Growing up, Hans Hagen was the quintessential surfer. He was good even in the early days. While the rest of us were trying our best at Brooks or Oak Streets, Hans was going on surf safaris. From the beginning, the girls loved him and the guys both envied and respected him. Fast forward twenty years and Hans is still a passionate surfer and now you can add movie maker to his list of accomplishments. The Word got a chance to sit down with Hans and talk to him about his life and his upcoming film release.

TW:  What have you been up to?
HH:  I ride for Quiksilveredition. It is a division of Quicksilver. I am doing a lot of exploratory trips, some with Quicksilver Crossing. It's a boat (the same boat that Titus was on). I went with Kelly Slater and Jack Johnson to Africa.

I'm involved with a sunglass brand called Jen Optics. We've been growing the business for the last four years. It will be something to look forward to after my surf career. But my focus right now is still surfing. Things are really good with my sponsors Quicksilver and Globe. They have been really good to me.

TW:  We hear you're a movie director - how did you get into that?
HH:  Globe, one of my sponsors, had faith in me. They knew I was involved in a couple of successful movies, "Shelter" and "Thicker Than Water". They wanted someone to go out on the road and work really close with the team. Since I have good relationships and a good history with the guys, I traveled well with them. So I geared up and traveled with a film guy. We went into all these guys lives, filming for almost a year and a half. It was an incredibly fun time.

TW:  What's your up coming movie called?
HH:  "Somewhere, Anywhere, Everywhere." The world premier was on the Gold Coast of Australia on March 4th. It should come here sometime this month.

TW:  Give us some more details, where did you film?
HH:  We filmed it all over the world starting in Hawaii, then Puerto Rico, then Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, Costa Rica, Cabo San Lucas, Mainland Mex, and finally back to Hawaii again. We went everywhere. There are a lot of people in it - CJ Hobgood, Taj Burrow, Mark Occhilupo, Luke Hitchings, Nathan Webster, Pancho Sullivan, Damien Hobgood. This may be the best surf team in the industry right now.

TW:  Where are you off to next?
HH:  I am going to Mexico early tomorrow morning to shoot some photos. The swell is supposed to be pretty good….

Even though Hans loves to travel all over the world surfing and directing, he still calls Laguna his home. Hans has seen the world's best beaches and met many interesting people, but when it comes to feeling comfortable and "at home" he comes back to South Orange County to his friends and family.