Steve Berra On the Skateboarding Ecosystem

I love getting into conversations with my skater friends that border on the same topic and others like it.  Aside from my parents and a few key individuals in my life, I believe I can attribute a substantial amount of ‘who I am‘ to my time spent skateboarding – both on the board and observing – since 1991.   I would put teaching ‘Skate Philosophy 101′ at a university at dream job status.  I often say that one of my hobbies is tracing the influence of skateboarding throughout pop culture and society, from fashion trends, to art, to attitudes.   Pathetic hobby, I know.

I frequently see pop culture icons labeled trendsetters and style icons, when in reality they are taking their lead from the quiet (in relative terms) skateboarders who for the most part, could care less.   Style has always been an essential element of skateboarding, but progression and overall enjoyment should always remain most important.   Obsessing over a nollie flip – a skater.  Obsessing over the way your jeans fall onto your P-Rods – a misled skater.

I highly recommend reading Steve’s post.  It is long, but a great read.  It is begging for some David Armano-style graphic treatment to articulate the symbiotic relationship between the parties that call skateboarding theirs.

Coppola x Louis Vuitton + Annie Leibovitz

Click to Enlarge.

I love the Annie Leibovitz ads for Louis Vuitton, and I especially love the one above with Francis Ford Coppola and Sophia Coppola. Should I be ashamed that I actually like her movies more than her dad’s? I saw her at a party just chillin’ on a couch and I was blown away by her presence, her aura, her vibe – cheesy, I know – but she was 1,000,000 times more attractive in person than in any picture I have ever seen. She just blended right into the scene, but she was the only person in the room who can claim responsibility for some of my favorite movies of my 20s.

Here are others from the campaign.

Global Grind – The HipHop Digg

I saw the 30 minute long info-mercial for GlobalGrind.com – aka this week’s episode of Run’s House – last night. I watched a DVR’ed version of the show, so I guess I would have never found out about the site if they had spent money on a regular :15 or :30 second spot (branded content plug). Perhaps I am not giving the site a hard enough look, but it is hard to deny that it seems to lack any signs of innovation that one would expect from a well-funded start-up. From the commentary on the show, I was expecting something much more interesting than a hip hop-filtered digg. Hopefully it will hold up much better than Damon Dash’s venture into social media – BlockSavvy.

Despite the fact that Run’s House has morphed into what seems to be the sole advertising vehicle for Run Athletics, Pastry Sneakers, Team Blackout, and now Global Grind, I still love the hell out of the show and applaud the family for making the most of their time on-air. They have very successfully made their hustle entertaining.

What’s Playing on Paris Runways?

One of my favorite companies is a small brand/trend consultancy called Agenda, Inc.  They do a number of interesting reports, but before 2007, they used to track all of the songs played at big fashion shows.  Fashion designers and their impeccable taste surely know all the cool music, right?   Well, after a year-long hiatus, they appear to have started tracking the songs again.   You can download the PDF of songs by designer/show here.

Notable…  a long-time favorite of mine (in digital years), Kid Sister,  was on the playlist of a few of the designers.  Good for her.

How to Market Technology – Courtesy of a TV Show (Mad Men)

I have never actually seen this show, but by the aesthetics alone, I can tell I’d love it.  I think this clip is worth sharing, whether you are in advertising or simply forced to view it on a regular basis.  It is a perfect example of how to really market a technology product and only reinforces that you can still build an emotional connection with a piece of technology or a brand.    For those that have never seen the show… it takes place in the 1960’s… which explains the great style and smokey boardroom.