Let me introduce you to Cody Allen, the Creative Manager at S&S Cycle. He’s a California native from Huntington Beach who moved to Viola, Wisconsin for the love of the S&S Cycle brand and has been working for them for 6 years. With an innate talent for capturing moments and telling alluring stories, Cody stands as one of the driving forces behind the brand’s creative endeavors. As a skilled content creator, he utilizes his artistic vision and technical prowess to produce engaging content that resonates with motorcycle enthusiasts worldwide. Cody takes immense pride in being a part of S&S Cycle, a brand that boasts a rich history dating back to 1958. As the Creative Manager, he stands firmly behind the legacy of excellence that S&S Cycle has established over the years. With a strong commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance in the motorcycle industry, S&S Cycle is constantly evolving and seeking new avenues of innovation. Cody Allen plays a pivotal role in shaping the visual narrative of S&S Cycle, leaving a grand mark on the brand’s image and success.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Can you share with us the story of how you got started in the motorcycle industry?
Cody Allen: I’ve worked in the motorcycle industry for about nine years now, so straight out of college. I went to an art school for graphic design and I happened to make a good friend and acquaintance there that graduated before me. She had started working at MAG, which was Motorsport Aftermarket Group. And so I got connected to my boss through her and started at Progressive Suspension and Burly Brand — straight out of school. And that’s also my current boss, David Zemla, who is the VP of marketing at S&S Cycle. So he was my old boss in California. He moved out to Wisconsin and then kind of later recruited me there.
Caption: A shot of Cody’s red Triumph (Photo: Owned by Cody Allen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: People obviously might not know this, but you are originally from California. You live in Wisconsin. So work brought you out there.
Cody Allen: Yep, that’s right. I am originally from California. Before I was in the motorcycle space, I was just a recreational rider like anybody else and kind of started to get into bikes during college. It was one of those things where it was like, maybe I want a moped. And it’s like, you got to get your M2 license for that. Well, I kind of wanted a scooter, but then you need your M1 license and if you’re gonna do that, you might as well just get a motorcycle, you know?
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Was there any other inspiration to riding? Did anyone in your family ride that made you wanna go forward with it?
Cody Allen: You know, it was completely random. My dad had a couple of bikes when I was a kid — it was never anything that I was actually interested in. I also like bicycling, it also has two wheels, but I wanted to go a little faster, I guess.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: So you are the creative manager at S&S Cycle. Talk to me about what you do for the brand.
Cody Allen: I work in their marketing departments and I basically handle any of the photography, videography and some of the graphic design duties, as well as overseeing our other graphic designers that we have on our team. And then I coordinate and work with my manager, Jon Montgomery, who’s the Director of Marketing, as well as David Zemla, who’s the VP of Marketing and the rest of our team on any content creation, anything that kind of represents the physical manifestation of our brand.
Caption: A drone shot of the S&S Cycle facility located in Viola, Wisconsin (Photo: Owned by Cody Allen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: How do you think the creative side in the motorcycle industry differs from other creative industries out there?
Cody Allen: I’m sure it does differ to a certain extent, but what little experience that I have outside of the motorcycle industry. You still have the foundation of a marketing team that’s an advertising firm that’s driving content and engagement with their audience. I don’t have a lot of experience outside of the motorcycle industry. Like I said, I started with David at Progressive the day after I graduated college. Not a minute passed by that I wasn’t there. It was kind of an interesting fast-paced segue to get into this industry, but I love it.
Caption: Cody’s “winter build” creation for the 100 Day Sportster Throwdown. (Photo: Owned by Cody Allen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: I know S&S Cycle has a really rich history and has been around for a while. What are other ways that makes S&S stand out in comparison to other brands besides their long history and how do you work with that into your creative ways?
Cody Allen: I mean, as far as other companies go, like you said, obviously the first thing that comes up is the long history. They’ve been around since 1958. But the other big thing is, we’re kind of considered the leader in the performance space as far as V-Twins are concerned, you know, Harley motorcycles. We have also differed in other fields. We’ve done stuff to support Royal Enfield in a lot of ways in the last couple years. We’ve done a huge amount of things with Indian and we still are currently, which I can get into later as far as some of the history or achievements. But we’ve also delved into the side-by-side UTV space in the last couple years. So I think the big thing with our brand is on top of just being a leader in performance for the Harley space, is the fact that we’re constantly evolving. The brand is constantly expanding and looking into other avenues that are also somewhat adjacent to what we’re already achieving.
Caption: Cody poses with the purple Sportster featured in Dice Magazine, later embarking on a journey from Wisconsin to Sturgis. (Photo: Owned by Cody Allen)
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Talk about one of your favorite projects that you ever put on. I’m sure there’s so many in the marketing area.
Cody Allen: The most recent one though, which was one that I got to kind of spearhead — we did what was called the 100 Day Sportster build off. My two bosses and I had kind of a competition amongst ourselves. We all picked up rusty, dusty, nineties Harley Sportsters and we had a hundred days to turn them into something cool and bring them to the Mama Tried Show in Milwaukee.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: Being experienced in the industry, what advice would you give someone who wants to get involved in the creative side of the industry?
Cody Allen: Like I said, my schoolmate got into the space and I kind of just grabbed onto her fishing pole and went with her, you know? Networking is obviously a big part of it. So I’d say if you found a brand that you like, get to know people, go to shows, meet people on the grassroots side of it and get into the space that way. Volunteer your time or whatever gets you into the space, really. Freelance is obviously a big part of a lot of people’s deal. You see a lot of photographers at shows or at the races or what have you. I think people just kind of make connections and then go from there.
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys: I would like to know, have you ever been into a motorcycle accident?
Cody Allen: Well, a pretty anticlimactic answer, but the only time that I have laid a bike down was in my neighborhood going about 10 miles per hour slipping through a puddle.
To stay connected with the exciting world of S&S Cycle and to see Cody Allen’s creative contributions firsthand, you can visit the S&S Cycle website or check out Cody’s photography website. Ride safe, and thanks for reading!
