Founder of Closer Skateboarding Magazine, Jaime Owens has witnessed a significant slice of skateboarding history firsthand. Today, his mission is to capture and preserve it through his publication. Originally from a small town in South Carolina, Jaime was first introduced to skateboarding when he saw a kid down the street riding a board. But it wasn’t until his sister handed him a copy of TransWorld SKATEboarding—the December 1986 issue featuring Rodney Mullen on the cover—that he became hooked. Shortly after, his mom wrote him a check for $40 to buy his neighbor’s skateboard.

Fast forward a few years, and Jaime picked up his first camera to capture the action while skating with friends. After college, he took a leap of faith and moved to California to chase the dream of becoming a skateboard photographer. From interning at Skateboarder Magazine to becoming its photo editor, then serving as editor-in-chief at TransWorld, and eventually founding Closer, Jaime has devoted his life to skateboarding, photography and publishing—and for that, we thank him.