Platform

Stefan Brandow, Yandriel Silverio and Brian Weis, aka the Standard Skate Co team, are the latest guests on Platform podcast. The trio discuss what it was like working the Standard booth at Winterclash 2024 and talking shop with the masses, the stress of filming the promo and only receiving the skates the night before their first trip, the changes that they asked to be made to the shell, the aggressive industry and the impact Standard hopes to have on it and plenty more. If you like what I do and would like to support this channel, join the Wheel Scene Patreon:

Cody Sanders, the man behind the lens for Jumbo, is the latest guest on Platform podcast. He talks about how it all started, the highs and lows of running one of the most popular video series in rollerblading, the dynamic within the group, his views on everything from Braingod to having children, and his plans for this year. In short, we covered A LOT of topics!

Michael Kraft is one of my favourite skaters to watch over the past couple of years. His skating is full of surprises, combining of traditional street skating skills with a keen eye for an interesting spot, or a way of seeing something in a standard skate obstacle that most people would overlook. I was very excited about doing this episode, so much so that even when he cancelled on me the first time I kept annoying him until he finally came on the podcast! My persistence was rewarded with a couple of hours and change of chat with an interesting, funny and pleasantly weird individual. Enjoy! If you would like to support Wheel Scene, you can become a Patreon here:

I have always admired Dustin Werbeski's skating for being fiercely innovative and creative, even if it completely went against what was currently popular at the time in skating. He produced numerous wonderful sections for Xsjado and Undercover while he was a member of their respective pro teams and even after things fell apart with both brands he continued pushing forward, driving his skating into more unknown territory. Back in 2016 he released a video riding SUV skates on mountain bike trails in Vancouver, Canada and to date it has clocked up over 878,000 views and he has kept pursuing this aspect of skating ever since, and now has the first SUV pro skate through Powerslide. Talking about all of Dustin's adventures would take a lifetime, but we managed to tap into a bunch of interesting stories in this episode and I'm sure you will find him as interesting a personality as I do.

For the latest episode of Platform podcast, Kentucky's Mark Wojda reflects on his time as an up and coming skater during the early 2000s. He discusses his time riding for Salomon, Remz and USD, as well as Denial, Genre and Create Originals. Mark also talks about his popular sections in Genre is Dead and The One Video, as well as an incident that hospitalised him while filming for the latter. He also talks about life after pursuing the pro skater dream, moving to Connecticut, becoming a physio therapist and starting his own family. If you thought he skating has slowed down, you would be wrong because he has had sections in recent videos Always Next Time and Better Than Never, and he's got another part in the works!

Mark talks about touring South America and Europe, why Demetrious George was the best team manager he ever had and why Denial was the most legitimate sponsor in terms of taking care of him, and the reasons that he decided to no longer continue life as a sponsored skater.

Join the Wheel Scene Patreon here - https://www.patreon.com/wheelscene

For the latest episode of Platform podcast we check in with Detroit's Zack Savage. He is fresh off the back of an unbelievably good performance at Bitter Cold Showdown 2023, he had his first pro wheel from Gawds not to long ago and he keeps popping up in a bunch of videos including Ghetto Community, One Trick A Day and the latest Carter Le Blanc piece Rain Check. Zack talks about why he moved from Detroit to Portland, how he got on Gawds, his experience of hanging out in New York City with the Ghetto Community crew, his highly praised performance at Bitter Cold Showdown 2023 and much more.

Most people know Kaya as the dominant Winter X Games freestyle champion, with eight gold medals and a bronze to her name, as winning the world championships for freestyle skiing. Before all that, she just so happened to be one of the best female street skaters of all time. If you require evidence, check out her section in the D Structure team video What is... and her exceptional section in the iconic Brandon Negrete video Road To Nowhere. Both sections are still strong by today's standards and prove how much she was pushing the envelope for female rollerblading. Kaya has proven herself to be one of the very best on both skates and skis, and her career in freestyle only ended due to chronic headaches which made it pretty much impossible for her to continue training. She retired from professional skiing in 2017 and has recently started working as a TV correspondant for major ski events like Winter X Games. I caught up with her back home in Montreal to find out about her skating background, how she ended up in a Brandon Negrete video, some memorable moments from that era, including hanging out with and getting to know some of the most famous skaters of all time. 

If you enjoyed the previous episode of Platform podcast with John Bolino, you are in for a treat. Two hours of chat concerning many different aspects of rollerblading including the recent Them Skates x WKND Skateboards collaboration, rollerblading at a Thrasher skateboarding event, Mesmer Skates and Heavy Distribution, his section in the new Jeremy Soderburg video Slippery Slope, future plans and more. He also shares some excellent stories, including the time he got arrested in Philadelphia and was bailed out of jail by Sean Kelso.

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters:     Josh Allen    Faction Skate Company     Chris Archer     Reto Burgin     Jumpstreet Podcast     Rene Dillon     Neil Owen     Samuel Brownlee     Stephen Johnstone     Micki Toft      A Parker    Dean Bradley    Bill Campbell      Ron Escobar  Jason Newing  Patrick Coddington    

The latest episode of Platform podcast feels particularly special because John Bolino is one of my favourite skaters of all time. He's been incredibly prolific throughout his blading career, releasing some truly brilliant video sections and winning some of the biggest events in the sport. John opens up about a childhood that was more challenging than most people's, losing family members and witnessing addiction issues from an early age. He also talks about why he needed to step away from skating to experience the other things life had to offer and how it has affected his outlook and behaviour in recent years. 

I had so many questions I wanted to ask John that we never got round to covering, so the plan is to do a second part as soon as possible. In the meantime, enjoy a bunch of stories from someone who is not just a great skater but comes across as a delightful person as well.

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters:    Josh Allen   Faction Skate Company    Chris Archer    Reto Burgin    Jumpstreet Podcast    Rene Dillon    Neil Owen    Samuel Brownlee    Stephen Johnstone    Micki Toft     A Parker   Dean Bradley   Bill Campbell     Ron Escobar Jason Newing Patrick Coddington  

I've been a huge fan of the Texas blading scene for decades and Mick Casals is leading the current charge, along with the rest of the Austin-based Candy collective, with his smooth, technical skating and additional flourishes which make his skating standout as something truly unique to him. He has produced brilliant parts in full-length videos Waterloo, Candy and Out of Tune, and his latest section in Ends made me want to talk to him and find out more about the guy. He had a pro wheel from Bloom earlier in the year, which was accompanied by an edit that could hold the guiness world record for most wall rides out of grinds in a single section.

Mick came across as a laidback, mellow kind of guy who just seems to take life as it comes, although he was very clever not to incriminate himself at various points during the interview, so clearly he knows when to talk and when to keep his mouth shut! Mick has a great collection of parts on YouTube, which I thoroughly recommend you check out when you get the chance. He is planning on moving to Denver soon, so hopefully it won't be long before we see more new footage from him.

Check out Mick Casal's brilliant new section in the latest Anthony Medina video Candy, which you can buy here - https://candy-blading.sellfy.store

Also, if you would like to support Mick, you can purchase his new book here - https://www.mickcasals.com

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters:   Josh Allen  Faction Skate Company   Chris Archer   Reto Burgin   Jumpstreet Podcast   Rene Dillon   Neil Owen   Samuel Brownlee   Stephen Johnstone   Micki Toft    A Parker  Dean Bradley  Bill Campbell    

If you've watched the past three excellent Sunday Brunch videos, you will know Mike McMullen as one member of an exclusive crew of skaters who spend their Sunday's visiting various outdoor skateparks across Southern California while enjoying the odd beer...or eight. What you may not know is that, in addition to being a skater, he also designed various skins and graphics for Valo, and he is responsible for the branding for Them Skates. 

I love speaking to people involved in the creative and artistic elements that make up skating and the companies involved in it because it's such a huge part of what makes our sport so interesting to me - artistic expression. Mike came across as warm, funny and passionate about his craft, but he also has the endearing ability to not take himself too seriously. I know this episode will perhaps not be as popular as one featuring everyone's favourite skater, but I believe these individuals are just as important as the people putting out the best video parts of winning the major contests. 

The video of the Girl Skateboards x Hello Kitty mural mentioned in the podcast: https://vimeo.com/24330894

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters:  Josh Allen Faction Skate Company  Chris Archer  Reto Burgin  Jumpstreet Podcast  Rene Dillon  Neil Owen  Samuel Brownlee  Stephen Johnstone  Micki Toft   A Parker Dean Bradley Bill Campbell  

Mesmer's newest amateur rider and the recent recipient of a pro wheel from Orange Wheel Company Martin Danning is the latest guest on Platform podcast. The Norwegian has been going strong for years now, first emerging on the scene as a tiny teenager with a lot of drive and ability to shine at competitions. Martin discusses his latest section for OWC, winning the amateur event at this year's Spring Blading Cup, going on tour with Mesmer for the RV There Yet?! video and much more.

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters: 

Faction Skate Company 

Christopher Archer 

Reto Burgin 

Jumpstreet Podcast 

Rene Dillon 

Neil Owen 

Samuel Brownlee 

Stephen Johnstone 

Micki Toft  

A Parker

Dean Bradley

Bill Campbell

One of Staten Island's finest, Austin Paz opens up about his new section, By The Slice, gives an insight into Jump Street Podcast and how he feels it's going, offers his perspective on the mysterious death of B Unique, why it's been so long since he filmed a full street section, his thoughts on the rollerblading industry and this year's controversial Spring Cup and much more. I have always been a huge fan of Austin's skating and his personality is just as endearing. He doesn't take himself too seriously and doesn't mind having a joke of five levelled at him, which is probably a good thing because I bust his balls about a few things in this episode!   

One of Staten Island's finest, Austin Paz opens up about his new section, By The Slice, gives an insight into Jump Street Podcast and how he feels it's going, offers his perspective on the mysterious death of B Unique, why it's been so long since he filmed a full street section, his thoughts on the rollerblading industry and this year's controversial Spring Cup and much more. I have always been a huge fan of Austin's skating and his personality is just as endearing. He doesn't take himself too seriously and doesn't mind having a joke of five levelled at him, which is probably a good thing because I bust his balls about a few things in this episode!   

It's been a while since I've hosted an episode of Platform podcast, but the opportunity to speak to '90s icon John Starr fell into my lap at the last minute and I jumped at the chance because VG 4: Puppets of Destiny was the first rollerblading VHS I owned. I'd seen a couple of others first, but this was the first one I could watch over and over in my house and John Starr's section left a big impression on me. John has skated for some of the biggest brands in blading, including K2, Rollerblade, Medium, 976, Fiziks and numerous others. Not only that, he helped design the original Valo skins and the stock Valo frames, which Roces use to this day, and he did the design work for elements of Robert Guerrero's pro skate from Rollerblade. He also talks about coming up with the unity grind alongside Jon Julio one night at Silverlake High School and having the first every truespin topsoul in a magazine.   

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters: Faction Skate Company Christopher Archer Reto Burgin Jumpstreet Podcast Rene Dillon Neil Owen Samuel Brownlee Stephen Johnstone Samuel Brownlee Micki Toft  

Bolton's Elliot Stevens is the latest guest on Platform podcast. He talks about his current life in Vancouver, British Colombia and why he decided to move there. He also delves into the past - why he quit Valo to ride for USD Skates, filming with Brandon Negrete in Los Angeles, his epic Haitian section, the random stuff that he would get up to while living in Australia, the part he filmed in Sydney with Dom West, competing against Nick Lomax and Alex Burston while they all grew up skating together and the point when he decided to stop pursuing the pro blading dream. As always, he delivers every story with the warm, carefree, self-deprecating charm that he is known and loved for. If you have never met Elliot Stevens in person, you are missing out. The man is a good laugh!    

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters: Reto Burgin Jumpstreet Podcast Rene Dillon Micki Toft Neil Owen Samuel Brownlee Jimmy Pancakes Stephen Johnstone  

The latest guest on Platform podcast is Undercover Wheels' newest pro team rider Nicola Torelli. He talks about moving to London and getting into skating as a way of exploring the city, becoming obsessive about the sport and trying to learn as much as possible, how he got sponsored by UC Wheels, why he decided not to ride for Micro Skates and Iqon Skates. He also discusses why he gave up a career in nursing to focus purely on skating, his decision to move to Barcelona, his thoughts on sponsorship and plans for the future.  

Things we talked about in this episode:  

Mushroom Blading's Todd McInerney is the latest guest on Platform and it's a massive one - three hours in fact - you guys can tell me if that's a good thing or not!  I've been a big fan of MB for years, and particularly Todd's very dry and mischievous sense of humour. We talk about everything from good and bad feedback they've had over the years from influential people in the industry, hypothetical gameshows we would create for the blading community, how his outlook on skating has changed over the years, future plans for Mushroom Blading, the reason they don't venture out of Kamloops much, future MB products and much, much more.    

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters: Reto Burgin Jumpstreet Podcast Rene Dillon Micki Toft Neil Owen Samuel Brownlee Jimmy Pancakes Stephen Johnstone  

Mushroom Blading's Todd McInerney is the latest guest on Platform and it's a massive one - three hours in fact - you guys can tell me if that's a good thing or not!  I've been a big fan of MB for years, and particularly Todd's very dry and mischievous sense of humour. We talk about everything from good and bad feedback they've had over the years from influential people in the industry, hypothetical gameshows we would create for the blading community, how his outlook on skating has changed over the years, future plans for Mushroom Blading, the reason they don't venture out of Kamloops much, future MB products and much, much more.    

Massive thank you my Patreon supporters: Reto Burgin Jumpstreet Podcast Rene Dillon Micki Toft Neil Owen Samuel Brownlee Jimmy Pancakes Stephen Johnstone  

James Bower is the latest guest on Platform podcast. I have been wanting to have him on the show for a while, but we both wanted to wait until he had a new section out. Well, he's got a brilliant ender part in the new Muzzle video, made by Jon Lee, called Adventures of Mr Moosemuzzle. We talk about some of the highlights and struggles from this, as well as reflecting on his epic section that he dropped two years previously - Sweet Shin Music.  

Wake Schepman is the latest guest on Platform podcast, your regular dose of aggressive inline skating discussion. He talks about his recent win at the King of the North competition, being on the Nitro Circus alongside Chris Haffey, landing the world's first 1620 and bio 1260 on inline skates, why he chose to quit Razors, what happened with Reverse, the skate company he was briefly involved with, how he got on USD Skates and more.   

Chase Rushing has had sections in three of Brandon Negrete's most famous videos - Forever Now, The Meantime and Road To Nowhere. He was also a regular visitor to California and stayed with the likes of Carl Sturgess, Brandon Campbell and Aaron Feinberg. He basically lived every teenager skater's dream.  Fast forward to 2022 and he has been involved with the launch of Mesmer, providing the artwork that appears on the soul plate, wheels, insole and booklet for the John Bolino pro skate.  

Chase talked about growing up skating in and around Dallas, the period where Chris Farmer came to stay and they became friends, his experiences of filming and hanging out with Brandon Negrete and much more.  

You can also watch Platform on YouTube - www.youtube.com/wheelsceneblading

Pat Ridder is the first European to get a pro skate for Them. He discusses how it came about, what he's planning on doing with the money and shows us a sample of what the wheels could have looked like...they're pretty jazzy. He also talks about his views on skating, what inspires him and his plans for the future.  

Nicholas Swan is the first free skater that's appeared on Platform and hopefully he will be the first of many. The Salt Lake City, Utah resident has produced a lot of engaging sections of the years and picked up sponsorship by both Rollerblade and more recently Micro Skates. Nicholas recently opened Beehive Skate Shop in Salt Lake City, so it was the perfect opportunity to pick his brain on a number of topics.  

He talks about riding for Rollerblade and travelling to various cities across America for the In Motion series with Mike Torres and Sean Keane, why he decided to join Micro Skates, his plans for the shop and more.   

'90s competition wunderkind Mike Scott is the latest guest on Platform. The former Roces and Senate pro team rider talks about competing on the NISS tour and earning the respect of his idols, being chosen by Arlo Eisenberg to skate for Super Computer Robots and what happened with the ill-fated brand. He also discusses how his pro skating career was cut short by injury and a downturn in the industry, but how he never stopped skating despite several knee surgeries and persisting injury issues.  

Them Skates' latest addition, Matt Reyes, talks about how he got into blading, being tutored on iconic videos by his cousin Json Adriani, skating in front of the Supreme skateboarding team, how Jon Julio ended up asking him to ride for his skate brand and many other interesting stories. The young Italian is part of the new generation steering European blading and we are excited to see what he does next. He's also incredibly warm, funny and a pleasure to speak with. 

Blader Union is proud to partner with Wheel Scene to host episode 45 of Platform.  

The latest guest on Platform is a true icon of the sport, Esco Zoo's very own Eric Schrijn. He was involved in aggressive skating from its initial birth, skated for some of the biggest companies at the height of the sport's mainstream popularity, and stuck with it through some of the toughest times in its short history.   

Eric has an insane amount of stories, including how he was introduced to aggressive skating through his youth pastor, none other than living legend Chris Edwards. He talks about how the Airman advised him to skate for Senate, what it was like riding for Rollerblade during their most lucrative period, competing at the X Games in front of tens of thousands of people, the insane perks that came with being a successful pro skater during that era and how he witnessed its rapid fall from grace.  

Throughout our discussion, Eric was warm, charming and didn't take himself too seriously. He was very candid and openly discussed the moments he cherished and the experiences that were the most difficult for him emotionally. Unlike some of his contemporaries from that period, he looks back on his time as a pro with fond memories and advises how he believes it made him improve as a person.    

This episode is supported by Blader Union and Alchemyst Skate Shop.  

Josh Nielsen's section in the Melbourne scene video Seven Rats back in 2011 was brilliant and I've been a fan of his skating ever since. He also has a great part in Vine St: Chapter II, full of switch and natural variations, and has produced a bunch of entertaining online videos over the years, including Neon Inline alongside Rob Kellett.  

Josh was recently added to the USD Skates team, so it seemed like the perfect time to find out more about him, how he got on the boot brand, what it was like filming for Vine St with Dom West and being in Wuhan, China when Coronavirus swept the planet. He also talks about his time living in Copenhagen, his favourite Australian skaters, plans for the future and more.