Episode 40 with Gordon Eckler, skateboarder and co-founder of the "Skate Trivia" games.  Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a board between the island of Guam and Maryland, getting sponsored and moving to California as a young adult, transitioning into graphic design and marketing, coming up with an idea for a « Skate Trivia » game born out of a game played between skaters during road trips while driving to skate spots, making it first as a card game, along with his friend and business partner Jack Spanbauer evolving it into two browser-based games which are about to be released, the inspiration they drew from similar initiatives like Skateboardle…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  Riding for Creature flow (04:37)  Ever turned pro? (14:59)  Starting Plaid Again (18:40)  Coming up with the idea for Skate Trivia (19:46)  Mostly US skateboarding or worldwide? (29:24)  Traveling to France, gathering questions for skate spot trivia game (31:04)  Inspiration from other « similar » projects around skate trivia (35:20)  Similarities with Skateboardle (38:25)  Two games on one website (41:07)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (43:40)  Friends questions (44:45)  Conclusion (01:11:40)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 39 with Imke Leerink, skateboarder, social media and marketing manager from The Hague, Holland, founder of Girls Shred.  Together we discussed her growing up and picking up a board in Utrecht, starting a myspace account called « Girls Shred » back in 2007 to connect with girl skaters near her, moving over to Facebook and Instagram to keep developing the community worldwide, doing events, meet-ups and workshops, the gnarly knee injuries she went through and is still struggling with to a certain extent, running the Instagram account daily, going to the 2019 edition of Pushing Boarders at Bryggeriets Gymnasium in Malmö, the place of women in skateboarding, the future of social media…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  First inspirations, first videos (04:49)  Working in graphic design (11:38)  Starting Girls Shred on Myspace (13:36)  Injuries (19:13)  Girls Shred moving to Instagram and next steps (39:56)  Events and meet-ups (43:47)  Running the IG account (51:21) Place of women in skateboarding (59:57) « Death » of social media (01:10:06)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:15:13)  Friends questions (01:15:53)  Conclusion (01:40:08)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 38 with Charlie Davis, skateboarder and musician from Edinburgh, Scotland, founder of NGO Skatepal. Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a skateboard in Edinburgh, traveling to Palestine for the first time in 2006, drawing inspiration from Skateistan’s work with youth in Afghanistan to launch a similar program by the name of Skatepal in 2013, crossing paths that same summer in Ramallah with Aram Sabbah and Adham Tamimi, some of the very first skaters in Palestine, developing the NGO in the following years and helping grow the Palestinian skate scene, co-launching Pushing Boarders with Theo Krish, Stuart Maclure and Sander Hölsgens in 2018, a conference about the social impact of skateboarding worldwide, what the future of Skatepal will look like…    Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:26)  Traveling to Palestine for the first time in 2006 (02:48)  Starting Skatepal (05:26)  Highlights (12:29)  Teaching skateboarding (21:59)  Advice for starting an NGO (27:01)  Working with Akwaaba (37:05)  The future of Skatepal (47:45)  Pushing Boarders (52:22)  Dream guests for a future edition? (57:52)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (59:48)  Friends questions (01:01:10)  Conclusion (01:27:09)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 37 with Ben McQueen, skateboarder and tattoo artist from San Francisco, California. Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a skateboard in Indianapolis, getting into tattoos, moving to San Francisco, the process of tattooing and the many links that can be found with skateboarding, starting his book project "Let it kill you" dedicated to that very subject, meeting with and interviewing iconic people from both worlds such as Jamie Thomas, Eric Dressen, Tyler Bledsoe, Cheyenne Sawyer or Andrew Allen to name a few, working on a second volume...  Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:14)  Getting into tattoos (06:12)  Moving to San Francisco (12:49)  A few nerdy questions about tattooing (15:13)  « Let it kill you » book project (33:07)  Selecting the guests for the first volume (37:31)  Reference to Bukowski (42:17)  Premieres/release parties (49:18)  Second volume (51:45)  Dream guests (52:41)  Influence of Instagram on skating vs. tattooing (54:31)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (57:50)  Friends questions (59:28) Conclusion (01:19:38)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 36 with Yurii Korotun, skateboarder, producer, skate teacher and mentor from Ukraine.  Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a board in Klavdievo near Kyiv, working in film production for a few years aside from his skating career, moving with his family to Hanover, Germany right before the war started in Ukraine in February 2022, giving skate lessons to young kids (among whom are Ukrainian refugees) at the Gleis D Skatehalle, filming for « Pushing Saves », a short documentary about his work by Torsten Frank for Adidas, his next projects…  Intro (00:13)  Getting started (01:13)  Working in film production (09:21)  Starting skateboarding (12:02)  Sponsors (17:54)  Leaving Ukraine (22:47)  Arriving in Germany (28:27)  Skate lessons at Gleis D (31:16) Trip to Berlin to premiere « Pushing Saves » (45:17)  What’s next? (51:08)  How can the listeners help you out, and help Ukraine? (01:00:12)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:02:57)  Friends questions (01:04:52)  Conclusion (01:27:57)   For more information and resources (as well as some links to some charities and organizations recommended by Yurii to support Ukraine and Ukrainians): https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 35 with Aram Sabbah, skateboarder from Ramallah, Palestine.  Together we discussed him growing up skating in Ramallah, meeting with Charlie Davis in the summer of 2013 and getting involved with his NGO Skatepal which was just getting started (aiming to support young people in Palestine through skateboarding), studying cinema in Tunis for a few years, coming back to Palestine after completing his studies and becoming the local manager for Skatepal, overseeing all on-the-ground operations, going to the second edition of Pushing Boarders in Malmö in 2019, turning pro for CHPO brand...  Intro (00:13)  Growing up and finding skateboarding (01:14)  Meeting with Charlie Davis (07:56)  Studying in Tunisia (15:25)  Becoming the local manager for Skatepal in Ramallah (17:27)  Volunteers (26:47)  How can people support skatepal? (29:55)  Pro model sunglasses for CHPO (33:24) Pushing Boarders (34:59)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (38:25)  Friends questions (39:43)  Conclusion (59:24)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 34 with Raphaël Zarka, skateboarder, writer, sculptor and all-around visual artist from France.  Together we discussed him discovering skateboarding in the South of France where he grew up, studying art in Winchester and Paris and becoming a visual artist, his various books focused on skateboarding from historical, archaeological, physics and artistic points of view to name a few (all available at Editions B42), the collaboration process between an artist and a gallery and him recently joining Galerie Mitterrand in Paris, creating skateable sculptures for a project called « Paving Space » in collaboration with Isle and Carharrt (documented by Dan Magee) in 2016, his upcoming projects…    Intro (00:13)  Discovering skateboarding (01:26)  Developing an interest for art (08:04)  Studying art (12:31)  Skateboarding while studying? (21:38)  Links between skateboarding and Raphaël’s art (27:28)  Books: the forbidden conjunction (31:26)  A Chronicle of Skateboarding (34:38)  Freeride (41:11)  Cycloid ramp (48:00)  Working with galleries (58:42)  Paving space project for Isle and Carharrt (01:02:00)  New project with Nozbone (01:08:42)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:11:47)  Friends questions (01:12:40)   Conclusion (01:40:52)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 33 with Kirill Korobkov, skateboarder, team and brand manager and all-around fixer from Moscow, Russia.  Together we discussed him growing up and picking up a skateboard in Cheboksary, the development of the Russian skate scene in the 90’s, his first gigs in the skateboarding industry as a writer, meeting and traveling with Patrik Wallner and the Visual Traveling crew and becoming their main fixer particularly in Russia and its surrounding countries, becoming the Vans team manager for Russia as well as the team and brand manager of Russian board brand Absurd Skateboards, the 2021 Grand Skate Tour in Nizhny Novgorod, and of course the war in Ukraine. Intro (00:13)  Growing up and finding skateboarding (01:14)  Moving to Moscow (18:40)  First travels outside of Russia (26:05)  Meeting with Patrik Wallner and getting involved with Visual Traveling (30:30)  First trip: 10.000km (39:18)  Favorite Visual Traveling trip (44:51)  Skills/qualities required to be a good fixer (48:38)  Absurd Skateboards team and brand manager (54:47)  Vans Russia team manager (01:00:09)  The war in Ukraine (01:05:25)  Grand Skate Tour in Nizhny Novgorod in December 2021 (01:11:13)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (01:16:48)  Friends questions (01:18:38) Conclusion (01:40:49)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 32 with Léo Valls, pro skater from Bordeaux, France.  Together we discussed him growing up skating in Bordeaux, his first sponsors, traveling to and living in Japan and California for a few years, getting on Magenta when the brand was launched, skating for DC shoes, developing skate urbanism initiatives in the city of Bordeaux, teaming up with his wife Lauren to create a skateboarding related yoga program called Namaskate, his upcoming projects…   Intro (00:13)  Growing up (01:26)  Sponsors (09:39)  Japan (14:26)  Magenta (22:22)  DC shoes (26:47)  Skate urbanism (30:31)  Shifty School (42:37)  Shooting in Saint Emilion (44:18)  Namaskate (46:10)  Summer 2022 and upcoming projects (52:01)  Friends questions (57:44)  Conclusion (01:20:03)    For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards  Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Episode 31 with Walker Ryan, professional skateboarder, writer, podcast host and founder of Old Friends.  Together we discussed him starting to skate between California and ex-Soviet Georgia as a child, going to college and turning pro for Organika, traveling around the world with Patrik Wallner’s Visual Traveling crew, starting Old Friends as a hat and clothing brand, evolving it towards fitness and physical therapy with the help of his good friend Dr. Kyle Brown with whom he hosts the Old Friends catch up podcast, writing his first novel “Top of Mason” and finishing his second one, his favorite skater-writers... Intro (00:13)  Growing up (01:14)  Sponsors (05:55)  Going to college (08:23)  First experiences abroad (18:11)  Traveling with Patrik Wallner and Visual Traveling (22:36)  Old Friends (25:21)  Top of Mason (32:53)  Dealing with social media (39:47)  Skater-writers (46:16)  Second novel (49:17)  Most valuable lesson learned from skateboarding (51:51)  Friends questions (53:27)  Conclusion (01:07:57)   For more information and resources: https://linktr.ee/beyondboards Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.