When Ace Content co-founder Carlos Naude isn’t brainstorming new creative marketing schemes for Carhartt, The North Face, or Google, he spends his time trying to go off the grid at every possible opportunity. I spoke with Naude shortly after he appeared in the debut episode of Can-Am’s “Where The Pavement Ends” video series, which focuses on inspirational stories in hopes of encouraging viewers to spend a little more time exploring outdoors.
The Can-Am-produced video represents just one of Naude’s many extracurricular projects, from building and selling a successful Airbnb in Pioneertown, near California’s Joshua Tree National Park, to founding an outdoor club, driving off-roading with his family in a Jeep Gladiator and an Escapod trailer. , and riding dirt bikes in the desert. He could even make an attempt at Mexico’s iconic Baja 1000 race sometime soon, a lifelong bucket-list goal that typically requires a lifetime of preparation to complete.
Creative Director (And Possible Hopeful Baja) Carlos Naude
Naude originally hails from Mexico, though his winding path to co-found Ace Content took him through Sweden, Spain, New York City, and eventually the greater Los Angeles region. Now with a wife and young son, Naude lives in Calabasas, but one of his main projects outside of producing branded content for Carhartt, The North Face, Google, Pellegrino, Uber and more over the past few years involved building Casa Mami in a hipper-que-hip Pioneertown style. The Mojave Desert of Joshua Tree introduced Naude to the capabilities of Can-Am side-by-sides.
“I’ve been driving them for a while,” he told me, “I’ve done three or five Can-Am rides… I love it. You know, I absolutely love it. That’s the beauty of California, right? You’ve got everything, you’ve got mountains , you have desert, you have the forest”.
After using Casa Mami as a getaway during the pandemic, Naude sold the property to focus on a new home in Calabasas, though she wants to get back down to earth soon, and not just to create another source of rental income.
“On my to-do list, I want to do the Baja 1000,” Naude revealed. “It’s Mexican, it’s a race in Mexico, but it’s for Americans.”
Of course, a connection to Can-Am could help Naude take Baja off the wish list.
“I want to do it in a Can-Am,” Naude explained. “I’m not going to do it on a bike. I have a kid now and it’s too dangerous. A Can-Am, you know, feels like the right amount of edge pushing, but without sacrificing your life. At least you’re in a cage.” .
I mentioned the incredible challenge Baja presents to vehicles and drivers, even seasoned pros. But Naudé only laughed.
“Listen, I don’t want to win it. I just want to finish it, you know. I want to take my time.”
Escape the routine in a Jeep Gladiator
Given her fondness for side-by-sides and dirt bikes, I asked Naude what she rides on a daily basis. It turns out that life on four wheels continues in the city with a Jeep Gladiator.
“I live in suburban Calabasas, so I don’t drive in the city much,” Naude explained. “I do a lot of surfing and just drive through the canyon with the board in the back of the truck. I love that truck and it’s fully built now.”
Although not a factory Rubicon, Naude’s Gladiator looks good with the knobs and iconic Jeep profile. However, even the additional cargo space in the Gladiator’s truck bed, compared to the smaller Wrangler, presents a bit of a challenge for a family of three, so it typically hauls a lightweight Escapod teardrop-style trailer that features a small space in the bed and an integrated kitchen pop in the rear.
Perhaps the challenge of leading massive brands through today’s evolving corporate landscape forces Naude to seek respite in nature. It is clear that he wants to try everything.
“All activities, anything that gets me off. Any wheel, any movement.”
Working Holiday Outdoor Club
“The moment you hit the ground, it’s like the fun begins,” Naude said. “The trail is just, you know, there are so many rules. Once you get off the trail, it’s like the rules just stray further. That’s what makes it super fun.”
On the back of her Gladiator, Naude slapped a decal for her latest project, called “Working Holiday Outdoor Club,” a new facet of Working Holiday Studio, which she founded as a personal project separate from Ace Content. The outdoor club tries to combine all aspects of his life, in what seems like a strong nod to today’s digital nomad culture.
“It’s like my side gig,” Naude told me. “Working Holiday has three different pillars. It has creativity, it has interior design, and I recently started doing a Working Holiday Outdoor Club where it’s basically all my hobbies in one place and I try to monetize them.”
Turns out gladiators aren’t cheap, and neither are Escapod trailers. Naude obviously specializes in turning creative work into income, but she hopes to prevent Working Holiday from becoming a chore or a distraction from the fun.
Can-Ams, Bikes and Baja
“By the time it turns into spreadsheets, I’m out,” he joked. “When I put everything in place, I’m super organized. And I love putting things together, but I wouldn’t want to run an adventure company. That’s too much responsibility, too much logistics and too many responsibilities.” spreadsheets and insurance and insurance policies”.
But if projects like Where the Pavement Ends and Working Holiday allow you to escape the daily grind, all the better.
“I just want to be able to do more,” Naude said. “I’m about to build a dirt bike now. I’m looking at a [Honda] XR650. It’s all stock, I’ll pick it up Monday.”
But that bike won’t get him to Baja, at least not the way Naude imagines going in and finishing the race. Maybe Can-Am can help along the way, as even finishing Baja requires surviving Baja first.
“In two years, I think I will,” Naude anticipated. “Just to do it, it’s not crazy. I don’t expect to spend $200,000 and get a chopper and a support crew. Literally get a partner, pay a couple crew to help us with pit stops. What happens?” if we do 200 miles and that’s the end? So be it, at least I tried.”
Sources: acecontent.com, can-am.brp.com, casamami.co, youtube.com, workingholidaystudio.com, escapod.us and jeep.com.
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