Welcome to BC Empire

Nautique Boats new patented wakeboard tower debuted in Aug 1997 featuring pro rider Bruce Clem.

Bruce Clem hooked into the Body Glove Yacht, surfing from Hermossa Bch to Catalina Island in the Pacific.

Bruce Clem was the first wakekater ever featured in a double page spread in Wakeboarding Magazine with this photo

Traveling around Europe capturing images of Scott Byerly doing his thing!

Bruce Clem bustin a method air over the table top in Sugar Bowl, Lake Tahoe California

Writing stories and taking pictures for World Publications made Bruce learn alot about how a big corporate business was managed.

Bruce Clem and his good buddy Cyril Cornaro lived in a tent for 6 months on this lake in Granada, Spain.  Cyril was a sponsored team rider for Nautique Boats and O'Neil Clothing and Wetsuits.  They wakeboarded most days and snowboared on the others up on top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains along Costa Del Sol.  It was a dream come true.

Bruce Clem was almost born in the back seat of this 1966 Chevelle SS 396.  It was one of 12 ever made with the Cowl Induction Air Cleaner and the M22 Rock Crusher dfRacing Transmission.  His dad had his Chevelle his whole life and he grew up going to drag races, car shows and boat races.

One of the many international trips Bruce Clem and crew spent carving up the waves in Baja Mexico.  This featured double page spread of Bruce hitting the lip, was taken 4 hours south of the border in a little fishing village full of lobster.  Christian Fletcher (Aerial Surf Innovator), Scott Byerly (Godfather of Wakeboarding), and others were on the list of attendees.

When your best friends are the top extreme sports athletes in the world, its not hard to find a place to sell images.  Bruce supplied Reef shoes with a steady flow of photos of their Iconic rider Scott Byerly for their advertising needs.

Bruce became friend with a guy named Yeti, through legendary surfer Chrisitian FLetcher.  Yeti was a manager on the Limp Bizkit tour and Bruce & friends got to spend the Southeastern Leg of the Tour rockin it with Fred Durst and crew/

Bruce Clem was on one of the first international flights out of America after 9/11.  He flew from Orlando to Newark, Newark to Amsterdam. Upon his landing in Newark, the Twin Towers were still burning.  There were only 6 people on the 747 Airplane on the trip across the ocean. Upon returning from Holland, he went to Ground Zero a week after the attack and captured this photo and many others while in lower Manhattan.

Another featured spread of Bruce Clem, catching air somewhere down in Mexico.  Bruce spent a lot of time in the surf down in Baja, up until his last trip in 1997 when him and fellow riders and photographer were badly injured in a late night car crash.  He never returned to Mexico after that night.

In his prime, Bruce Clem was one of Body Glove Wet-suits top Pro Riders.  He was fortunate to get to travel with and represent such a great team and brand.  

Back before wakeboarding had rails to grind on and launch off, the old skoolers would use docks to fill their needs.  This dock slide took place on Lake Santa Fe, outside of Gainesville, Florida.  Bruce Clem was featured in the Super Session pages of Wakeboarding Magazine.

Back when wakeskating was so new, none of Bruce Clem or his crew wore shoes, just went barefoot.  The sport later evolved to ride on wooden decks like skateboards with true grip tape,and real skate shoes. Bruce was right there in the middle of the whole evolution of a brand new extreme sport.

Bruce Clem's Godfather Bill Hunt, owned Sun West Mine while he was growing up.  Bruce and his family had 3 crystal clear blue spring fed lakes to train on throughout his life.  As he grew into a man and a pro rider, this spot was the mecca of the whose who in the late 1990's.

Bruce Clem was not only a pro wakboarder and photographer, but also a model.  He was featured in a 10 page spread in world famous fashion magazine W.  Bruce and friends tore apart Armani suits to wakeboard in, for Iconic fashion photographer Bruce Webber.  Legendary Big Wave Surfer Herbie Fletcher introduced Bruce and his friends to Webber and the rest is history.

For a decade, Bruce Clem wrote stories and got photos published in some of the biggest publications of the times.  This featured article on Scott Byerly is just one of many that have sentimental meaning to the lifeline of BC.  Getting anything published of Scott Byerly was a huge feat, but being bro's with the Godfather of Wakeboarding, took Bruce to places he never would of dreamed possible in a million years. 

Not only was Bruce Clem the first wakeskater ever featured in a double page spread in Wakeboarding Magazine, he captured this sequence of the first blind 360 ever recorded.by Scott Byerly on Lake Pickett in Chuluota Florida for Wakeboarding Magazines featured Sessions

Another double page ad, photographed by Bruce Clem of Scott Byerly for Nautique Boats advertising. Scott Byerly was Natiques biggest rider and eventually had a signature Byerly Edition Nautique that sold over 80 boats. 

Wale Tech was the hottest board company in the industry back in the mid 1990's.  They produced the best new twin tip boards for riding multi directional, like we all had been doing on skateboards and snowboards since the start of time.  Wake Tech featured a board called the Flight 69 and later the Blunt, that were some of the most selling boards ever.   This two page spread in Wakeboarding Magazine of Scott Byerly, their icon rider, is another great one supplied by Bruce Clem.

Another legendary spread and sequence of Scott Byerly grinding a rail off the top of his dads boat house on Lake Catherine in Castleberry, Florida.  This was far beyond its time, and still to this day is pretty gnarly.  When we built this rail,  we weren't sure if it was possible to pull on a skateboard wearing a wakeboard to launch off a roof, to a rail and ride away.  Byerly pulled it off with his smooth style like it wasn't nothing!

A two page spread from the roof of the boat house of Bylery making the gap.  Bruce Clem's images were continuously featured in a variety of publications for a decade.  The friends and relationships Bruce built over that period of his life still last today.  He has friends all over the world he keeps in contact with  from his days as one of the elite photographers in the wakeboard industry.

This featured story and article is one that hurts the most in Bruce Clem's heart.  Words and photos by Bruce in regards to the passing of his dear friend and legendary wakeboarder Todd Brendel.  Within 6 months of learning how to wakeboard, Todd was inventing new tricks for the sport that no one had even though of yet! Rest Easy old friend, you were an OG.

When Bruce Clem and Cyril Cornaro showed up in Lugano Switzerland, the local riders had 7 brand new Nautiques waiting there for them.  This was the cleanest lake Bruce ever rode in with icy cold water with 300" depths in some places.  Wakeboarders Pardise.  This two page spread in Wakeboarding Magazine was supplied by Bruce.

When Bruce Clem bough his house in Chuluota, Florida, his friends were close behind.  Not long after Bruce moved here, Scott Byerly bought a house down the road, and soon after that Gator bought a house down the road from Byerly.  It turned the little unknown town of Chuluota into the Mecca of the Extreme Sports World.  People from the far ends of the earth traveled to Chuluota to be a part of what all the commotion was about.

While taking time off from traveling the world to finish his degree at UF, Bruce applied for a job at the local newspaper to get some experience on the photo journalism side of things.  His first shoot for the paper was of a Lenny Kravits concert.  This photo was featured on the cover of the newspaper the next day, and a meeting was called.  The Editor of the paper had 7 other publications pinned on the wall.  As he introduced Bruce to the 100 person staff, he patted Brice  on the back as the staff applauded their new staff member. Bruce's photo blew the others newspapers photos out of the water, and instantly Bruce had access to any event he wanted to shoot.

Bruce Clem shot photos of the SEC throughout the late 90's, and was fortunate to get to be on the field in the middle of all the action.  This photo shoot was of all the Gator Football players, on the field in the SWAMP at the University of Florida.  I said its Great, To Be, A Florida Gator!

Growing up by a beach and surfing his whole life, skateboarding has always been another passion of Bruce's.  When he traveled the world, he always brought a skateboard with him, 1 - to help lug his gear around, 2 - to find and skate bowls in any city he was traveling.  He has skated and crashed hard, in some of the most legendary bowls around the world. 

Bruce Clem about to eat PVC pipe on the step up rail that he and the Lake Pickett crew built by Gators house.  Scott Byerly with the in your face camera angle getting the shot.

One of the many films produced by Freedom Films back in the 90's.  Freedom Films was founded by Bruce Clem and Pat Panakos, and had help from all their friends doing what they could to lend a helping hand to make some tight films.

Growing up, Bruce always loved music.  HIs parents had a big vinyl collection he would rock to.  Becoming a well know photographer got him even closer than he would ever imagine to some of his favorite artists.  Getting these photos on stage with Outkast and Ludacris was one of his top highlights from his wilder days.

Back in the late 90's, Bruce Clem had long hair and typically a big beard to go along with it.  Greg Morris, the famous artist and tattoo legend, spent 120 hours sleeving Bruces right leg.  Bruce let Greg live in house out in Chuluota, and nightly there were parties going on, in Bruce's home tatoo parlor,  till the sun came up.  In this photo, Bruce has Ivory Tusks through his septum piercing, giving him the look of a wild boar.

While living in a tent in Granada Spain with good friend Cyril Cornaro, Bruce and Cyril flew to Palma de Mallorca of the coast of Spain to do a wakeboard exhibition. While in Palma at a Yacht Club dinner, Bruce and Cyril got introduced to Julian Lennon.  Julian invited them to his bar, where they had a grand time until the bar closed at 4am.  The 3 hopped in a taxi, shot across the island and ended up at the craziest club you could ever imagine at 4:45am.  The 3 hung out, bar and club hopping till about 2pm the next day.  Julian got a call and had to bounce but that was one night for the record books.

Bruce Clem gapping the rocks at his Godfathers Limestone Mine in Aripika Florida.  His Godfather Bill Hunt dredged this lake daily and sold the limestone for a base layer on road development throughout the state.  This was the coolest place ever to have at your disposal.  From the High School parties and week long camp outs, Sun West mine was a blessing to us all from one of the greatest men ever, Bill Hunt. RIP old friend.

Bruce Clem has worked with many musicians for their record and album covers.  This shoot was for the cover of a vinyl album for Ruby Velle & The Solphonics, and ATL based soul band.

Working with Jesse Palmer in the Swamp at the University of Florida.  Bruce Clem has a diverse background in all aspects of photography.

Bruce's first motorcycle was a 1980 Honda 70 three wheeler.  He later moved on to moto x and then eventually to Harley Davidsons.  When his sons were born, he sold his bike and has been sticking to the dirt till his boys are older and can fend for themselves.

That little kid in the middle of Fred and Wes, is Nick Hogan, Hulk Hogans son.  Bruce went to the Godsmack, DMX and Limp Bizkit show in Tampa back in the day withhis cuzin Bubba the Love Sponge and Hulk Hogan.  When your rolling with Hulk Hogan, all the doors open.  We got to have some beers with Godsmack, got to celebrate with DMX at his 30th birthday party, and of course, hung out with the Bizkit for a bit before they went on stage and rocked it!

Being a photographer has its perks.  This day Bruce got a call to come hang out with Ludacris at the radio station his buddy was a DJ at.  Bruce showed up and got some images of Luda , chatted it up and later went to the concert, Bruce got to be on the stage for the show, and later that night partied on the tour buses with Outkast and Luda.

Bruce has always loved old architecture.  Traveling around Europe he got to take in all he could handle.  This building behind him was a couple hundred years old.  Hard to imagine something could stand up for that long.

Bruce was friends with all the legendary wakeboarders of the 1990's.  Here, he is at Shawn Murrays house, about to kick back and relax after a long day of filming.  This is back when Andy Lazarus lived with him before he fell in love and got married. 

For his last few years at college at UF, Bruce bought this 1984 Oldsmobile 442 with T Tops.  He slapped 3 competition Kicker 12's in the back and she was bumpin!

Bruce's good friend Herbie Fletcher, was friends with the LOST surfboard designers in Southern California.  He had these custom surf/wake boards made for us to tow in the surf with.  They were alot of fun and helped us push the sport to places it had never been.

1997,  was Bruce's first trip to Australia with Scott Byerly.  Scotty Kell, Dale and Adam Dodd showed the Orlando boys around Ozz  These Mates made sure that Bruce and Scott had the best experience ever while in the Outback!

Carving up the surf, getting as much air as we could, here in Oceanside California with the Fletchers.  Bruce was filming on the beach at Camp Pendleton when 20 tanks rolled up on him.  He was trespassing by standing in the sand, but the Sargent was cool and let him keep filming.

Looking back now at his wilder side, Bruce laughs at what kids do when they are young and dumb.  Do to the lifestyle and industry he was working in, he didn't get to much flack for looking like this.  Reflecting back, he sure hopes his sons don't follow in his footsteps.

Bruce competing in a Boarder X contest in the Swiss Alps.  This photo is taken up on a glacier above Montreux Switzerland, where Bruce and his friends competed in wakeboarding on Lake Geneva, and then snowboarding up on the hill top.

Bruce doing a slob 180 on Lake Pickett, free riding with no vest.  As the industry grew and some good friends and people were lost in lakes due to no life vests, the industry started cracking down to make sure all the riders were safe when they crashed.  This photo is proof of how we all chose to ride, free.

Bruce and a couple of his roomates, Pat Panakos and Steve Whalman, getting in some images for magazine advertising.  This photo was taken at Sun West Mine in the late 90's

Another photo shoot for magazine advertisements.  Bruce was riding for SMP Clothing, Bad Ass Bindings, Body Glove and NBN boards in this photo.  Steve Whalman on the right was a Nor Cal ripper Bruce let him move in with him to get some first hand experience of what this lifestyle was about.

One of the 30 - 4 hour sessions Bruce spent getting his right leg sleeved from his toes to his hip.  Greg Morris going to town on that upper thigh.  Bruce has 120 hours of tattoo work done all in one sleeve.