstacles on a daily basis. It wasn't like we do it once for a video. I think we all group up skating like that. I think that's what sets us apart I suppose. The willingness to fuckin' try anything every day. In response to Rowley's receipt of the award, teammate and close friend, Rune Glifberg, stated: "Geoff and Arto [Saari] are just some of the gnarliest skateboarders that I have ever witnessed. Geoff is just like, he's like, "I'm gonna do this and fuck it if I kill myself; I am just gonna do it. I don't care." Saari stated, "He's a madman, he's a right madman ... he basically tells everyone to fucking shut the fuck up and then rolls back and comes full blast towards you, and then he fucking pulls it, somehow, it's like ...". In Rowley's post-award interview, he is shown holding a poster that reads: "Get Busy Livin' Or get Busy Dyin'".

Video games Rowley has been a featured skateboarder in the Vans Skate & Slam mobile game. He has appeared in several games in the Tony Hawk video game franchise. He appeared in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in 1999 and the next several games throughout 2003's Tony Hawk's Underground. He also appeared in Tony Hawk: Shred and as a downloadable skater for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD. He returned to the series in 2020 for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2.

Company owner and entrepreneur In addition to his co-ownership of the Flip skateboard company, Rowley launched a new business venture in mid-2013 called "Civilware Service Corporation". Rowley explained that the brand is "just a creative outlet for me, for stuff that I'm interested in ... We are making coffee, axes and variety of other oddities to begin with. Hopefully guns at some point, then it would get really fun [laughs]." The philosophy of the brand is published as: "When you ask for a person's attention – their time, their money – you need to return that gesture with an unparalleled level of commitment."

In 2019, Rowley launched his own skateboard company, Free Dome Skateboards.

Personal life Rowley is a father and resides in Long Beach, California, US. In 2013, Rowley identified his five favourite locations in Long Beach: Cherry Park, Hamilton Skatepark, LB Skate store, Viento y Agua eatery and Vans Corporate Headquarters (in nearby Cypress).

Rowley continues to follow football from the English Premier League and is a supporter of Liverpool F.C. Rowley used the club's anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" as the music for his part in the Really Sorry skateboard video and stated that his family was pleased: "My whole family loved that ... That's why the song was used—for my parents and my grandparents. It was nod, a thank you in their direction."

Videography Flip: The Long Overdue (unofficial) (1992) Hook-Ups: Asian Goddess (1994) 411VM: Issue 13 (1995) 411VM: Issue 10 (1995) Rollersnakes: 720 Transworld: Uno (1996) Church of Skatan: Santa Barbara (1996) Airwalk: Skateboarding Video 96 (1996) Volcom: Freedom Wig (1997) 411VM: Issue 30 (1998) Transworld: Feedback (1999) CKY2K (2000) 411VM: Best Of 411 – Volume 5 (2000) Digital – No. 2 (2000) Collage (2001) CKY 3 (2001) OP King of Skate (2002) Flip: Sorry (2002) Thrasher: S.O.T.Y. Video (2003) CKY4: The Latest & Greatest (2003) Volcom: Chichagof (2004) Thrasher: King of the Road 2005 (2005) Vans: Pleased to Meet You Tour (2005) Globe: The Global Assault (2006) Flip: Feast Tours (2006) Strange Notes: Tastes Like Awesome! (2007) Independent: 30th Anniversary Tour (2008) Flip: Extremely Sorry (2009) Meatpauls! (2010) Flip: The Weight of the World (2012)

Rowley has co-directed all of the Flip videos, together with Fred Mortagne and Jeremy Fox (Sorry), Jeremy Fox (Really Sorry), and Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon (Extremely Sorry).