For those people who haven’t heard of Lost Soul Skateboards, who are you guys and what are you doing these days?
Lost Soul is a growing East Coast skateboard brand from Allentown, PA. It was started in 2005/2006 in the hopes to bring back that unique feeling to skateboard culture.
We were seeing the same old thing done over and over again with new and emerging skateboard brands and we thought it was time for a change. Don’t let the name fool you. It has nothing to do with a dark side or goth crap. Nothing like that.
When I grew up, skateboarders were more of the outcasts. Not on purpose but we were definitely shunned and looked down upon. We were all Lost Souls. I loved that! Who cares, right? Nothing wrong with doing your own thing and thinking on your own. That’s what Lost Soul is about. A unique brand, its own style and sometimes looked down upon, even in skateboarding. In these days of trendy, Extreme Game loving, MTV skate themed TV show watching skateboarders, we’re still pulling it off. Doing it our own way…
I heard you guys just put out your first full-length skate video, “In With The Out.” What is the focus of that video?
We thought it was important to show our different style of skateboarding. There are a lot of skate videos coming out these days, but it seems like most of them are repeating themselves or imitating other brands. We wanted to show that our board company is a bit different and show that “grass roots/ DIY” style of skateboarding that seems to be long gone. You either love it or hate it. Max Zahradnik did all the editing and just about all the filming and we owe a lot to him for having a strong vision of how we wanted to be seen.
We also owe a lot to our riders who put in tons of time and blood filming for this video.
Putting on a good premiere is key to the success of a skate film. What are the key factors involved in putting on a successful premiere?
Wow! It was a lot of hard work to put on our premiere. I can’t imagine how big brands do it on such a large scale. I guess getting the word out is key. With us it was hard because we are a smaller brand and we had a tight budget. Word of mouth helped out a lot and a ton of guerrilla marketing, but one of the most important factors we had was we had an idea to help other smaller independent brands and at the same time have them help us.
We ended up talking to a lot of smaller skate companies, websites such as FirstStoke.com, and other small businesses to get them to do small video ad spots that we would play the night of the premiere before we showed our video. It was a big success and we benefited from it and so did all the brands that advertised with us. After we had that in place, we had to find a venue to show it, but we wanted to have it so all ages could come and see it. So rather than do it at a bar or club where you either have to be 18 or 21, we had the premiere at the Roxy Theatre in Northampton, PA. We had all ages there for sure. From 6 to 60 years of age. Ha ha. I think the owner of the theatre almost had a heart attack with the rowdy crowd, but it was all in good fun and everything worked out.
The Red Bull after party was interesting too…
How was "In With The Out" received by the skaters and media that turned out for the premiere?
I think it went well. From the reaction of the crowd, it sounded like people liked it. I had a lot of people that came up to me after and say they were proud we put it out. To hear things like that made our day. We knew we did something right and all of our hard work paid off.
What has been the biggest surprise with the release of "In With The Out?"
I am not sure yet. It’s still too early to tell. I know we turned a lot of heads and got exposure from it and that’s just what we set out to do. I guess we will have to wait and see what the media has to say in reviews, etc.
A lot of guys talk about starting their own skate companies, but you made it happen. What inspired you to create Lost Soul Skateboards?
It was time for a change and to do something different. I started skating in the ‘80’s and I have seen a lot of changes in skateboarding over the years. Later on, I learned more and more about the industry so my wife and I decided to take the plunge and start Lost Soul. We're still learning. We quickly learned we had a lot to contribute though. I think it has more to do than just image. It has a lot to do with our products as well. Our decks are made here in the USA. Pennsylvania to be exact, and we use natural glues and inks. We get our wood from the Great Lakes region and we can say that out decks are made by skateboarders.
A lot of brands now get their decks from Mexico or China so they can cut costs, but a lot of times when they do this, they end up cutting down the quality of the product as well. We work hard with the people who manufacture our decks to ensure a high quality product that not only we can be proud of but whoever buys one of our decks they too are proud of it.
Tell us a bit about the guys who ride for Lost Soul and what makes you different.
I can’t speak on everyone’s behalf, but I think each of the guys on the team serve a purpose and all of them put in their own little piece to the puzzle. Andy Vasquez was the first guy added to the team. He brings us a strong individual presence and very unique style. Jimmy Larsen is the same way. Very laid back and mellow style. Then we have our pro Ray Gurz. He always goes out and gives it his all. He doesn’t do it just for his sponsors, but for the love of skateboarding. He has 20 years of skating under his belt. It shows too. His love shines through and so do his skills on the board. Not too long before the video came out, we added Bubba Smith, Joe Dirt, and Matt Fuhr. They all kill it in their own way. Bubba has more of a tech style compared to most of the other guys on the team, and Joe and Matt just go big. I always ask the guys on the team for their input. They all contribute in certain ways, whether it is with art or ideas. It makes our brand what it is.
What do you think is wrong with skateboarding these days?
Too many followers. At the same time too many haters too. People that hate on people who skate different or try to do something different. I always thought that’s what skateboarding was about. Doing what feels good and showing your own style. Not doing what everyone else is and skating how you want. I also hate the fact that sports brands are trying to market themselves to profit off of skateboarding. I don’t think they would be around if skateboarding started to fall off. Same goes for the large mall chain stores and sporting good stores who sell skateboard products. These are the same stores that have your top skate brand right next to a pair of inline skates or a scooter. They could care less about skateboarding or where it came from and don’t support it.
For more information, check out the Lost Soul Profile Page
