I just found this interview over on Stabmag. If you want to know about Marlon’s sponsorship dealings, and exactly what he did for Playboy, read on…

Germany’s first and only World Tour surfer is, in fact barely German. Born in Lagos, Portugal, where he’s spent his whole life and honed his world-class surfing repertoire, Marlon’s only links to Germany are through parentage. This has not quelled Germany’s interest in his career.

Does surfing and Germany intersect, Marlon?
Surfing is loved all round the world. And because there are so many people in Germany, (80 million, making it the largest country in Europe) it has a following. Surfing represents a lifestyle they don’t really have. I think that is why they like it.

I heard Germany had something like five magazines dedicated to the sport.
It had a few but the financial crisis killed some of them, including thebiggest one. There is another one, Blue, and SurfEurope sells the most magazines in Germany out of anywhere in the world.Better than France and Spain combined.

Has your German heritage afforded you any financial benefits?
I got a sponsorship from Deutsche bank from a friend of my Dads*. But it’shard. Most of the big companies are like, “surfing, what’s that?” No onetakes a step to you. Surfing is slowly getting a reputation. Media wise,it’s definitely building.

Right. When STAB was in Tahiti there was a German television crew there to film you. Splendid fellows, might I add. It was their guidance that was largely responsible for our drastic improvement as TV journalists.
I was the life of that show. They worked for one of the biggest television channels in Germany (Das Erste). One of their shows on me aired the other day. Three million people watched.

Any other publicity of note?
I’ve been in Playboy (Germany), GQ (Germany), Spiegel (It’s the German equivalent of the New York Times).

For the rest of Maron’s interview, get over to the infamous STABMAG site