Speaker 1: 0:09

Hey there, Welcome to how Do you Skate, the ultimate destination for all skating enthusiasts. We cater to everyone, from beginners to pros. Whether you love inline and ice skating or prefer quads and skateboarding, we have it all covered, and we bring you exclusive interviews with professionals, talented amateurs and influencers in the industry. So sit back, relax and get ready for an exciting journey into the world of skating.

Speaker 2: 0:42

Welcome to how Do you Skate Podcast. My name is Sean Egan. I'm your host. My guest today is Mark Morales, avid skateboarder and filmmaker. So how are you doing today? I'm doing well, John. How are you doing? I'm doing good. So we'll start at the beginning of your skating career. How old were you and when did it start for you?

Speaker 3: 1:03

Wow, skating career. I'm really not that much of a skater. I mean, I love skateboarding. I what got me was years ago, right before I moved to California. Honestly, since I love movies, catherine Hardwick I think that's her name did Lords of Dogtown. Yes, so you know. And she also did 13, I believe. So you know, I was like a little fan of hers and I watched lords of dogtown because I was moving to california and I was going to be in the area, so I'm like let's, let's see what this movie is about.

Speaker 3: 1:32

And I was like so turned on by it and I'm like, oh, my god, this is kind of cool. And then I, you know, I, I, you know, I did a little research into it and I'm like, oh, you know, there was a documentary first by stacy peralta, who came out of um, out of the zeppertine. So I'm like, oh, that stacy was real, this was real. So I started, I watched his documentary. I'm like, oh, this is really good. And then I got into like tony alva and all the rest of them and I'm saying, all right, this is kind of cool. But then all of a sudden, you know, tony hawks around and I'm like, wait a minute, tony Hawk was on Bones Brigade and wait a minute.

Speaker 1: 2:07

Stacey Peralta started the.

Speaker 3: 2:08

Bones Brigade. Here we go, I'm like and there's a connection. And then you know, being from New York, you know, and you know a child, you know from the 80s and growing up with that music, beastie Boys were a huge, huge thing. And all of a sudden, you know, you start finding out it's like wait a minute, ok, beastie Boys it's kind of skate culture. And you know, you start watching interviews with them and they were like big and skating also. And all of a sudden it's like Spike Jonze, I mean.

Speaker 3: 2:33

I like Spike Jonze. Spike Jonze is a great director. Wait a minute, spike Jonze is a skater. All of a sudden, you know, everything just starts to connect and I'm like, oh my god. And then Spike Jones you know, I think, did the sabotage video and I'm like, oh my god, this is great. And I'm like, so, yeah, that's what really turns out for me.

Speaker 3: 2:49

So, but when I really picked up a board, honestly it had to be about three years ago, because we live near a skate park here in Texas and I would go over there all the time and I, you know, take pictures of the skaters. There was a bowl and everything else. I'm like, oh, you know, I'll take pictures and stuff like that, you know, to kill time. I got nothing else to do and one day one of the guys that was skating came over. He was like, hey, you know, you take pictures all the time. I sit here all the time. He's like you know, there's going to be a contest. He's like you should really come and snap some pictures. So I'm like, all right, I went and snapped some pictures of the contest. I had my GoPro also. So I'm like, oh, you know, I'll shoot some video. And then next thing, you know, the next year it's like I'll help sponsor this thing.

Speaker 3: 3:37

So I spoke to our executive producer and I'm like, listen, there's a skating contest and he's like, what does skating have to do with movies, mark? And I'm like, listen, there's a skating contest and he's like, what does skating have to do with movies, mark? And I'm like I don't know. I kind of, you know we make horror films and you know there's a whole skate culture. So I'm like, and it really doesn't cost much to sponsor, you know, help sponsors, like 200 bucks, I think, help sponsor the competition. So I'm like, you know, get our name out there.

Speaker 3: 4:04

So you know we threw 200 bucks towards that. We got a banner. Put the banner up, you know. And then you, you would um, contribute stuff, you know, for um, for the winners. And you know we got t-shirts and I'm like, hey, you know I can. Skateboards really don't cost that much. We can put, you know, our logo on a skateboard and all of a sudden, you know it just kept growing from there. So in three years later, you know we're still sponsoring, you know, these events for 200 bucks a year. It's really not that much money, but you know it keeps us out there and I just love it and the whole thing. I finally picked up a board because I'm like, well, it kind of sucks running after the skater to film them and I really don't want to put my blades on because I'll just kill myself with my blades. So I'm like, let me just get a board and just start seeing what I can do. And once I got on my board, that was it. I mean board was just, they were like a new pair of legs.

Speaker 1: 4:54

I mean I can't crash bricks or anything like that.

Speaker 3: 4:56

But god, I'm good on a hill, I go down a hill and you know I can get all the way to the bottom and I could turn and everything else. So yeah, I mean I still grab my board just to run to the mailbox. My girl said where are you going with them, like mailbox right down the street. And yeah, I just had it for like maybe three years. I mean I'm 50, what four? Now I picked it up maybe like at 49, 50 years old. I picked up a board.

Speaker 3: 5:24

Now I think I have maybe four yeah and I only really use one but yeah I have another one out there with some really big wheels on it and I tried to learn how to drop in once my with my nephew when I went back to new york and that was a disaster. I think I don't. I think I either fractured a rib. We never got it x-rayed, but you know, I went online to check. You know how do you know if you broke a rib and it all, all the check marks came up.

Speaker 2: 5:54

You know hard to breathe this and that and I'm like yeah.

Speaker 3: 5:57

I think that was.

Speaker 2: 5:57

I think that was me yeah, I never tried to drop in again and I.

Speaker 3: 6:02

I dropped in from a really small little ramp too. It was nothing major, and it was like I remember hitting the ground on my back, thinking, oh, that's not bad. And then, when I opened my mouth, all that came out was and I went oh God, it's over. My nephew had to drive us home. He just got his permit. I'm like I can't drive. It's like, okay, I just got my permit. I'm like you're going to have to drive. I used my skateboard as a crutch to walk out of the park that day.

Speaker 2: 6:32

Multi-tool. Yeah, because when.

Speaker 2: 6:34

I first met you, we met at Mad Monster Party and it was actually the skateboard that you had sitting in front. I think it was for the movie 521 North Main Street, wasn't it? Yeah, yeah. And then I started talking to your friends or your whatever, and they're like oh, he's into skateboarding. You got to talk to him and I'm like, all right, cool, because I like to bring on people from all aspects of skating, not just professional, because everybody wants to see a beginner and know that there's stuff that you have to go through to get to where you need to be. So it's kind of cool that you've only been doing it for three years, and do you think you'll ever get to a point where you start doing tricks?

Speaker 3: 7:18

I don't know. I mean, I just got some health insurance. That's another thing. As you get older, you kind of get a little bit wiser's, like, hey, if I get hurt that can cost a lot of money and you know I gotta work and stuff like that. But I just got some insurance. So I'm like, maybe, maybe because I definitely have people around me that I was like hey, you want to learn how to kickflip, you want to do this, you want to do that I'm like in my mind I'm like, yeah, I really want to.

Speaker 3: 7:44

I want to do that because they see me on these hills and they're like you won't kickflip, but you'll go down that hill like a freaking madman. I'm like, well, yeah, I'm like you know, I guess I could always get low and, you know, fall off of it, but the kick I don't know. But yeah, I would definitely would learn. I definitely want to learn a kickflip. But ollie, that's my big thing like, oh man, ollie is so cool, I'd love to get an ollie. And then I think, then I think, you know, my life would be complete. So an ollie and a kickflip and I'd be good. I'd definitely be good with those. You know, like I said, I can do a hill. I got, I have no fear there, and um, it's of fun, though, that's the whole thing.

Speaker 3: 8:26

I've skied. I tried surfing when I lived in California a couple of times. I just look at a hill as a wave. It's like, okay, cool, like I said, you can always get low enough that if you wipe out, you're already low to the ground and you can roll out of it or whatever else. I love the ride on a hill. I just really do like a park that's near us that has these great hills, and like I'll take the board out, and my girlfriend's like where are you going? I'm like to the park. She's like you have your phone. I'm like yes, okay, just you know, anything happens, give me a call so put it in the front pocket so you don't crush it exactly in the front pocket, everything.

Speaker 3: 9:12

Put the keys in the front pocket so you don't land on. Oh yeah, there's this whole process, like don't take the whole wallet with you, just take your id, everything else so they can identify the body yeah, yeah, and I always put on my wrist guards and but I never put on my knee pads and she's like I don't get it.

Speaker 3: 9:31

She's like wrist guards. I know. Knee pads, I'm like you know, I said my knees are one thing I said, but you know, I can't write or type without my hand, so I'm going to protect my wrist as much as possible and my head. Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1: 9:46

So yeah.

Speaker 2: 9:47

Earlier you mentioned blades, so you were an inline skater too.

Speaker 3: 9:52

Ah, yeah, okay. So when I first moved to California I had no car, okay. So I lived in Marina Del Rey, california, and I got a job as a bartender not too far from where I lived, which was right by Venice Beach, and so I'm like all right, you know, I got blades. I would blade every day to work and after work I would just like go into Venice Beach, blade all the way to Santa Monica. I bladed everywhere. So, yeah, that became second. I just did it all the time. You know people would go to work on my blades. I just did all the time. You know people I'd go to work on my blades. I would set up on my blades. The owner was like take those damn things off, just take them off. He said you can't blade in my establishment. And yeah, so people just knew me as the blade guy. People would drive by me that knew I get. People would beep at me. Hey, a blade guy.

Speaker 3: 10:42

I dated the girl who lived in Santa Monica. When she would get up to go to work in the morning she would drop me off on Santa Monica Beach. Then from there I just put my blades on and skate all the way back to my house which was in Marina del Rey, it was right past Venice, it was far in. I played everywhere. It was insane. When I think about it now, I'm like, yeah, then when I moved back to new york, I um, I was in queens, in astoria queens, and I was like no, I've been doing all this blading. I've never played it. You know, let me play to work from here. And I got to blade over the 59 tree bridge one day. I remember these people were just like what? And I'm like, yeah, let's go to work. And yeah, so blading was a huge thing, just, it was just a means to get around and he did it all the time.

Speaker 2: 11:33

Yeah, cause work very close to the same age. So when late eighties, early nineties, we would actually catch the bus in and take Bart out to San Francisco and then skate um Golden Gate Park all day. Oh, that's awesome. And then we would come back, change into our indoor wheels and then go to the rink for another four hours.

Speaker 2: 11:56

So yeah, it was really cool back then it's didn't let have the bikes on the bus like they do now. So you would skate to the bus, stop, take your blades off, put your shoes in your back or switch your shoes sorry to your shoes take the bus to wherever you were going and then, when you got there, then you would put on your inlines and skate all day. So I completely understand where you are on that one. So it's a big part of everything.

Speaker 3: 12:29

It's just, it makes it nice. So now it was crazy. Yeah, a lot of a lot of blading, definitely blading, there's gonna be everywhere.

Speaker 2: 12:35

You keep the weight off when you skate everywhere too. Oh my god it was great.

Speaker 3: 12:40

You're like how do you stay? So I'm like I blade everywhere. I would blade to the supermarket and then, you know, carry my bags on and blade. I remember when someone stopped me because they knew me, they were like aren't you the bartender? I'm like yeah, they're like you want a ride? I'm like no, I'm good, I'm good man. I'm good, it's all good.

Speaker 3: 13:02

Then I remember my blades broke. The strap broke so I would get gap tape and tape the entire boot because I had no more strap to go across. So I laced it and then tape it up. And then someone was like why don't you just buy a new pair of blades? And I'm like I don't know. And I remember I had to get the wheels changed and I was on Venice Beach and they I had to get the wheels changed. And I was on venice beach and they went and to get the wheels changed and this guy looked at me and he was like he's like, I'm gonna do this for you once, man. He's like but never come in here again, unless you're gonna buy a new pair of blades.

Speaker 3: 13:38

He's like because he's like you're he's like you're gonna break your ankle, man. I'm like I get it, I get it, I get it. It's cool, I understand, thank you, and he changed my wheels and yeah, that was it.

Speaker 2: 13:49

Well, it's funny because inline speed skates have the low cut boot. So if you can handle that, it really doesn't matter if you have the straps in the upper part anyways.

Speaker 3: 13:58

Yeah, it was pretty insane. I think about it now. I'm like that was really dumb, that was really done. And then I'm thinking, god, all the money I spent on masking tape, on like electric tape, I could have just bought a new pair of blades. But yeah, I think I was just trying to save money back then too, but I spent so much on the tape now I have you take it up, you gotta cut it and you gotta get a new roll a few days later. It was crazy now?

Speaker 2: 14:21

have you actually updated your skates from then?

Speaker 3: 14:24

I don't blade anymore. I don't. I have them, I don't use them, but like once I picked up the skateboard, that was it. It was on.

Speaker 1: 14:32

Okay, that was it for me, yeah.

Speaker 3: 14:34

So it's like now I just grab the board and go, I put the board in the car, I can drive. You know, I always carry a board with me. Nice, like I said, I think I Did, I have one.

Speaker 3: 14:46

I did, I had one in Colorado too it was in my room because I remember our first convention that we did was here in Texas, first horror convention, and they allowed me to ride my board through the convention. They had like concrete floors, okay, it was super awesome, so I would just skate, you know board around everything. It was like all right. Yeah, there was a guy that who owned Austin Skate, houston Skate I forgot what his name was and you know I would go past him and he was a skater, he was like is that just for show or do you really know how to use it?

Speaker 3: 15:23

like is that just for show or do you really know how to use it? I'm like, well, I can stay on it. I'm like you're asking if I can do a trick. I'm like no, I can't do a trick, but you know I can cut that corner over there and not kill anyone or myself.

Speaker 3: 15:32

Yeah, so yeah, and then I would take them to other conventions and sometimes there would be carpeting, I think, like the one that we went to in colorado, they had carpeting and yeah, that kills it and then there was one I went to where I just started riding it around and, um, security came over real quick. They're like hey, uh-uh, you can't do that. I'm like all right, kind of killing it, because you know the board would have 521 north main street.

Speaker 3: 15:58

So it was like a publicity thing too yeah, but yeah, I actually carry like two boards with me one's like like a, you know, a publicity board and then one's just for me. Because I found the first convention we went to. You know, I was riding my board and someone's like hey, I ride too. Like you got another board with you and I was like I do. And you know I went to my car and I grabbed him like here you go.

Speaker 3: 16:21

I went to my car and I grabbed him, like here you go and you know they started riding around also, I'm like, for two days. You know that person was my buddy. And then I think it was one convention where the one where they told me I couldn't ride. I was carrying the board around and someone was in costume and this guy came over to me. He was dressed as a clown. I don't know from what movie he was in, but he was. He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't, you know, speak, he just kept on pointing. He basically I got, he was telling me to put my board on the ground. I put on the ground and he, um, he kick-flipped my board in costume, like a few times, I'm like oh my god, that's so awesome thank you nice now, when did you get into filmmaking?

Speaker 3: 17:00

Filmmaking. Oh my God, that's been forever. So basically I just, you know, I grew up on film and movies. You know that's how we communicated. Like my dad was huge into movies, my mom really into film, my mom was into horror films. So growing up in the 70s and 80s, you know movies like the Omen, the Exorcist, and you know, you know, my mom was, like I said, really big into those and she would sit me down and we would watch them together. And then, you know, like, since I'm so old, you know, hbo was just starting to come out and all of a sudden, you know, all your friends got cable tv and hbo and all these horror movies were on hbo. And then that next day that's what we all we would talk about. I'd say, dude, you see that movie.

Speaker 2: 17:42

Friday the 13th like oh my god, I did see it so scary.

Speaker 3: 17:44

So then we and then oh, did you see that movie Halloween? And it's like yeah, yeah, yeah. Then you know, we would just start quoting lines and then it just became dialogue for us.

Speaker 1: 17:55

We would communicate that way, I mean, I have a friend.

Speaker 3: 17:58

I'm 54 years old, he's 53, we still talk.

Speaker 3: 18:03

It's like see the harmony, see this one, see that one and you know, and then all of a sudden it became like John Carpenter. You know, you just start getting into directors. So it's like, oh, this movie Halloween's awesome. You know what else is. You know who directed this? It's like, oh, this guy named John Carpenter, what else has he done? All of a sudden you're like, oh, there's a movie called terror train dude. Oh, he did that, that's great. There's a movie called christine he did that too. Oh, my god the thing, holy crap.

Speaker 3: 18:29

So I was just hooked on film, especially horror films, so that all of a sudden that became the goal, you know, right. And then you know, eventually, one day make one. And being in new york, you know, eventually, one day make one. And being in New York, you know, I'm sure there was a lot of film there. I just didn't have access to it. But I had access to like theater. So, you know, I went to school for theater. Then, you know, I started writing plays. And then, all of a sudden, you know, I became part of a theater company and, you know, we would start doing all these plays off-off-Broadway. But we would start doing all these plays off off Broadway.

Speaker 3: 19:01

But it was once I moved to California. You know, I'm like maybe I can, you know, find some film out here, but I really didn't look for it. And then, once I got to Texas is where everything just kind of opened up, you know, in a place where you don't think there'll be any film. That's where a door opened for me. You know, that's where I met my executive producer and you know, basically it was opportunity. He knocked on the door because my girlfriend worked for his company, which was a real estate company, and one day she came home and she's like you know, bill heard that you make move, you know you write scripts, and he asked about this and I was like, okay, and then, you know, right there the world opened.

Speaker 2: 19:41

Yeah it's kind of cool when you get somewhere and then finally opportunities start happening, because I've started to get a lot of opportunities since starting the podcast, which I didn't think that would actually happen. So now, when I met you at Mad Monster Party it's kind of funny because you met my son also at Mad Monster Party it's kind of funny because you met my son also, right, and we wanted to meet Robert England, but it was $150 for a picture and $130 for the autograph.

Speaker 2: 20:12

Yeah, and he looked at me and he goes well, if you buy me the Killer Clowns from Outer Space video game, I won't do the Robert England. I'm like done, because that was only $40. But we haven't sat and watched it yet Cause we haven't had time, but we are going to watch the movie and five 21.

Speaker 3: 20:31

Oh, North main street Killer comes from outer space.

Speaker 2: 20:35

Oh no, it's really a fun movie. We've seen that one, but your movie five 20.

Speaker 3: 20:40

Huh, there, those guys are from Queens, the guys that made that. I forgot their name. The Trotter Brothers. Whatever their names are, I forgot.

Speaker 2: 20:46

But yeah, they're from.

Speaker 3: 20:47

Queens, new York, and that's always the thing. Being from New York, I'm like. I always look for people from New York who make stuff. I'm like whoa, like I found out, I think, the DP for the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, being in Texas, you know they love their.

Speaker 3: 21:00

Toby Hooper out here, but I think the DP was actually from New York. Then another one, george Romero, who does you know Dawn of the Dead and did all those you know. I did some research into that and everything's made out of you know Pittsburgh. So I just assumed. But no, I'm like, this guy's from the Bronx, new York. I was like, oh, yay, hey, props to these guys, so, yeah, so I'm like always, yeah, always, give them shout outs.

Speaker 2: 21:28

But for the people that are afraid of clowns, 521 North Main Street was actually filmed at the Clown Hotel right.

Speaker 3: 21:35

Yeah, we shot. Oh, go ahead, I'm sorry, I was going to say in Nevada. Yeah, we shot some of it originally. We first wrote it and you know everyone starting to get behind it. It was just going to be the slasher movie straight up, and we were set to film the entire thing at the Clam Hotel in Tonopah, nevada. Then COVID came and just knocked it all away and, um, so it's like, oh, what are we going to do now? So then I wrote it's crazy out there.

Speaker 3: 22:04

I was telling you about it earlier yeah, and then the opportunity came up where it's like okay, let's, let's take another shot at 521 north main street. And then, you know, I got that's when I got my hands on a really great special effects guy his name is sergio guerrera, he was on the first season of face off, that um special effects show. And you know, he came aboard and he was like and he read my script, he's like yeah, I can work on this. And I'm like yeah, you know, I'm just gonna put someone in a clown man, you know, be a slasher film, whatever. Then, all of a sudden, you know he started going well, you know, I can do other things. I'm like well, what do you mean? He's like well, for instance, I could you know. He's like well, for instance, I could, you know, make people walk, seem like they're walking down a wall, or I can make someone explode. I'm like what are you kidding? I'm like how much? And he's like really not that expensive. And I'm like, oh, okay, all right, so the budget starts to grow just a little bit. We couldn't go too much over.

Speaker 3: 23:01

And then, you know, then he came to me and he was like OK, he's like you got a lot of blood. He's like Would you think about shooting it in a studio in San Antonio, texas, rather than going to the hotel. And his reasoning was, first of all, he's like we're going to go to the hotel. He's like we're going to make a big mess. He's like there's gonna be blood. He's like we might have to pay for all that, he's like. Second of all, he's like you're not. They're not going to give you the entire motel. He's like you can't rent it out. He goes, you're just going to be guests there. He's like. So there's no way to control who's going to walk into your shot. Who's going to do this? He's like, and you know, breaking it down, he's like each special effect costs about five grand. He's like you got five grand to throw out every time. You know, a shot doesn't work out right if someone walks into it like okay.

Speaker 3: 23:50

So at that point we said let's find a studio, which we did. We got very lucky. You know, we knew someone who at like this little warehouse and he was like come here, come shoot here. So we shot it there in san antonio. And then, you know, whatever happened happened a year later, after our editor kind of started piecing it together because we thought we had screwed it all up because there was so much other stuff that went on.

Speaker 3: 24:18

Um, he put together this nice little, you know this, this nice little film for us, and we showed it to our executive producer. And executive producer was like, you know, this is okay, he's like, but I think we need to go to the clown motel and get some footage over there. So, you know, I wrote some new scenes. I'm like all right and we kept. You know, we took one actor with us and we took like we got a new DP over there and and we brought her along and we shot, I think, four new scenes in just one day.

Speaker 3: 24:50

We added a song to it and that made a world of difference. It just made a huge world of difference. Like, oh my God, we have the production value that we didn't have last time. We actually have a Clam Hotel that we didn't have last time. We actually have a clown motel. They were designing a new room there at the time also that the owner showed us because he gave us a whole tour. He showed us his room and it was just like it wasn't even finished yet but it had all these cool like evil clowns painted on the walls. And I looked at him and the room just smelled of paint, you know. So I'm like, is there any way? He's like, yeah, you can shoot in here, thank you, thank you, you'll be the first people to shoot in this room. I'm like, wonderful, thank you so much. So, yeah, so we shot in San Antonio, texas, on a stage and then, you know, we finished it out at the Clown Motel.

Speaker 2: 25:38

Well, that just gives them publicity. So definitely I mean the name of the movie is the Address.

Speaker 3: 25:45

Yeah, we did. We took their address. When I first wrote it, I never had written a script before. Like I said, I wrote a lot of stage plays, but I was definitely into film. I had some free time. Like you know, I never wrote a screenplay before. You know, let me just try it for, like you know, just to do it. I got nothing else to do at my time. So, you know, I started, I did some research. I'm like I definitely have to be a horror movie because that's what I love. And then I found the Klamotel online. I'm like all right, let's write about this place, and I at that time, you know, no one had done it yet.

Speaker 3: 26:21

No one had touched the Clown Motel. I'm like that's crazy. I can't believe no one ever touched this before. So I started writing about that and I think I called it the Clown Motel. I think a year or two later is when someone finally made a Clown Motel movie and I was like no, you can't.

Speaker 3: 26:40

I'm like no, I'm stuck with this, you can't have two clown motel movies or whatever. And then I'm like, well, I said, what about the address? Let's just take the address. And I went out there and spoke to the owner and, um, he gave us his blessing. He's like you can, you can have the address like great, well, it's about 521 north main street, which is on 2b2 by the yeah, and of course, when you bring it up on Tubi, 521, it comes up. It's one of the first things that comes up, because they're numbers, nice, 521.

Speaker 2: 27:12

So is there any works on a film, a horror film, that involves skateboarding?

Speaker 3: 28:10

There's always works on it. Our last, originally in 5 521, there was supposed to be, you know, a scene with a skateboard. I'm like okay, but no one could skate. I'm like, okay, and you just can't have someone on a skateboard, you gotta have them do a trick. So when I wrote the sequel, which is already ready to go, which is need about five hundred thousand dollars to make it, there is a huge scene where someone is riding the board. They go through the motel, they start doing tricks and everything else.

Speaker 3: 28:42

On our short film, lednick's Department Store, the entire thing takes place in an employee break room and if you look, there is the skateboard that says 521 Main Street in one of the corners standing there. But you really gotta look for it. It's like an easter egg. But hey, he's like you got that skateboard in your car. I'm like always. And he's like come here. He's like, take it, take, bring it in. He's like, bring it in. He's like, and put it. He's like he's like, you know, just just put it in a corner somewhere. So you know, people will see it. So yeah, and it just. There's not enough horror films with with skateboards in it. Um, I always want.

Speaker 3: 29:19

Yeah, I was thinking about one the other day, I'm like, oh you know, it's just a matter of money though I'm like you know you do a found footage, one where you know a bunch of people go to a skate park and they'd stay, you know, a little bit too late because they're, you know, every. There's all these it was a d do-it-yourself skate parks that people just make all the time. And there's one in austin I found the other day called candy land. I guess it was an abandoned building and it's beautiful, just beautiful what they did to it.

Speaker 3: 29:47

I'm like, oh, that's kind of cool. I'm like you know, maybe you know something can happen there and I'm like, and then you can get away with shooting it, you know, on a gopro or on your phone and stuff like that, and keep costs down, like all right, like maybe something like that. So, like I said, there's always, there's always an idea, and then I have all this footage from just, you know, going to the contest and filming. People just have just got so much skateboard footage, yeah that I used to try to edit.

Speaker 2: 30:16

And then when I was like I just can't anymore, I just can't do it anymore, it just takes so much time and yeah but well you can do a youtube series with the skateboarding that you have, the footage you have, and start getting exposure that way as far as the skateboarding side goes, and then let it lead into a horror movie.

Speaker 3: 30:34

Yeah, I used to put it on our. We have a High Five and Ants YouTube page so I would put it up there and I would make small videos with music and everything else and I'd put them on there. But then our executive producer was looking at it once. He's like this is supposed to be for our movies and and he's like I understand the whole skateboard. So I'm like, yeah, I get you. I took them down. There were like three of them on there and they would always be like the local guys you know, skating around doing some cool tricks. But, um, yeah, a lot of yeah I did.

Speaker 3: 31:07

I would do that all the time. But like I said it just there, it just takes so much time and so much effort just to get like a 10-minute video can take days.

Speaker 1: 31:18

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 31:20

And hours and hours and you know, sometimes weeks of footage. Yeah, then I also got to the point, too, where I was just like I want to work with some other skaters. You know I want to do this with somebody else. I want to work with some other skaters. You know I want to use somebody else, I want to. You know, and you know, when you go to a contest you get you see a lot of cool skaters coming from other you know parts of texas, and it's like, oh, my god, where are you from and where are you from? And it's like wow. And then you know. But then when you're trying to write scripts for, you know, horror movies and stuff like that, it's you know where's your attention going to go.

Speaker 2: 31:53

Yeah, so if you decide to do one, I'm in. I know a lot of skateboarders and I know a couple of adaptive skateboarders that can't use their legs or anything. So all from hands and using their bodies. So they would be good. So just and like I said, me and my son were more than happy to get killed in one of your movies. So awesome.

Speaker 3: 32:20

Thank you, yeah, because I, like I said, spike jones one of my favorite directors, yeah, and he, he came from shooting, shooting skateboard videos, you know. So, yeah, he likes spike jones. You know, spike jones can ride a rail. There you go yeah, nice now.

Speaker 2: 32:38

Would you ever consider like making an extra 521 north main street board and having a contest?

Speaker 3: 32:46

like giving one away at a contest yeah oh, we do, we okay, we yeah like the first, the second contest we sponsored. You know, I just wanted to make because they're not, you know, even if the cheapest board you make, it's still expensive. You know, because you know I, we go to board I think it's board pushers, yeah for us. And um, I was like maybe I can make two. And at that point I was like, no, I should get like 30 of them made. And was it like 30 or 20 something. I was like okay, and I'll tell you exactly what happened. We took them there. We gave some as prizes, you know. So we went, but that was like maybe four of them. Yeah, all these boards left over.

Speaker 3: 33:31

So we went to our first um horror convention, which was out here in texas, conroe, texas, and we brought them all with us. And you know, I spoke to executive producer because we were going to sell stuff. But he's like, you know, it's like no one knows who we are. We're there to promote ourselves. He's like give stuff away. And I'm like give stuff away. And we had t-shirts. I'm like like the t-shirts. He's like give stuff away and I'm like give stuff away. And we had t-shirts, I'm like the t-shirts, he's like all of it. So we gave away like 20-something decks oh wow, all five 20 North Main Street decks Not like the ones you saw, because those had the faces of the clowns on them.

Speaker 3: 34:06

But we had different artwork. We had the three clowns on the bottom of the board but there was more like a drawing that our special effects guy had done. But you saw the really kind of cool board. We took the video and we put that on the bottom of the board. But yeah, those are maybe $60 to do that, $65 with the grip tape on it. And does that include tracks and know, with the grip tape on it? And does that include trucks and wheels?

Speaker 2: 34:36

or just the deck, just the deck, trucks and wheels would be a whole other world.

Speaker 3: 34:40

Yeah, we do not go for trucks and wheels, we just give decks.

Speaker 2: 34:44

Because that would start bringing it up to a couple of hundred dollars.

Speaker 3: 34:47

Oh yeah, that's where all the money goes A good set of trucks and wheels absolutely so.

Speaker 2: 34:52

now, what kind of deck and equipment do you have on yours that you ride to the mailbox?

Speaker 3: 34:59

I have who's my board. If you call on, I'll go get my board. This is my board.

Speaker 2: 35:05

Okay.

Speaker 3: 35:06

A Dane Brady Polar, kind of got turned on the Polar. I forgot which wheels these are. I have another board with not Peralta, it's what company that they have. Is it Bones Brigade? Whatever they have, I have another board with those on. I forgot what wheels these are. I forgot where my trucks are. What are these independent? Um, I don't think they're independent. I can't see, I'm so blind. Just this truck co truck company. Okay, I don't know I guess. Yeah, I forgot what wheels these were, but yeah, they were all they're kind of cool. But yeah, the board is definitely a polar, though my other board's a polar also. I kind of got turned on to them and I think I have a bones brigade board upstairs too. I think I have one of those too. Is it bones brigade? Yeah, I think that's it. I have one, yeah, but that one of those too. Is it Bones Brigade? Yeah, I think that's it.

Speaker 3: 36:14

I have one of those, yeah, but, that one doesn't have wheels on it or trucks. That's just the board, that's just the deck. So I have two boards that are built out like this, and then I have there's a 521 North Main Street older board that is built out also, but probably the same wheels as these are nice yeah.

Speaker 2: 36:39

So now, what would be your advice to anyone getting into skateboarding, or even filmmaking, since you do both?

Speaker 3: 36:48

um well, I encourage everyone to get into skateboarding. I mean, if you're? Sitting there going oh, I really want to do that. I should do it Do it.

Speaker 3: 36:59

Just do it. You know you're going to have to make an investment, a little bit of an investment. I mean, that's one of the. You know, I found out even. You know the board, the deck itself costs money, but your wheels, and if you're going to invest in it, you're going to have to make an investment. Spend the money, spend the money you want it to last. I mean, like, these are still the same wheels I've had on them since I bought it, like what? Three years ago, four years ago, and I wrote this everywhere and every day. And you know, the wheels are still still cool.

Speaker 3: 37:31

Um, my girlfriend, um, roller skates and too bad she's not here because she can go on and on. I mean she has custom skates and the whole thing. She would actually, she press a bearing press. She changes my wheels for me and stuff like that. She'll clean them out and everything else. She'll put the bearings in and stuff like that.

Speaker 3: 37:51

I remember the first time I ever rode in the rain, the next day my wheels got seized up. I'm like, what happened to my wheels? She's like, well, you rode it in the rain, she took them off and she cleaned them all and she oiled them up again. She put them back on. I'm like, oh, all right, she roller skates twice a week. She goes to the rink that's like her thing with her purple skates and everything she's got her bag. But yeah, if you want to skate, skate, then just please do it. Pick up. You're never too that one thing. You're never too old. You're like. I met people. I met one guy once. He was in his 20s, like 27. He's like yeah, I really want to get into that. But you know, I'm 27 now and I'm like and what's your point, dude?

Speaker 3: 38:36

yeah, exactly 50, 50 I think I was 51 at the time like, and I'm doing it. I said so. There's really no excuse. If you want to do it, just do it. And well, that goes with anything, I mean film. If you you want to do anything, just do it, just do it.

Speaker 3: 38:53

Don't let anything hold you back. I mean fear is always going to be there. You know what if you don't? You know you think what about not successful? Or? Or? Or you know what if I pull off my board? I mean, just just go for it. It's better to try it, yeah. Then look back years later and go what would have happened? You know, because you never know, but at least give it a shot, because you just never know what's going to happen. So if you want to make a movie, you know, then do it.

Speaker 3: 39:20

You know, write that script. It doesn't have to be the greatest thing in the world, you don't know, and you don't know who's going to. You know like it or who isn't going to like it. You don't know what great is, you don't know what great isn't. Just write it first.

Speaker 3: 39:32

And then, you know, try to find those people and surround yourself with people that want to do what you want to do that are going to be into what you're doing. Because once you get that going, it's the same with skating. You know you go to the park, you get your board, then you go to the park and you're surrounded by people doing what you want to do and they all start at the same way for the most part. You know, not everyone starts kick flipping, not everyone can do an ollie in the beginning. They all start off the same way, trying to learn how to ride the board, and that's where it starts. You know standing up on the board. You know. You know learning how to push on the board, trying to keep your balance on the board, and then you know you go from there you go to the next level. It's the same.

Speaker 3: 40:13

You know the way I. You know the same thing. You know. I feel the same way about film. You don't know how to do everything, you just learn. You surround yourself with people who can take you to that next level and you know that encourage you, that don't try to keep you down. It's like, oh, you don't want to do that. You know, just always just go for it, and you never know what's going to happen. I don't know if that's, if I'm saying anything with that.

Speaker 3: 40:37

But yeah, that's the way I feel about it. Just, if you want to do something, just try it out, you know. If you want to, if you want to go on a date with someone, you got to take that step. You got to ask that person out. You know. If you want to try a new food, you got to go over there. You got to. You know cook it and eat it and you know, put it in your mouth. It's just everything. It's like, you know, little, being a little kid, little kids got to take their first step. You got to talk, you know. It's the same thing.

Speaker 3: 41:05

Like I said, you're never too old. Just, I think as we get older we just get more scared or it's like I can't do that. You never know what you can do. Yeah, you just don't know what you you have. I always say people like, oh, I know myself, you don't. You really don't know yourself. You know, people surprise themselves all the time, just, all the time.

Speaker 3: 41:25

Just, I never thought I could make a movie, you know, I never thought I'd have a movie on tubi. And there it is. There's a movie on tubi. It's kind of cool. I remember I called my friend roxanne when we got on tubi and I've known her for years and years and years she cried. She was like it's there, she was on the phone. She's like, yes, I see it. She started crying. Oh my gosh, because all these years she's like you did it, you did it and, like I said, you're not making any money at it, but it's there. It's kind of cool to wake up in the morning and you know, turn on the tv and go to Tubi and all of a sudden you're flicking through and it's like that's my movie.

Speaker 3: 42:03

That's mine man, that's kind of cool. The same thing with the board. I went from falling off my board all the time to I wonder if I can go down that hill and not die. And you do it, you do it, and it's like you're fearing.

Speaker 1: 42:20

What if a car comes out?

Speaker 3: 42:22

well, I've been working on turning and, yeah, I can turn, I can do it. You just don't know what you can do until you try it. And, and god, it feels so good to accomplish something.

Speaker 2: 42:34

It's just amazing absolutely, yeah, yeah, because with me. When I recorded my first episode I was nervous as hell. And my first, my first guest, was Chris Edwards, who was on team roller blade the original team roller blade when it first started. He's competed in the X games. He was in the movie airborne Um. He was in prayer for the roller boy, so he's like a.

Speaker 3: 42:59

Dude barely realized. Corey, corey, Corey, haim, yeah, yes.

Speaker 2: 43:04

I think Jamie Girtz too. I had the biggest crush on her.

Speaker 3: 43:08

I talk about the movie all the time. I have a script that I'm working on and it's about a video store and a guy comes in and he's like hey, you got a copy of prayer of the roller boys.

Speaker 2: 43:26

I'm like, yeah, yeah, all the time I bring that movie up, I think it's. Was she in prayer for the roller boys, or was it solar babies that she was in? Or yeah, I think it was solar babies. We're all nerding out over here. So so my audience will just have to enjoy it actually no, it's patricia arquette.

Speaker 3: 43:36

Okay, patricia Arquette.

Speaker 2: 43:37

Okay, it was solar babies that, jamie.

Speaker 1: 43:40

Girtz was in.

Speaker 2: 43:41

Yeah, another inline movie that was kind of science fiction and inline.

Speaker 3: 43:48

Oh my God, patricia Arquette. Yeah, yep, definitely Patricia Arquette. So cool. I always thought Jamie Girtz was Patricia Arquette. It makes it even cooler, that's awesome.

Speaker 2: 44:02

So now, how can we find you? And, aside from Tubi, how else can we find the movie?

Speaker 3: 44:08

So, right now, like I said, the movie's on Tubi, so that's really the main place to go. We have a website that you can check out what the company is doing. You can go to high five finance productions dot com. You can go to our youtube page, which is high five finance productions the youtube page, I think high five finance productions, youtube and um. There you can watch our short film that makes department store, which has won a few awards, which is, I think, is a thousand times better than our feature, because you know we, we knew better at that time. You know that was our.

Speaker 3: 44:46

I was going to give up filmmaking after the feature because nothing went right and my, my friend sergio, who's a special effects guy, sat me down and he was like he's like, get it, you don't want to make another movie. He's like, you had a really bad experience your first time out. He's like, I get it. He's like, but he's like, I kind of believe in you, man. He's like and it'd be a shame just for you to just give it up because of the experience that you had. He's like because basically you're just letting other people bully you and push you out. You had he's like because basically you're just letting other people bully you and push you out, like, and that's not cool. So he suggested to you know for me to write a short film. You know, for us, and just you know, try to raise just a little bit, a few thousand dollars and and make it.

Speaker 3: 45:32

He's like, and after you make it, he goes. If you still feel the same way, he's like, walk away. He's like. He's like I won't say a word about it. He's like I won't say a word about it. He's like, but at least you know, give yourself that much.

Speaker 3: 45:42

So I did, you know, and he's like, and you control everything, he's like, you don't. You don't look for someone to hire your crew, but you do everything yourself. A great time we shot all in one day, you know, we got it was two people in the cast and it ended up winning awards and, like I said, we're trying to get it on to be right now, even though it's just only 15 minutes short. But the overall product is just wonderful, the production value is great and people just really dig it and it's still, you know, in that horror genre. It's just a fun little film called lebanniz Department Store and that you can watch for free, like I said, on our YouTube channel, high Five and Ants Productions the YouTube channel, and you can watch it right there Before I take it down. If it gets on Tubi or anything else, I'm going to pull it down, but as of right now it's sitting up there.

Speaker 2: 46:38

Nice.

Speaker 3: 46:38

For everyone to watch.

Speaker 2: 46:42

Well, I appreciate you know it's sitting up there, nice for everyone to watch. Well, I appreciate you coming on and experience or sharing your experience in both film and skating world.

Speaker 3: 46:47

So thank you very much. Thank you for having me on. That's really really. You know, that's awesome. Like I say, I get to do, you know, always promote the movie, but I never get to talk about skating yeah and you were like on fire at mad monster party.

Speaker 2: 47:02

About when we I brought up skating and having a skating podcast.

Speaker 3: 47:05

You got excited I do like, like I said, spike jones, one of my favorite directors and he's all you know. He started off skating and making skate videos. And then there's mark gonzalez, another one. You know he's like an artist now and but he started off, you know, he started off on his skateboard and he still skates and, yeah, skating. To me there's nothing better than getting on your board and just riding it.

Speaker 2: 47:31

It's just because it takes you to a whole nother world and it's kind of like it's the getaway it isn't.

Speaker 3: 47:37

You know. Just you know, you get to choose your board and you get to build your board, which is even that's like one of the best parts of it. I mean, you can buy your boards already put together, but god, to build your own board to pick out the wheels, to pick out the trucks you know to, to put your own grip tape on it, and stuff like that. Learn how to put grip tape on and oh, that's a whole another, that's a whole nother level but yeah, you're building it yourself.

Speaker 3: 48:03

You have so much invested, it's like your soul goes into it. Like I said, my board comes with me everywhere. It goes in the back of the car. You never know when you're gonna come to a hill exactly. So I keep all my equipment in there my, my helmet, my wrist guards, everything and just the boards always in the car. I actually lost grip tape in the car when it, because it was so hot, I forgot it was in the car and the grip tape just started to basically kind of melt and brought me to pull it out. But yeah, it's, it's weird, it became a. It's an obsession yeah beautiful obsession.

Speaker 3: 48:36

Oh, it's my dog.

Speaker 1: 48:37

She's crying, hey you hi if you dig it.

Speaker 3: 48:42

If you dig bar of films, you know, watch 521 north main street on 2b. You know it's for free and I guess that's our first feature. It's fun. It's definitely fun. And if you want, go on our youtube page high five and productions youtube and watch Let Mix Department Store. It's a short little film, it's free on there and it's got some really great acting in it and two intense actors Very good.

Speaker 2: 49:10

That's awesome.

Speaker 3: 49:12

Skate, just skate. Whatever you do, if you skateboard, if you ice skate, if you roller skate, anything man, if you ski, just do it, just just do your thing, have fun. But we're not, we're not here for a long time, you know.

Speaker 2: 49:29

You know we're but we're here for a fun time for a fun time.

Speaker 3: 49:33

I had a friend who said all the time in venice, but not here for a long time, here for a fun time, and she'd go get drunk somewhere. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, well shout out to Amy if she's still around and her philosophy on life, yeah.

Speaker 2: 49:51

Definitely, but thank you again for coming on.

Speaker 3: 49:55

Thank you. Thank you for having me on. Thank you so much, sean. It was great, made my day. It was good. Welcome you, thank you, thank you.