There can be no serious discussion of Australian skate photography—or skate photography in general for that matter—without the name Mike O’Meally. For anyone that followed Australian skateboarding in the nineties, the little O’Meally credit next to a photo became synonymous with the cool, the avant-garde, and most importantly, the authentic. – James Turvey
PREMIERE: “Land” An Indie Vid Filmed in one of China’s Megacities – JENKEM
We’ve all seen a lot of skating in China throughout the years, but rarely do we see people from China doing the actual skating. This time around, JENKEM is excited to share an edit featuring a crew of Chinese skaters from Shanghai on their trip to Chongqing, one of the largest cities in the world. To put into perspective how big Chongqing is, the city is roughly the size of the entire country of Austria, with about three times the population.
PREMIERE: Shaun Paul for Hoddle – JENKEM
If you’re unfamiliar with Hoddle, they’re a sister company to Pass~Port, representing the Melbourne skate scene. Now, Shaun Paul is here to cement his name in Hoddle history with his own part. Enjoy the big fits, big emotions, and one very dipped smith grind!
JENKEM PREMIERE: Fidel Gonzales in “Tasteful”
You might remember Fidel from JENKEM’s article “Interview with a Skateboarding Stuntman,” and since then, he’s continued to slam for a living. His part in Abi Teixeira’s video “Tasteful” is a glimpse of talent and creative trickery that will keep you from scrolling IG for a couple of minutes.
JENKEM – Watching “5ive Flavors” With the Mad Circle crew 23 years later
In 1998, Justin Girardi and Mad Circle released “5ive Flavors,” a beautiful video of classy street skating in San Francisco and New York City. Jenkem was able to get the whole team back together along with photographer Mike Blabac for a video call in which the guys reconnect, reminisce, and rewatch the parts through the long lens of over two decades past. All of these pioneers have continued to be involved in skateboarding in the 23 years since “5ive Flavors” was released, working with or owning various companies including Supreme, Adidas, Polar, Maxallure, etc. This condensed edit of their conversation captures a bit of what it was like for them to grow up together skating in a golden era.
JENKEM – Parts with Lucas Puig
JENKEM hit up France’s smoothest export, Lucas Puig, to see what video parts he’s watching when he isn’t surfing, parenting, or synchronized skating with planes.
JENKEM – Building a spot in The Bronx w/ Jerry Mraz & HUF
Builder and Skater Jerry Mraz went up to The Bronx to touch up this spot you may have seen evolve over the years with some additional support from HUF. – JENKEM
JENKEM – The Earthers Ep.7 – Exploring Crust in Detroit with OJ Wheels
Detroit has given the world a lot of great things, like Motown, techno, and the modern assembly line. Its contributions to skating haven’t been quite as grandiose, but that doesn’t mean that there’s a lack of skate culture in Detroit. Jenkem sent the crew and some OJ Wheels guests to check it out for themselves. Lots of bondo and patience were necessary for this one, but if there’s one thing the Earthers are it’s resourceful. Featuring Ryan Townley, Mike Krok, Alex Foy, Kevin Braun, Pat Galloway, Jake Keenan and Adam Mueller.
JENKEM – John Gardner’s Tips for Building Up Your Mental Health
Phrases like “mental health,” “stress,” and “anxiety” sometimes feel like empty buzzwords that get thrown around too freely these days, but when you read into what people are actually talking about, you’ll realize we hear these words so often because so many people are dealing with real mental health issues and finally have a way to talk about it.
John is obviously not a doctor or certified expert, but he is someone that has been working on himself and is passionate about improving his own mental health and our community’s, too. Hopefully tools like this can play a small part in breaking the cycle of losing skaters to self-harm and suicide. – JENKEM
JENKEM – Brandon Turner and Brandon Novak Skate Around NYC
Brandon Turner and Brandon Novak are two skaters who really have been through it all when it comes to drugs and alcohol. We’ve all seen them go in and out of recovery, and heard about various near-death experiences as a result of their usage.
Now, they are both living clean and have come together to create a support phone line that they hope skaters will feel comfortable using if they ever feel like they need help managing their mental health or drug use.
JENKEM spent a day with them during National Recovery Month as they skated around the city and offered their energy and guidance to anyone who felt they needed it.
If you ever find yourself in a position where you feel like you have nobody to talk to, just remember they’re now available to you and help is only a call away: (858) 249-9033en>
JENKEM – Visiting the Hongo Brother’s New Skate House in Japan
Meet Masaki and Shintaro Hongo, two Japanese brothers that are making a name for themselves globally. Video by Rob Taro.
JENKEM – The Best of Copenhagen Open 2021
If you were like us and weren’t at the annual Copenhagen skate contest this year, you were probably dying to know what went down. Jenkem hit up their friend Andres to document the timeless weekend. Although it doesn’t capture all the drunken action we’ve come to expect at night, there’s plenty of high speed chaos during the day to get you curiously checking airline prices for next years event. – JENKEM