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Bio

Thomas "Tommy" McGinnis is an American surfer, drummer, producer, and businessman. He's a pioneer of the East Coast Surf/Beach Lifestyle explosion of the '80s & '90s and contributed to building leading action sports brands such as Body Glove, Gotcha, Vans, and Dirty Dog.

Being born and raised in Garden City, New York - becoming a professional surfer wasn't exactly a realistic dream, but for Tommy, it was a dream fueled by passion and work ethic. He clawed his way through the amateur ranks of the ESA and NSSA and with the support of major sponsors, he willed his way to the top 64 on the Association of Surfing Professionals East Coast Tour.

Tommy is also credited with organizing the first ever professional surfing event in New York. After years of lobbying the ASP East about the surf and marketability that New York has to offer, he finally got their attention by putting up the $10,000.00 prize money himself and introduced the annual "Beasts of the East" pro/am surf festival in Lido/Long Beach, New York. Sixteen years later, Quiksilver (NYSE: ZQK) announced the first-ever ASP World "Dream" Tour event to be held on the East Coast with the 2011 Quiksilver New York Pro and it's unprecedented $1 Million prize purse.

Music has always been an important part of Tommy's life. He began playing drums in the third grade and by sixth grade, he was playing in bands. After high school, he took a hiatus from the drums to pursue his surfing career as a way to pay for his college education. After college, Tommy joined his childhood friends in the band Never On Sunday. The band signed an independent record deal with Peter Gatini and released two studio albums on his TDK AMERICA label.

In 2000, Tommy introduced 76 Music Marketing & Management through his newly formed partnership with former Billboard & BMI Songwriter of the year and multi-platinum producer, Lewis Martinee. Their first client was actor/comedian/musician Michael Winslow (from the Police Academy movie franchise) and both Tommy & Lewis toured the country with Winslow managing his comedy dates. Tommy also worked on multiple Sony Discos Music projects with Lewis headed by his studio partner Oscar Llord.

In 2002, Tommy's band Never On Sunday self-released their demo song recording "Fighting with myself" through 76 Music and received immediate critical acclaim. The song went on to accomplish over 1 million downloads and top multiple music charts. In 2004, legendary Miami music attorney Allen Jacobi (Joe Walsh, Doobie Brothers, The Band, Rob Thomas, Stray Cats, Trick Daddy, 2 Live Crew) signed the band to a recording contract with his Pyramid Records / Fontana which offered the band major distribution through Universal Music Group. Mr. Jacobi changed the band's name to The Invisible and the single "Fighting with myself" went on to Top 50 success at mainstream adult contemporary radio.

As a businessman, Tommy has over 30 years of combined professional experience in multiple facets of U.S. and International business. From Beach Lifestyle & Sporting Goods to Music & Finance - From Sales Rep. to Store Owner to Executive - From start-ups to industry leaders like Body Glove & Dirty Dog to global Fortune 500 brands like American Express & Axa - Tommy's experience is accomplished and well rounded.

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Copyright 2024 Tommy McGinnis                       

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