Since launching in early 2011, Proof has become one of the hottest and most progressive eyewear companies on the market. Their glasses–made of sustainable wood–are a far cry from the metal and plastic frames we’re used to rocking. We recently chatted it up with Proof founder Brooks Dame to discuss the past, present and future of the company.

Read the full Q&A

Kuhvet: What was the inspiration behind Proof? Did it start with the love for wood or the love for fresh sunglasses?

Brooks Dame: A little bit of both. My Grandpa was a hustler and always on his grind. He got into the wood business a little bit by accident and then blew up his business and started really selling wood, building products all over and made a business of it. So sawdust is in my veins. I love wood. It is one of the most versatile mediums out there. I’m also a big fan of accessories. I’ve always had multiple pairs of shades, watches etc. , things that just really bring that extra something to your personal style. So it was a marriage of both.

What are the rewards/difficulties of basing a brand out of Boise, Idaho?

Being in Boise keeps us grounded. It’s home base. Once a person from LA said, ‘Wow, Proof is so progressive, and just such a solid brand, I’m surprised you’re out of Boise and not in LA or NY.’ That fueled the fires a bit for me. I kind of took it as ‘you can’t be creative unless you’re in a major metro area.’ I want to release stuff that people are peeing their pants for. And one of the reasons we haven’t come out with any duds thus far is because we are driven to make a statement with all our products. Maybe it’s a chip on our shoulder maybe it’s just our personality as a company. Either way we are out to say, ‘We are here, and aren’t going nowhere.’ You may think we are just Joe Schmoe from Idaho and that’s ok. Keep underestimating us you’re just gassing us up. We love Idaho. The community is supportive. It’s easy to make connections. People are into Proof here and they just keep digging what we are doing. We have people come by the shop to check out what we are doing or pick up a pair of shades. It’s just fun.

We have other brands approaching us and coming up with ideas for us to work together all the time. The internet, social media and all that has made the world a smaller place. So we can be chatting with someone across the country working on a collabo. So there aren’t a lot of negatives being in Boise, plus after a long day we can go for a hike, float the Boise River or go skiing. Try that living in LA. Just sayin’.

The company has been recognized by heavy hitters like Huffington Post for its charitable efforts. Were you inspired by the likes of Toms to go in that direction with Proof?

Toms has got such a great model and we love what they are doing. The company was run by me and my 2 brothers originally. Now we have a huge supporting staff of designers like my Brother in Law Joe, a ton of Interns, a great marketing team out of BYU’s Ad School, and the support of our customers.

But, we believed from the get go that we needed to give back. Good business and doing good aren’t mutually exclusive. “Look Good. Do Good.” is our Mission. We created that before we even made a dime, so after we started making a little money it was already part of our DNA to giveback so that was an automatic.

How did you choose the charities that Proof donates proceeds to?

It is always stuff that we are involved in or passionate about. We are inspired by people, events, our travels, and all those things have helped inspire us with our charities.

Sustainable goods and recycling are not something we’ve seen too often in the eye wear world. What made you think so far out the box when launching the brand?

Sustainability is just part of our DNA. We live in a world of consumerism and disposable products. We wanted to create an heirloom something that people would pass on to their kids and their grandkids. We really like the vintage movement. People making old new again. And really classic design will always stay in style. Style is sustainable if it is done well.

The idea for recycling shades actually came from the computer industry. HP had a deal where you can recycle old batteries and we thought, hey that’s a great idea. We added our own twist to it by giving people a discount for recycling their Proofs.

Proof has done exceptionally well for a new brand that’s not even a year old. Are you at all surprised by the grass roots popularity?

(Laughs) Shocked. It has been such a great ride. We are really grateful for those people who have supported us. There are people that were all about Proof even before we had any shades on the market they supported the movement and the idea.

We haven’t done any advertising. It has all been about support from our fans, bloggers, media, and we are grateful for that. It’s been so fun.

Are there plans to put Proof into retailers this year?

We are opening up stores all over the world as we speak. So it’s a lot of fun to get that support and have retailers approaching us about our products.

The frame styles and lens choices are very different from what’s already on the market, what inspired the designs?

Just that. We don’t want to be like everyone else. We are original and want to come out that way. We also wanted to create designs that were classic while adding a little flare to them. So that was a conscious decision. We have some new stuff that is gonna drop and blow some minds. We want the other guys to step their game up and these new models are going to have to make them bring their finest.

You named one of the designs after your Grandpa “Bud,” how proud would he be to see glasses named after him being worn all over the world?

(Laughs), you gotta know something about my Grandpa Bud. He was always scheming and coming up with new ideas and businesses. There’s a funny story, when he died some of his siblings mentioned that he never graduated from high school. It was something no one really knew. After he started his business he was making good money and went back and saw his High School Principal and his principal asked him, ‘Bud, How’s your business? How much money are you making?’ He told him and his principal said, ‘shoot that’s more money than I make.’ When he was really established he went out and bought a Caddy. A year later he bought another one for my grandma. So the guy had two Cadillac’s sitting in the garage early on. He just worked hard and made things happen. So, to be honest I think he’d be proud for sure, but he wouldn’t expect anything less from his grandsons. Can’t knock the hustle.

What can we expect from Proof this fall/winter?

We’re coming with some new models and some new twists on the old classics that are going to blow minds. We are super stoked on getting these things on people’s faces. We are also coming out with some new accessories that are going to take us from being a sunglass company to being an accessories company. You know we’ll be staying on the sustainable bent in the next chapter. We can’t say more than that. So just stay tuned. We’ll be dropping more info on our Facebook and Twitter accounts so keep up with the comings and goings.

We are really excited about this next chapter for Proof. It should be a lot of fun and expand our base across some more demographics while staying true to who we are.

A couple weeks ago WCG Ultimate Gamer held a casting call in Atlanta, GA to find the best gamers in the area for the 2nd season of the reality show. We caught up with some of the gamers who came out to compete and the producers of the show.

WCG Ultimate Gamer will return for a second season of eight episodes beginning in August on Syfy. WCG Ultimate Gamer pits the top video game players in the US against each other to test their skills in a range of video game and real-life challenges while seeing if they can survive living together as housemates. Only one gamer will emerge victorious to claim the title of Ultimate Gamer.

More information

Unlike last year in the 2nd season fans can vote for the final cast member in an online contest starting Today.

Each of the one-hour TV episodes will focus on in-game and real-life challenges for the dozen rivals living together in Los Angeles, while they compete for $100,000 in cash, an ultimate Samsung Electronics prize package, the chance to become the face of the WCG – representing the organization at events around the world – and bragging rights as the best all-around gamer.

This season, the final contestants will face off at the prestigious 10th anniversary WCG 2010 Grand Final competition and festival taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, September 30th – October 3rd 2010.

Special thanks to Maurice Garland (camera/editing) and Tha Bizness (music).

Upper Playground Walrus TV sat down musician/artist John Dwyer for a pretty cool interview. You can check out some of Dwyer’s music and artwork here.

With the anticipation of this year’s edition of Madden NFL, EA Sports collaborated with Xbox 360 to put on a two-day star studded event. The first half took place last night at Loews Santa Monica Hotel the red caret was rolled out for film, TV, and football stars past and present to welcome in the 21^st edition of Madden on home console. Hit the jump for Barry Sanders and Jerry Rice Q&A and pics.

Kuhvet.com caught up with NFL Hall of Fame players Jerry Rice and Barry Sanders. Both gave  their opinion on the  Madden franchise and returning to the football field for tomorrow’s Pigskin Pro-Am game.

What are your early impressions about the new Madden Game?

Jerry Rice: What I like about Madden 10, is the graphics. It’s almost like you’re out there. It brings football into your household and you can play it.

You’re a Hall of Fame Receiver retiring with multiple NFL records, is it safe to assume you’re a HOF gamer with Madden?

I’m not very good at it, my son is. So when he wants to show off, he gets me on joystick.

Your known for your legendary workout regimen. Were you running any hills in preperation for the pro-am game?

Naw, nothing like that at all, although last night I iced down these old bones. I’m looking forward to just going out there and letting it all hang out and try to make a statement that I’m ready to come out of retirement and get back on the football field like Brett Favre.

If you were playing with the All-49ers team in Madden, who’s your QB1: Joe Montana or Steve Young?

You’re not right for that man, you’re not right. I think I’m going to have to plead the fifth on that. But I have to be honest with you, Steve and I scored the most touchdowns together and I had to adjust to him, but Joe and I we were like magic. So I had the best of both worlds as I had two Hall of Famers. And I don’t think another receiver can say that they had two HOFers to play with.

You were almost the cover athlete of the first Madden game, what do you think of the game?

Barry Sanders: Madden is a staple in my house and sorta in our culture. I have sons that are of age to play and they’re very familiar with the game.

Do you throw down on the sticks with your sons or do you leave that to young-ins in the house?

Sanders: Absolutely! After homework is outta the way, I go about schooling them on the sticks, showing them the old man’s moves from back in my playing days [with the all-time Lions team in the game.]

Is there any particular player tomorrow you’re looking forward to playing with or against?

I’m a huge Marcus Allen fan, I’ve played against him a couple time. It’s going to be real fun, competition among some guys that were really good back in the day.

Check back for pics from The NFL Pigskin Pro Am, which takes place tomorrow in Malibu at 5pm. Madden NFL 10 releases on August 14^th on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, Playstation Portable, and DS systems. –A.K.