You can ride a single wave all the way to the beach — and call it good. But for LifeProof Ambassador John O’Callaghan, that’s never been the ticket.

Instead, the promise of what’s lurking beyond the breakers has always kept him in balance. Searching for the next big moment. Paddling toward something more.

“If I had to put it into LinkedIn terms, I’m a creative director,” he laughs. “But my resume reads different: director, editor, motion designer, fine art photographer, knifemaker, business owner, vintage dirt bike swapper and, of course, surfer.” 

“I typically have about twenty hobbies going at once. The secret’s enjoying them all while they’re fun and fresh, without getting too attached to any single interest.”

Born and raised in Long Island, New York, a couple blocks from the jetties and docks, John’s full immersion appetites began at an early age. Easy access to fishing and boating and summer- long camping sessions in Montauk quenched his emerging thirsts. By the age of ten surfing stole the show.

“I was an ambassador for a couple smaller brands. And I still ride for Haze Surfboards, my shaper’s company, as I have since I was 15. 

John created the graphics on his first couple of board shapes. His affinity for design took shape too, leading him eventually to the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Things have been flowing ever since.

“After college, I was self-employed doing design work. But it was a circus-stunt back injury that, randomly enough, forced me to roll the dice and move to the Dominican Republic.”

The Dominican stint was the stuff of burgeoning success. Having arrived with a jacked back, he returned to the mainland two years later with a patent in hand and a new career in the making. 

John rode that wave all the way to an office in Southern California — headquarters for what would become a multimillion-dollar business at its peak. When that cresting behemoth closed out, it was time to recalibrate and start searching for the next set. And that’s where Alice comes into the sequence — taking the form of a fully converted white 2002 Chevy Express working van.

“I picked her up in San Diego and drove her straight to Fairbanks where I spent six months. Basically, Alice became my home on wheels — until I saw more zeros in the bank account than actual numbers. Besides my dirt bikes, she’s still my daily driver.”

The road’s been a good teacher. To keep Alice purring, John learned the ins and outs of oil pans and engine parts. He also became conditioned to living a condensed, conscious life, balancing out the clutter and chaos by staying compact and nimble. 

“The biggest thing I’ve discovered over the years is the importance of keeping it minimal. Fewer attachments mean more time to detach. And I’m pretty good with just the basics.”

These days, nothing says basic like a good ol’ studs- to-ceiling barn conversion project. And John’s now semi-permanent structure in Northern Michigan is where he, Alice and his partner, Haley, have posted up since the start of the pandemic.

It’s quieter in the Northwoods. More deer than neighbors. Fewer headaches than running a fast- paced business in the action sports epicenter of SoCal. But the one art John has still yet to master remains the act of sitting still. And that’s what keeps him going strong. 

Between shooting and editing, everything from Emmy award winners to Olympic athletes, he keeps his toes dipped in the calming effects of waves in motion — where the balance begins and never ends.

“Surfing isn’t common up here, and the waves are fickle. But when swell comes, I drop everything to get in the water. It’s like I’m still a little kid, searching for new surf spots in Long Island all over again.”