With a work history entrenched in the skateboarding industry in Canada and California, I'm always pleasantly surprised when a local skate story comes across my desk and I'll able to share. Today it's a short film called Ampersand, produced by a group of Vancouver creatives running under the BYC Collective banner. The production quality is something you rarely see in the genre, with motion graphics and animations complementing the skateboarding. Also something that you used to not see much of is the style of skateboarding shown. Freestyle, which is not to be confused with Street skating or Streetstyle, become popular in the 1980s and was made up of basically a skateboarder and the street; no obstacles. It's made a comeback as of late, with new riders paying homage to Vancouver freestyle legend Kevin Harris who was a top pro in the 80s. In the 3 decades since he's been one of the sport's most notable business owners, launching one of Canada's largest distribution companies and the first skate mag north of the border.
One of Canada’s (and now Japan’s) top freestyle skateboarders of today, Ryan Brynelson, shows off his chops in this video below, and it's a treat to watch. Here's hoping it came across Kevin Harris's desk as well, and that he's watching it with a smile on his face.
