(Riptide Bodyboard Magazine, 1996, Mez Shaper to the Stars,  vol 51, p27-28) 

Riptide) How did you get into it? 
Mez) I was just like every other grommet, reading all the mags. I was in NZ too, which had even fewer bodyboarders at this stage. There was probably only 15 bodyboarders in the country at that stage that were serious. One day I was with my Dad and we went past a factory that had bodyboards in it and I just freaked out. You've seen me surf so you'd know I'm not the next Mike Stewart, So I figured if I wasn't going to go that way I'll try and get into the industry side of it. That guy was Brody (Rick Broderson) and he was just up the road from me so I did the old Mike Stewart thing and begged him to give me a job. I said I'll sweep the floor and clean the toilets, I'll do anything. He gave me my first start after school. Cause I was such a pesky little prick showing interest he took me under his wing and showed me a lot of stuff. Brody was Tom Morey's first worker, so I would go around going, you know, "third generation pedigree shaper", all that stuff. So I had worked for about a year and a half. At that stage we were making Paipo boards and the opportunity came to set up Paipo in Australia. I was a 17-year old kid so I jumped at that chance too, you know. the first guy that came and set up for Johno (Holmes) didn't work out to well and he got fired and I moved straight into his position, and I moved from there for a pretty quick rise to the top. 

Riptide) So how many companies have you shaped for now? 
Mez) If you're talking board companies, it's like 12 or 13. I got a lot of experience for someone my age. Let's see..... O&E, HB, Scott, Toobs, Rheopapio, BZ, Fangz. That's just a few. 
 

Riptide) And they all say their stoked with the boards you shaped for them. What do you reckon you do that other guys don't? 
Mez) I think I've just had the experience of working in all different factories and all the different processes and putting them together, taking the best from each factory and figuring out the best materials. When I worked with /buzz at Toobs, he's an engineer, and he taught me all about the way different foams react and the different properties rather than just the board. And also working with so many different styles of riders and different types of waves, you start to get an understanding of what works. Especially working in Hawaii, you really get an understanding of how it all works, you know. 

Riptide) That's pretty unusual, being given your own little shaping bay in Hawaii. 
Mez) That was insane, like a dream come true. a custom shop right in the thick of it in the middle of winter with all the waves going down, people asking me to make this board and that board for them. 

Riptide) Is the stuff you're doing really making it better for the average grom? 
Mez) Oh yeah. If you look at a Mach &, which is a good board, or all those boards from five or six years ago with super-stiff Arcel and super-stiff bottoms and pretty much one length of 43 inches. now you've got all these new softer materials, different lengths, channels. They're definitely better boards. All the new moves and that, some of that has to come from the boards. 

(Riptide Bodyboard Magazine, 1998, Mez-Generation No Friends,  vol 79, p35) 

Riptide) It's funny to think that little guys like yourself are pushing the bigger companies. 
Mez) Yeah, it's because most of us can make the boards ourselves, so it's really hands on, you know. All we need is help with the office side of things (laughs). We're not really trained in that sort of background. We're not guys with heaps of money that've come in trying to buy guys from different factories to do their work. We've started from ground up, which makes a better working environment in the factory because we're out there with 'em every day. And especially with me when I first started custom boards you've got your name on it, like X-man's got his name on his boards, so we're the guys that have to answer for anything. Also with advertising, it costs so much to do it, and we're so small that each board has to be an advertisement for yourself. I don't know about over in the States but here every board is made by bodyboarders - guys like Plucker (Heydon Bunting) and the Rushtons. They all surf so they understand everything about it. 

Riptide) How important is it for bodyboarders to take over these sorts of things? 
Mez) It's in really hard period at the moment because everyone's putting shit on these big companies; and they shouldn't be because they're the only guys who're gonna be able to pay them the wages that they think they deserve. There's no way a board company can afford a guy for 80 grand a year or more. Most companies nearly died from that sort of stuff, and now they're cutting back guys. So it was important for us to come along and start taking care of ourselves. Where you once had these big wigs of the companies hanging with themselves like they're all high-and-mighty at contests, now you've just got bodyboarders, and they're keen to see the sport grow and they want to see a good image for the sport. Like with guys like Ross (Hawke) and Dave (Appleby) starting to take over the industry side of things, and with bodyboarders becoming the editors of magazines, instead of surfers, we're now controlling our own destiny. 
When I first started out everyone seemed to be sponsored, and everyone kept expecting bodyboarding to continue to grow so they invested more money, but then it plateaued. Then all the companies that had committed themselves to these massive payments on their factories had to sell shit-loads of cheap boards to keep up payments, but to make shit-loads of cheap boards they had to start skimping on materials. Then we sorta came along and said "okay, we don't have to make 20,000 boards this year, 'cause we can make three or four thousand to the best of our ability and survive." So it makes other companies come around and think they've gotta start doing the same things now. The quality is so much better now across the board, which means the customer can now get what he wants, instead of just being given shitty stuff. 

Riptide) Have bodyboarders been supportive of you? 
It's been good. Like last year was my first year and kids would see an order form in the magazine, and they'ed say "Oh, I've heard of him and that, but I'm not sure." Then thankfully some kid just went,  "Oh shit yeah, I'll try it!" Then I send a board to a particular beach, then I'ld get six orders back from that beach and it sorta worked that way so yeah, I'm getting good support.