Conversations with Matt Pagan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Pagan.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road, and honestly the struggles are what built the whole thing.

Towards the end of my surfing contract days I was surfing for RVCA, which was a literal childhood dream. In 5th or 6th grade I used to daydream about driving through my neighborhood in the RVCA van. Then at 26, Mike Brophy, the team manager, picked me up from my parents’ place in Westchester and drove the team up to Malibu for a catalog shoot. That was a huge win for me.

But I could feel the paycheck to surf had an expiration date, and when it came, I lost my motivation. For over ten years I had programmed myself to get results in a jersey or in front of a camera. When that disappeared, so did the “win.” I felt bad that I didn’t want to surf just to enjoy it. Surfing was only fun when I was with people or working on something, and that still perplexes me.

At the same time I got really involved at Mosaic Church in LA and loved who I was becoming. I took a job and ended up in Orange County of all places lol, two minutes from RVCA.

Two friends, Aaron and Eric, pushed me to start shaping and build a brand. I never wanted to use my last name. Then they and Aaron’s dad, our head pastor, pitched me on the idea that the name doesn’t have to be defined by the dictionary. You were given a name and a mission to rebuild it. That’s where Under Construction comes from. It also ties back to my roots in my family’s construction business, where you learn nothing gets built overnight.

I’m still learning. Recently I got stitches from my own fin trying to land a big air on a day I wasn’t feeling on, just chasing that win again.

That’s how I see the whole journey and how I’m building my business. Small wins, stacked up, and always under construction.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I build surfboards and a surf community.

Pagan USA is my surfboard brand, and Under Construction Surf Club is my coaching program based out of El Porto in Manhattan Beach. I started shaping at 25 after Tyler Hatzikian gave me a twin fin, and I’ve been lucky to learn from a lineage that runs deep in the South Bay. I’ve always loved color, so my boards tend to stand out in the lineup.

On the coaching side, I specialize in beach breaks positioning and overall surf technique, which is what most of LA actually surfs and needs. A lot of surf instruction is built for perfect surf trips. But at a spot like El Porto, the peaks shift, the sandbars move, and the tide and wind change everything. I believe lineup navigation is the most under taught skill in surfing. You can have great technique, but if you’re not catching good waves, it doesn’t matter. So we teach people how to read the ocean, position themselves, and ride boards that match their reality.

What I’m most proud of is watching our surfers progress. One of our guys is a dad who works in tech. Two years ago he could barely paddle out on an 8′ soft top. Now he’s turning in the pocket on a 6′ shortboard. That’s the stuff that fires me up.

What sets us apart is that everything connects. I grew up surfing here, competed, got sponsored, and I also grew up in my family’s construction business. That builder mindset shapes how I approach boards, coaching, and the brand. We’re not just selling a product. We’re building a community and trying to put LA on the map as a real surf culture center.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think surfing is about to go through what running and golf already went through.

Look at run clubs. Ten years ago running was a solo thing. Now every city has run clubs that are basically social scenes, with brands like Bandit Running building culture around the community first and the product second. Surfing has always had community, but it’s also had a lot of gatekeeping. I see the next wave of surf brands opening the door instead of guarding it. More fun, more showmanship, more people surfing together with a shared purpose. That’s a big part of what we’re building with Under Construction Surf Club.

Then look at golf. Nobody thinks twice about a 45 year old taking golf lessons, filming their swing, and working on one thing at a time for years. Golfers treat improvement as a lifelong pursuit, and there’s a whole industry built around coaching, data, and technique. Surfing is way behind on that. There are so many adults who started during COVID or came back to it after years away, and they’re stuck. They’re confused about whether it’s their board, their fitness, or their technique. I think surf coaching for adults is going to grow the same way golf instruction did, and the coaches who can explain the “why” in a simple way are going to lead it.

The difference is surfing has a variable golf doesn’t: the ocean. The course changes every day. That’s why I think lineup navigation, reading sandbars, tide, and wind, is going to become the most valuable skill to teach, especially in beach break cities like LA.

Add wave pools and the Olympics bringing more eyes to the sport, and I think the next 5 to 10 years will be the most exciting surfing has seen. My hope is LA gets recognized as a real surf culture center, not just a place people surf.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paganusa.com
• Instagram: Matt_Pagan or pagan_usa
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-pagan-89bb27228/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paganusa