João Kopke plays, and the world tunes in

Whether taking adventurous trips to the depths of the Amazon or exploring sustainable production methods, chasing waves across the globe or making music with the locals on his path, his passion for discovery, surf, music and storytelling motivates him to always push further. Now, this multi-hyphenate sets his sights on a new horizon: producing fascinating nature-related content on his own channel.

João comes from humble beginnings, he is the first born son of immigrant parents, who was brought up in Portugal at the turn of the millennia. “I remember a huge cluster of Brazilian families here, like mine. They were my parents´ friends- my sister´s and my adoptive family. We always had barbecues and went on vacations all together. But with the economic crisis, many of our people moved back to Brazil, and I remember a great loneliness from this network of people who were gone.

You don’t need everybody to leave, just five or six key players, and thirty people never see each other again. It was tough on my parents, and their relationship fell apart. I guess we went from being a community to suddenly being just us, and just us wasn’t going well. I felt sadness and worried for my family. But I had no time to think about myself, because by age ten, I was doing gymnastics, acrobatics, surfing and classical music. I had many things going on, so I was ok..”

Challenges

João´s focus and drive helped him overcome not only his personal challenges but also the challenges of competitive sports and the social challenges of being a second-generation immigrant. “I was obsessed with all the things I did. As a young gymnast, I thought I would be a pro, even at 10! And then, with surfing, I wanted to be a pro surfer. The challenge in the surfing world was that some kids were sometimes a bit mean, as all the kids are, and they made sure I knew I was Brazilian. I remember I stopped calling my parents while I was around other kids because then I used to change my accent. When you´re a teenager, you want to fit in. I was ashamed of being Brazilian, and I hated it. I wish no one has to go through that. In a way, I thought that surfing competitively was the way to prove myself. I developed this deep drive not to fail, to show I’m gonna do this! And a little part of me today takes some pride in saying I’m still here, you know, I’m still doing my thing, I’m still around, I’m proud of being who I am, I beat that challenge.”

As a competitive surfer, João quickly stood out as champion. Amongst his many achievements, he was the national champion of Portugal in three age divisions: under 14,16 and 18. Inevitably, his many talents and interests summoned new prospects. “Sports were natural to me, but music was too. I studied the double bass and lyrical singing at the Lisbon Conservatory. In the surfing world, I was this little alien, the kid who won competitions but also wrote, sang opera and played a weird instrument- people would ask me: kid, why is your violin so big? Then, when I was about 18, Bondi, the coffee brand that sponsored the first surf championship in Portugal, was looking for a presenter for their campaign- a surfer who had more than just surfing. And I was this person. So I had this revelation- maybe I can throw everything that I like doing into this side of surfing and keep doing it. Because that’s my challenge- to keep doing all my passions, and if anything, taking on more passions.”

João stormed his new career path as a presenter with the same focus and determination he had for all his passions. Next, he presented Riding Portugal for TAP Airlines. It was an introduction to Portugal through surf-travel, exploring history and culture along the way. Other brands and institutions soon followed, partnering up with what has now become João Kopke, the presenter and producer. “I was a 20-year-old kid who went to 50 meetings and discovered what you have to do to sell your idea, and I still have this boogeyman under my laptop, telling me that if I don’t send this email now, I´ll end up working in an office. Fortunately, I learned how to help brands and institutions communicate their message without compromising my play. I mean my play, as in my trips, surfing and music, getting to know people, and getting to know topics I want to explore.

Wanderlust

João´s media persona resonates with his wonderer´s wanderlust soul. A conversation with him lights up the imagination with tales of travel, like the one he took through the Amazon forest in a little canoe: “You look to the horizon and only see green, and the huge clouds, and the big river, where life is made there. Huts scattered along the waterways.” Or of the fantastic life of a polymath, studying for his bachelor’s degree exams while chasing surf on the southern coast of Nicaragua. “It was tricky; we surfed from 5 to 11 am, then it got too hot, so, between 11-4 pm, I was studying for my exams, and then surfing again till dark, waking up at 4 am the next day and do it back again.”

But now, João has his sights set on the next level, “I want to develop personal channels because I don’t want to be dependent on outside sources for people to watch my content.” Of the many subjects João plans to explore, one could find making wax from beehives, surfboards manufactured from agave plants, venomous fish in the Portuguese waters, biologists creating marine protected areas, or the fact that all the algae on the Portuguese coast are edible, nutritional and sustainable. “I think these are cool topics. And this is my play, you know, this is exactly what I want to do and produce. I wanna keep doing what I’m doing because I love what I’m doing. Actually, if somebody asks me now- if nothing changes forever, are you happy? I would say yes!”

João´s content is available on his channel on the link: João Kopke - João Kopke

With a passion for surfing and writing, Yariv Kav moved to Portugal´s wave capital from his native Israel. He was awarded a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manchester back when Oasis was still cool, and a diploma with distinction from the London School of Journalism in Feature and Freelance Writing. Loves travel, languages and human stories.

Yariv Kav