Episode 53 with Masafumi Kajitani aka Ame-San, skateboarder, journalist, translator, co-founder and chief-editor of VHS Mag.  Together we discussed him growing up in Japan, moving to Seattle, WA in the mid-80’s and picking up his first board over there, coming back to Osaka in 1990, watching the Japanese skate scene grow and evolve throughout the years, starting VHS Mag out of Tokyo in 2011, an online media to share what’s going on in the skateboarding world to Japanese skaters with no language barriers, and also get Japanese skaters out there to the world, the Tightbooth « Lenz 3 » masterpiece by Shinpei Ueno which came out a few months ago, his involvement with local wheel brand Strush, the perception of skateboarding in Japan before and after the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:25)  First video/magazine (05:18)  Moving back to Japan (07:51)  Skate scene in Osaka in the early 90’s (10:55)  Starting VHS Mag (15:02)  Inspiration from other media (22:51)  Evolution of the Japanese skate scene in the last 30 years (29:06)  Tightbooth Lenz III masterpiece (32:46)  Strush Wheels (35:27)  2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo (39:14)  Current projects (48:23) Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (50:04)  Friends questions (51:53)  Conclusion (01:13:53)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 52 with Dani Abulhawa, skateboarder, artist and academic from Rugby, England.   Together we discussed her growing up in the Midlands and picking up her first board in 1998, feeling slightly out of place as a skateboarder for a long time, her journey with academia from completing her PhD to becoming a senior lecturer in performance at the University of Leeds, her involvement with NGO Skatepal which started in 2015, going to both editions of the Pushing Boarders events in 2018 and 2019, starting non-profit Skate Manchester with a few friends, writing her book « Skateboarding and femininity: Gender, Space Making and Expressive Movement » which was published in 2020, the Plant Ecology Beyond Land project she initiated with her husband Christian Berger, the Skatepark Allyship audio artwork she recently put out…   Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:25) First magazine (03:53)  Not a « typical » skateboarder (04:57)  Getting into Academia (09:27)  Involvement with Skatepal (16:22) Pushing Boarders (25:57)  Skate Manchester (28:53)  Celebrating the « effortless » way of skating (31:06)  Skateboarding and femininity (36:51)  Plant Ecology Beyond Land (47:21)  Skatepark allyship audio artwork (53:36)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (58:40)  Friends questions (59:25)  Conclusion (01:22:32)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 51 with Joel Curtis, skateboarder, musician and podcast host from Sheffield, England.  Together we discussed him growing up and picking up his first board in Sheffield in the mid-80’s, developing an interest for music at an early age, getting flowed Zero boards and Circa shoes for a bit, moving over to Landscape Skateboards when the brand was started, filming for the classic video « Portraits » by Chris Massey (RIP), retiring from pro skateboarding and settling down in Bath in 2009, transitioning into making music for various brands and projects, starting the Skate Creative Podcast in 2021 and interviewing iconic creative skateboarders from the UK scene of the last 40 years…    Intro (00:13)  First video/magazine (03:55)  Interest for music (05:39)  Sponsors (11:01)  Zero and Circa distributor flow (12:45)  Getting on Landscape (15:47)  Skating for Nike SB (21:15)  Favorite skater/music combo in a part (27:38)  Working on « Portraits » part with Chris Massey (33:23)  Retiring from pro skating (41:32)  Transitioning into making music (48:30)  The Skate Creative Podcast (58:51)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:09:17)  Friends questions (01:11:52)  Conclusion (01:38:13)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 50 with Jaime Owens, skateboarder, journalist, photographer, founder of Closer Skateboarding Magazine. Together we discussed him growing up skating in Florence, South Carolina, studying art and photography in college, moving to California in 1999, connecting with Aaron Meza and Mike Ballard at Skateboarder Magazine, filming for Jackass for a little bit, climbing up the ladder at Skateboarder until it closed down in 2013, moving over to Transworld to become the editor-in-chief, leaving in 2021 with no set plans, deciding to launch a new print skate mag in 2022 and calling it Closer, releasing issue number 4 in the Spring of 2023, his vision of the future of skateboarding media, skating better than ever in his late 40's...  Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  First video/magazine (03:01) Studying art and photography (06:01)  Moving to California in 1999 (10:08)  Connecting with the Jackass crew (13:43)  Working at Skateboarder (24:05) Moving towards more digital content (34:35)  Leaving Transworld, developing the idea for a new print mag (38:04)  Secret to skating a lot in his late 40’s (45:18)  The beginning of Closer (48:59)  Connecting with Farran Golding (56:47)  Dealing with print quantities (57:40)  Decision to do a quarterly magazine (01:01:37)  Printing the mag locally (01:04:49)  Scheduling (01:08:23)  Doing more digital stuff in the near future (01:10:33) The future of skateboarding media (01:13:07)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:15:13)  Friends questions (01:16:30) Conclusion (01:53:23)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 49 with Atita Verghese, skateboarder from Bangalore, India.  Together we discussed her growing up in Bangalore, her mom being her first inspiration to become a strong independent woman and create her own lane, picking up a skateboard at 19 years old and skating with the Holystoked crew, meeting with the Make Life Skate Life crew and learning how to build skate spots, starting Girl Skate India in 2015, an organization which teaches girls how to skate, promotes gender equality and brings together skateboarders in India through workshops, going to Pushing Boarders Malmö in 2019, skating with Madars Apse recently for an episode of his show « Skate Tales », her upcoming projects…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  Upbringing (02:21)  Discovering skateboarding (07:36)  Being a girl in this emerging skate scene (10:26)  Family and friends’ reaction to her skating (14:27)  Access to skateboarding gear in Bangalore in 2013 (17:41)  First videos and magazines (19:13)  Make life skate life (21:40)  Building parks around India (22:39)  Starting Girl Skate India (23:11)  The challenge of skateboarding for young children in India (31:46)  Vans sponsorship (34:48)  Pushing Boarders 2019 in Malmö (37:21)  Skateboarding not really gendered in India (40:15)  Current Indian skaters the world should keep an eye on (48:01)  Upcoming projects (51:27)  Skate Tales episode with Madars Apse (55:42)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (57:43)  Friends questions (58:43)  Conclusion (01:28:55)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 48 with Johannes Schön and Florian "Burny" Hopfensperger, skateboarders from Germany, creators of Pocket Skatemag. Together we discussed them growing up in different parts of Germany, meeting for the first time on a skate trip to Croatia back in 2010, working in the skateboarding industry, Johannes in marketing for German distributor Mosaic and Burny as a skate photographer for various publications, launching Pocket Skatemag in 2017, how they run this whole operation between the two of them along with all the other people involved (particularly young prodigy Bennet Rahm), their favorite « followed » pieces so far, their thoughts about the future of skateboarding media, their upcoming projects…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  First video and magazine (05:13)  Meeting for the first time in Croatia in 2010 (08:33)  Work experience before launching Pocket (10:59)  First Transworld photographer issue for Burny (15:30)  Johannes worked for Mosaic, a German distributor for a few years (17:10)  Starting Pocket Skatemag (24:41)  Coming up with the name (28:55)  Influences in skateboarding media (31:58)  Business plan in mind at the beginning? (35:33)  Dividing tasks between both of them (38:13)  What is the other’s best skill or quality? (43:29)  How are you so damn productive? (44:47)  Johannes animations for Instagram (54:05)  Favorite « Followed » pieces so far (01:00:12)  « Followed » bucket list (01:03:00)  Thoughts on the future of skateboarding media (01:03:54)  Inspiring current initiatives in skateboarding media (01:08:45)  Upcoming projects (01:12:23)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:14:30)  Friends questions (01:17:49)  Conclusion (01:52:29) For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 47 with Kuba Kaczmarczyk, skateboarder and videographer from Warsaw, Poland. Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a skateboard in Warsaw in the early 90’s, getting interested in filming and making skate videos with his friends, releasing his first full-length video « Grey Area » in 2012 with a crew of talented skaters from Eastern and Central Europe, a few years later using the name Grey Area for the crew, working a full-time job and having a family while filming and making many more videos throughout the years, his upcoming projects…   Intro (00:13) Getting started (02:15)  Starting to film (14:25)  Early videographer influences (17:33)  Grey Area (20:32)  Filming in Florida with Danny Fuenzalida (33:03)  Plaza pieces « Culture of Grey » (36:04)  Potentially turning Grey Area into a brand (39:44)  Balance between skateboarding, work and family (46:41)  The war in Ukraine (53:01)  Upcoming projects (56:46)  Friends questions (57:37)  Conclusion (01:16:27)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 46 with Ali Boulala, musican, model, former pro skater from Stockholm, Sweden.   Together we discussed him growing up and picking up his first board in Stockholm, his obsessive nature since childhood, developing an interest for music thanks to Bastien Salabanzi back in the Flip days, his early sobriety days and having been sober for nearly 10 years, working with Max Eriksson on the documentary « the scars of Ali Boulala », joining the alternative rock band Ghost Boys, working on their first album, modeling for some of his friends’ brands such as CHPO or Human Recreational Services, working on a book…   Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:25)  Obsession (06:28)  Music (09:34)  Sobriety (13:39)  The Scars of Ali Boulala (24:56)  Ghost Boys (40:12)  Fashion projects: CHPO, HRS… (43:07)  Book project (47:23)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (50:40)  Friends questions (53:21)  Conclusion (01:18:13)   For more information and resources:  https://linktr.ee/beyondboards   Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 45 with Kristin Ebeling, skateboarder, musician and social worker from Seattle, Washington (also known as Occupied Duwamish Territory). Together we discussed her first encounter with a skateboard while she was living in Singapore as a young child, being bullied as a teenager and finding somewhat of a release through skateboarding, getting involved with Skate Like a Girl around that time and later becoming the executive director, throwing the wheels of fortune events for SLAG, turning pro recently for Meow Skateboards, playing bass in the punk band Punitive Damage, her upcoming exchange trip to Cambodia with Skateistan, going to the 2019 edition of Pushing Boarders in Malmö, her latest part for Krux Trucks... Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:26)  Subject to bullying as a child (04:56)  Getting involved with Skate like a girl (09:14)  Sponsors (22:28)  Wheels of fortune events for SLAG (25:26)  Turning pro for Meow Skateboards (31:28)  Playing bass with punk band Punitive Damage (36:28)  Upcoming exchange trip to Cambodia with Skateistan (42:32) Pushing Boarders (43:38)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (47:46)  Friends questions (50:05) Conclusion (01:02:29)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 44 with Steffen Austerheim, skateboarder from Stavanger, Norway, former student turned skateboarding teacher at Bryggeriets Gymnasium in Malmö, Sweden. Together we discussed him growing up and picking up his first skateboard in Stavanger, getting sponsored and doing competitions at a young age, finding out about Bryggeriets Gymnasium in Malmö and convincing his parents to send him over there, moving back to Stavanger after graduating to work and study for a few years, coming back to Bryggeriets in 2020 to work alongside his mentor John Dahlquist as a skateboarding teacher, the many challenges of teaching skateboarding, overcoming anxiety, his recent decision to go sober…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:25)  First sponsors (05:02) Going to Bryggeriets (07:28)  After graduating from high-school (15:44)  Coming back to work at Bryggeriets in 2020 (23:27)  Running skate classes alongside John Dahlquist (31:42)  Regular day-to-day schedule (41:55)   Class side-projects like CHPO in 2022 (48:07)  Current students we should keep our eyes on in the future (54:49)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (59:25) Friends questions (01:01:32)  Conclusion (01:57:22)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.