Founded: 1991
Founder: Jim Thiebaud and Tommy Guerrero
Location: San Francisco, CA

Tommy and Jim became friends while they were both pros on Powell Peralta. After skate to world-wide fame on Powell they decided to leave and do their own thing as the company had started to promote other up and coming younger skaters. They founded Real Skateboards in 1991. Because Tommy and Jim were still huge draws in the skate community it was fairly easy for them to get their brand going with their combined connections and name recognition. Real took off fast, not only because of of Tommy and Jim, but also because they had a really strong pro team from the beginning, which included Sluggo, Max Schaaf and Henry Sanchez.

Jim’s first pro model for the brand was the legendary Hanging Klansman, which was very controversial at the time. Some indie skate shop even refused to stock the deck and tees, but over time it’s become a classic.
Jim was and is still well known in the skate community for being a strong advocate of independent skateshops and unique skateboard communities that surround them. He was an early supporter of marginalized groups within the skate community and that is still a part of the ethos of Real to this day.

In 1997, Mark Gonzales join Real and was part of the brand for 5 years before leaving to start Krooked.