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INTERVIEWS

Jerry Hsu Talks No Sponsors & Plans for Sci-Fi Fantasy in GQ Interview

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Jerry Hsu’s evolution from mainstream pro to proprietor of a small independent quasi skate brand has been awesome to watch, and really speaks to the times that we’re in. If you’re relevant, you don’t really have to skate for anyone these days. Jerry talks no sponsors, plans for Sci-Fi Fantasy, and his new book in an in-depth interview published by GQ this afternoon. We pulled a couple of choice quotes below.

GQ: Why don’t you have any sponsors right now?

Jerry Hsu: I was interested in not being sponsored. I’ve been sponsored all my life, I’ve been a pro skater for like 20 years, since I was 16, so I got kinda burnt. I was riding for Chocolate Skateboards and I didn’t really feel like that was where I belonged, and didn’t want to just sit there and not participate but then get a check, too. So I told them I was done, and they were like, Okay, cool. And I never really tried to get another board sponsor. And then my shoe sponsor just sort of unceremoniously let me go, and I was like, okay. That’s cool. Fine. That was hard because all my income—half by choice and half not by choice—just evaporated. But luckily I had started Sci-Fi already, so it was filling the gap that skating was providing income-wise. And now I’m just free to do all my creative stuff and I don’t need to worry about skating. But I’m still skating. I just have more choices now. I get to do what I want.

What are your feelings about growing and expanding? Any interest in making boards and putting together a team?

I do have plans for Sci-Fi, but at the same time, I like how much freedom there is. I decide when growth happens or doesn’t happen. I like that it’s small and I like that it’s rare. I’m not trying to blow it out, because that’s always been something at companies that really bugs me. Like every company I’ve ever skated for, they answer to this higher corporate power, so there’s just this constant demand from people who only see numbers. All that forced expansion creates an environment and culture where creativity and pushing any kind of limits comes second to the dollar. Which is very annoying to me because my ideas were rejected because of this system. And I don’t have that anymore. I can literally put anything on anything and I can do small numbers. That was another thing that was annoying—I’d say, “Can we just make 50 of these?” and it was like, “No, we have to make 50 billion of em.” I don’t want to do that. I just want to make something that’s special. So I’m kinda cagey to the idea of making Sci-fi this huge thing. I like that it’s personal. But that’s not to say I won’t do more. I have a lot of ideas for the future. It’s just going at its own pace.

For more, head over to GQ to read the entire piece.

Image Via Smashbox Studios

INTERVIEWS

Pocket Skate Mag Features Daniel Ledermann in ‘Followed’

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Pocket Skate Mag crew went with Daniel Ledermann in his chosen home of Innsbruck, Austria in this episode of “Followed“.

They began their day with a short hike in the Alps and then visited his apartment before hitting the streets to watch Dani get clips both in front and behind the lens of his own setup.

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INTERVIEWS

How to Make it in Skateboarding? Your Fave Pros Got Some Answers

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Chris Joslin, Felipe Gustavo, Mariah Duran, Matt Berger, Ryan Decenzo, and Giovanni Vianna discuss the dominance of Brazilian skateboarders, the forces that drive progression, and more in “Unfiltered.”

“Unfiltered” is a debut content series that offers an unedited glimpse into the minds of the world’s most prominent action sports stars. This roundtable conversation covers a range of topics, including the sport’s evolution, how to handle competition nerves, the impact of social media, and much more.

The first collection features nine episodes, with additional episodes, athletes, and topics scheduled for release this fall. Every Friday, new episodes are released on the X Games YouTube channel.

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INTERVIEWS

‘Cold Call’ Presents Andy Anderson

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In this episode of Thrasher’s “Cold Call“, Andy Anderson explores Venice’s iconic spots channeling inspiration from legends Natas, TA, and Rodney before unleashing his own freestyle prowess.

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