Skateboarding has given me everything I have and created who I am.
Rob Dyrdek is among the biggest names in skateboarding culture and alternative entertainment. Outside of the Jackass team, no other media personality dominated MTV culture like Dyrdek did in the 2000s and 2010s.
Rob Dyrdek is an MTV star, professional skateboarder, producer, actor, and entrepreneur with a net worth of $100 million.
He’s most known for his MTV work, including the shows ‘Rob & Big,’ ‘Ridiculousness,’ and ‘Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.’ Dyrdek built an empire, solidifying himself as a successful media personality and entrepreneur.
There is a rumor that Dyrdek’s wealth is far more than the $100 million reported. Some insider sources state the skater could be a billionaire in the next few years. Despite the disagreement around his official net worth, it’s hard to deny Rob’s impact on skateboarding and extreme sports culture.
Born on Jun 28, 1974, in Kettering, Ohio, Robert Stanley Dyrdek is the son of Gene and Patty Dyrdek. Rob started skateboarding at the age of 11 in 1985. At the time, skating was in its infancy, and the culture would take off in the 1990s. His mom, Patty, would encourage Rob’s passion for skateboarding, taking him to skateparks across the city to practice.
Pro skater Neil Blender gifted Rob Dyrdek his first real skateboard, and Dyrdek became obsessed with the idea of becoming a professional in the sport. He skated every day after school to build his skills and received his first sponsorship at 12 years old.
Rob was a talented skater from the first time he stepped on a board. It took him little time to master the basics, and before long, he was busting tricks and landing them, competing with kids much older and stronger than him.
After receiving his first sponsorship deal, Rob officially turned ‘pro’ at 12 years old. When he turned 16, he started the skateboard brand ‘Alien Workshop’ with Blender. With his eyes focused solely on his career, Rob dropped out of high school and moved to Southern California to chase his dreams.
Rob Dyrdek founded Street League Skateboarding (SLS), a competitive sport where 25 pro street skaters compete for a money prize. There’s a $1.6 million purse, making it the most lucrative competition in skating history. The League partnered with ‘The Boys Club of America’ to build new skateparks across California.
After losing his first sponsorship to start Alien Workshop, Rob found his next sponsor in California. At the time, the obscure clothing brand ‘Droors Clothing’ started to shift their company branding to ‘DC Shoes,’ landing Rob his first sponsorship deal in California.
Rob had a long-standing relationship with the brand, riding for them from 1995 to 2016. Rob had a huge influence on the company’s direction and had several custom models produced with DC over his career.
DC Shoes credits Rob for bringing its products to the attention of the skating market, and they say they wouldn’t have experienced the success they did without Dyrdek. Along the way, Rob helped design the DC headquarters, known as ‘The Street Plaza.’
While Rob was a huge name in pro skating, his work with MTV made him a millionaire and a household name across America. The skater is the most successful personality ever produced on MTV, and he’s well-known for the shows he created on the platform.
Rob’s first appearance on MTV was in the show ‘Rob and Big,’ airing from 2006 to 2008. The show allowed Rob to display his pro skating skills on screen, aligning them with his content production brand.
The reality show filmed Dyrdek’s everyday life and was one of MTV’s first reality TV shows. Rob would perform many stunts and hilarious antics on the show alongside his friend and bodyguard, Christopher Boykins.
Rob’s work on the show saw him break 21 Guinness World Records for skating, and Chris set two records in the eating category. While the show was short-lived, Rob used it to promote DC Shoes, pleasing his sponsor.
During his three years on the show, DC saw its revenue increase by more than $300 Million. Dyrdek earned $60,000 an episode for his role on the show.
After canceling ‘Rob and Big,’ MTV decided to give Rob another show with ‘Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory.’ It aired in 2009, with the show’s theme involving Rob building his dream’ skate factory’ in a warehouse at an undisclosed location.
The warehouse had an indoor skatepark, basketball court, and foam pit for attempting jumps and tricks off ramps. The show lasted seven seasons, and Rob became a household name in board sports and extreme sports across the US and the globe. Dyrdek earned $100,000 per episode for his work on the show.
Robs the last venture with MTV is ‘Ridiculousness.’ The show aired on MTV in 2014, featuring Dyrdek hosting the show with his long-time friends Sterling “Steelo” Brim and Chanel West Coast. The trio narrates as they watch funny clips in front of a live audience.
Dyrdek’s energetic personality and sense of humor make him a relatable and likable TV personality. According to sources, he earns $160,000 per episode for his appearance on the show.
Rob Dyrdek is a successful TV personality, and he has his fingers in many other pies. He has an entrepreneurial flair, starting his first company, Orion Trucks, to sell a select line of ‘trucks’ for skateboards.
While the business wasn’t as successful as he hoped, Rob took it as a learning experience, applying it to his forthcoming business ventures. Dyrdek owns 18 companies, with roles as an investor and founder in many of them.
As a businessman, Dyrdek works with brands offering a clear exit strategy or a 50/50 partnership. He also benefits from his shareholdings, receiving dividends from many of his companies. Along the way, Rob signed endorsement deals with leading brands like Monster Energy and EA Skate.
Dyrdek started his production company, ‘Superjacket Productions’ in 2013. He used the company to produce his work on ‘Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory,’ ‘Ridiculousness,’ and ‘Nitro Circus.’ He’s a big part of Travis Pastrana’s ‘Nitro Circus,’ and he spent plenty of time appearing in the group’s American shows.
Dyrdek is the majority stakeholder in Superjacket Productions, and he serves as its CEO. He’s also the co-founder of the ‘Stance Socks’ brand, starting the company in 2015. The company focuses on producing a range of custom socks featuring bands and rappers printed onto the socks.
Dyrdek controls a 20% stake in Stance Socks, and he’s an active board member. Stance has several partnerships with leading sports institutions like the NFL, MLB, and NBA, and he works with musicians and record labels to license bands copyrighted images for sock prints.
Rob bought out DNA Distribution in 2019, making headlines with the purchase. He’s the sole owner of this skateboard manufacturing company. The skater also purchased a stake in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in December 2018.
Rob has a stake in the world’s biggest MMA platform, alongside other celebrity investors like Sly Stallone, Ben Affleck, and Mark Wahlberg. The size of the stake holding in the +$4 billion company is unknown.
After investing in Beatbox Beverages, Dyrdek added to his beverage company portfolio in 2019. The company focuses on selling alcoholic seltzers. He often promotes the brand on his Instagram account, growing the company through awareness among his fans.
Finally, Rob founded a venture capital firm, ‘Dyrdek Machine.’ It acts as an incubator for entrepreneurs with qualifying projects to receive funding for their companies. Dyrdek machine also acts as a holding company for all his assets and businesses.
The company invests in tech companies, consumer product companies, and real estate. By structuring his portfolio of investments in this manner, he gets total control over his business empire. Dyrdek claims he loves being an entrepreneur. He had this to say about his business dealings in an interview.
“I love being an entrepreneur because I can work on anything that I’m passionate about. It allows me to have complete control of my career and life.”
Rob is involved in other business ventures, including shareholdings in Ultra Cast, Black Feather Whiskey, Beach Whiskey, and Ultracast. Rob claims he loves his role as an entrepreneur as much as he enjoys skating and having fun with his friends.
Rob has an extensive real estate portfolio worth tens of millions of dollars. The skater turned entertainer/entrepreneur owns three large mansions in the gated community of Mulholland Estates high in the Hollywood Hills, overlooking Beverly Hills.
The entrepreneur spent at least $25 million acquiring these three properties. The houses are amazing, with Rob spending millions converting them to his requirements. His current real estate portfolio is nothing short of impressive, but he has a long history of purchasing properties in California.
In 2008, Rob spent $2.549 million purchasing a home in the Mount Olympus neighborhood. The house sat on a hill with views of Laurel Canyon and was sold in November 2012 for $2.125 million. Unfortunately, Rob would take a $334,000 loss when selling the property.
Rob kept the losses rolling after selling his property in the Hollywood Knolls neighborhood near Lake Hollywood. Dyrdek sold the home in March 2013, taking a $220,000 loss. The house sat on the market for nearly five years, with Rob eventually selling the mid-1960s multi-level modern unit. He bought the unit in 2005 for $1.395 million, selling it at a loss of $1.175 million.
Dyrdek sold his four-bed, three-bath, 3,733 square foot home in the Laurel Hills neighborhood of LA between Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon for $3.5 million in 2019. He didn’t have to take a loss on this one, making a little profit to counter his previous failures.
Robs biggest real estate purchase was in 2015. Dyrdek spent nearly $10 million on the property in the exclusive gated community of Mulholland Estates. The property sits on a 3.1-acre lot, making it the largest property in the community.
Robbie Williams previously owned the estate, but the singer decided to sell after tossing out his plans to develop the stand. The stand is currently undeveloped and empty, and Rob has already filed construction plans with the city to start the development of the land into his dream mega-mansion.
Some other celebrities owning property in Mulholland Estates include social media superstar Kendall Jenner, signer Christina Aguilera, socialite Paris Hilton, and rappers Big Sean and DJ Khaled. The disgraced actor, Charlie Sheen, also has property in the community.
Rob purchased a $6 million home in the same community for him and his wife in 2018. He intends to live in the property until construction is finished on his other estate. His current home is 7,000 square feet, with four bedrooms.
In December 2019, Rob bought a third home in Mulholland Estates, paying $8.5 million for the 7,500-square-foot mansion.
I am truly blessed to have been a part of the MTV family for so long.
In skateboarding, you’re never bigger than the streets.
My entire life is a single body of work.
California just does not remotely embrace the fact that it’s where skateboarding itself was birthed and where 90% of the industry is.
There is nothing like watching a crazy video for the very first time.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a vacation, to be quite honest with you.
What’s skateable is limitless by design.
One of the best things to me about ‘Skate’ is that if you play this game from beginning to end, you just got a complete education on what skateboarding is.
Street League Skateboarding is the premier professional skateboarding league in the world, with the biggest prize money in history.
As a professional skateboarder, I can’t look at anyone getting hurt – it freaks me out.
As skateboarding evolved, it evolved away from competition. Having a best-trick contest doesn’t work.
Oliver Dale is Editor-in-Chief of MoneyCheck and founder of Kooc Media Ltd, A UK-Based Online Publishing company. A Technology Entrepreneur with over 15 years of professional experience in Investing and UK Business. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. He built Money Check to bring the highest level of education about personal finance to the general public with clear and unbiased reporting. oliver@moneycheck.com
This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
MoneyCheck is a fast-growing online publication launched in 2018 with the aim of covering personal finance and investment news.
Our goal is to simplify and explain in clear language, what can be a confusing jumble of terms and concepts. We hope to provide clear, unbiased facts so people can make up their own mind about important financial decisions.
Kooc Media Ltd Company No.05695741 International House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester, M2 3HZ UK
Hours Monday—Friday: 9:00AM–5:00PM Saturday & Sunday: 11:00AM–3:00PM
MoneyCheck™ Copyright © 2018 - 2022 Kooc Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Registered Company No.05695741 Simplifying the World of Finance, for Everyone.
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.