“Tour guides are probably the most important thing,” says Braden Hoban, but he’s not looking for fancy eats and beautiful vistas… Gritty skating in unknown places, going on a skate-cation to a new country is the dream for most but the key to a successful trip is locking in with a local. Travel to Portugal and go Spot To Spot with Braden Hoban and a heavy squad on an all out mission to stack clips. “We all have the same goal in mind, to film the best video part we possibly can.” Hear about the man, Pedro, that made it all possible for the crew capture a proper edit’s worth of footage without any idea of where to go, and see how many hammers they walked away with. Spoiler: it’s a lot.
The Platfrm – Core: Mirko Mangum’s Path To Opus Footwear
Mirko Mangum started skating at age 12 in El Cajon outside of San Diego, California and, with the help of solid influences and legendary support, he has been a lifer ever since. Naturally, though, after turning pro on the board the breakdown of the body began. He refers to it as when he “retired physically, not financially” as his entrepreneurial spirit took hold. He started working in-house at Planet Earth (after riding for the brand professionally) and received the ultimate first-hand learning experience for how to run a proper business in skateboarding. Mirko took more than notes, though. After seven or so years at Planet Earth he popped off with other friends to create their own clothing brand in ALPHANUMERIC. Then he took a position with C1RCA focused on setting up the ultimate team with the likes of Jamie Thomas and Chad Muska. Next came the Blackbox Days, before Zoo York, and then Univ, Whatever distribution, and a role at Vans… At this point, if you want to hear Mirko’s full story and the origins of his latest skate company, watch this episode of CORE: Opus Footwear’s Mirko Magnum.
The Platfrm – Spot to Spot: Ace Pelka Lurks for New Terrain
Creative people come in many forms, and for Ace Pelka, it’s on a skateboard. Growing into his own style of riding, Ace has mastered a niche area of playful minimal impact skating and takes it up a notch with tech speedy footwork. Try to keep up as Ace takes us and John Gardner around his new block in Redondo Beach, California in this episode of Spot to Spot.
The Platfrm Core: Slappy’s Garage founder Jason Carney
The man behind San Diego skate shop Slappy’s Garage, Jason Carney has been a staple of the scene since the 80s. What has made it all possible? Skate shops. From his very first sponsor being a shop out of Chula Vista (later skating for teams like H-Street and Planet Earth) to opening his first shop out of Ramona in 2011 up to today with locations on 17th Street downtown and a second storefront in the Linda Vista neighborhood—Jason believes in the skate shop business. And he is doing his best to keep the proper skate shop vibes alive. “That’s my purpose, to enable other people to live out their dreams.”
Timeline Featuring Chris Joslin: The Raw Truth | Episode 2
Starting in part one of Timeline, where Chris Joslin paints a portrait of his endeavor to film a street video part while traveling the world for contests, part two takes a drastic demeanor change.
Platfrm Timeline Featuring Chris Joslin: Legacy Over Results | Episode 1
Building upon a two-part series in Portraits in which Chris Joslin gives an intimate look at his family origins, adulthood, the challenges of being a pro skater, raising two children, and everything else that comes with growth, Joslin now brings us up to speed in Timeline.
Platfrm Portraits: Braden Hoban’s Path to Success, Contest Glory, and Street Priorities
23-year-old instant classic out of San Diego tells his story in this edition of Portrait: Braden Hoban. Braden’s skating speaks for itself. His trick selection is timeless and his power perfectly balances his prowess. Braden explains his origins from skating long hours as part of his daily school routine, to finding himself in the Toy Machine van with his idols calling home to say he’s going to be missing more school than originally planned. Inspired by the video parts of his now peers, Braden talks about his drive to film as many parts to his greatest potential while he can. Although he’s found serious contest success in recent years, his priorities are still in the streets. “There’s a lot that I want to do. There’s a lot that I have to prove…”
CORE: Familia Skateboard Shop Keeps the Juice Flowing
Tap in with the shop crew in this episode of Core Familia Skate for true insider insight on how to create a community, and check out their new all-in-one facility. Over the years there have been three different retail locations around Minneapolis, but now they have brought the shop to the park for a permanent home. OG and owner Steve Nesser has two things to say about: “Having everything under one roof has been a night and day difference,” and “The goal has always been to juice it up.” This is how you support skateboarding.
Spot to Spot: Ryan Carrell’s PMA Goes a Long Way
Have you ever seen pop like Ryan Carrell’s? Tap in with Ryan and go Spot To Spot to see the Inland Empire skateparks that shaped his enormous snaps and hear what’s been pushing him to try new things lately. Ryan is probably the most polite person in all of skateboarding and has a flawless smile to back it up. His entire life he’s been the definition of a, “people’s person.”
The Platfrm: Halloween Hellbomb 2024: 6 Years of Raising Hell
The most anticipated hill bomb of the year was resurrected over the weekend in Los Angeles, California where hundreds of skate rats donned costumes and padded the sidelines to contain the mayhem. Six years running strong, the Halloween Hellbomb has morphed from a grassroots-level gathering of hill bombers to a cornerstone event that’s looked forward to each year. Making their appearance most notable were Dern brothers Kanaan and Dalton, Dylan Witkin, Taylor Kirby, Josh Douglas, and ruler of the underground Greyson Fletcher. Cheers to Hellbomb committee members Austin Leleu, Bobby Bils, Kyle Walsh, Cory Keen, and everyone else involved for pulling another hell-raising event.
Portraits: Greyson Fletcher’s Explosive Life
If you don’t already know who Greyson Fletcher is, you’re blowing it! Luckily for you The Platfrm tracked him down, chatted him up and stitched together enough footage to paint you a Greyson Fletcher Portrait. “I want my life to be every day explosive,” says Greyson, the son of surf legacy. Known for getting more wild than rest while skating, Greyson shares how it all stems from a family of surfing. Then, all signs point to Portland’s Burnside. Whenever he’s in the area, Greyson’s first stop is the infamous DIY to pay his raw and fast dues–a truly perfect canvas. After sharing his thoughts on the state of skate and why social media sucks, you’ll have seen enough footage of him with a little help from the homies to, “spark up,” and want to start living like Greyson Fletcher yourself.
Side Hustle: Lady Meek, Hand-Stitched Embroidery
Hand-stitched embroidery from the queen of hand plants, it turns out that Lady Meek makes more than skateboard moves and has a whole other passion that has inadvertently turned into a Side Hustle when she is not out inverting. As the result of a heavy injury Lady picked up the needle and thread hobby to make the most of her time while making herself a one-off to wear. Before she knew it she was getting requests from friends and fans of her work. Listen up as Lady Meek takes you through her process to transform her doodles into one-of-a-kind clothes designs, and how she takes something old and turns it into something all new.