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Vancouver Island is known for many things – oceans, surfing, big ass trees, nature, fishing just to name a few – but skateboarding is not neccessarily one of them. Of course though, like pretty much any place on earth you can find, if you dig just a little bit under the surface all kinds of things begin to appear, including a super healthy and vibrant skate scene centered on the city of Victoria. And that's where I found Luke Connor, founder of You Got That, an awesome blog where you can find all kinds of sick photos, videos and info of some really sick skateboarding!
In addition to maintaining the blog with tons of rad content there is also a full-length film in the works, VICtorious, which is dropping this fall. I had to find out some more info about both projects so I tracked Luke down and gave his the gears to find out what him and his crew are all about and what we can expect from their various projects. As you'll see below, Luke clearly has his priorities set, knows what he wants and is more than willing to go out and get it.
As anyone who has shot street skating – or urban snowboarding (is there urban surfing? should there be?! Did I just create something awesome? no, I didn't) – it's a grind to say the least. You have long days, even longer nights, endless driving around, dealing with generators, lights and other shitty equipment that just loves to fuck up. You can be sure anyone who is out there doing it on the regular is passionate about skating and capturing those fleeting, but incredible, moments … Luke is clearly one of those guys.
Leo Graceffo – BS 50-50 33MAG: How did You Got That! come about?
Luke: You Got That! came about just over two years ago when Matt Macleod and I joined forces to bring a light upon the often-underrated Vancouver Island skate scene. The Island has always been brimming with talent, yet due to the lack of establishers photographers in the area over the years lots of skateboarders here often do not get the recognition they deserve. Matt has since parted ways to pursue other ventures, leaving me and Leo Graceffo as the primary contributors.
Has it been working out as planned? Is it hard to maintain a steady flow of content for your viewers?
It has definitely been harder keeping up with consistent posting in more recent months. For the first year the majority of my time spent shooting was projected towards getting content for the site so we were definitely posting a lot more then; having Matt as a contributor also made things easier. For the past year my focus has been more on filming for VICtorious, as well as shooting for other side projects, which in turn has cut down the amount of content available for YGT. We would love to be able to keep the blog updated more often, yet bigger things have been in the works so unfortunately posting has been pushed onto the back-burner a bit.
The crew after a session – Jeezuz!Give us a quick rundown of the skate scene in Victoria and Vancouver Island in general.
The Victoria/VI skate scene is tight-knit, with a solid family feel to it. For the most part, everyone is very friendly and encouraging of each other's skating. Street skating in Victoria can be frustrating at times due to a fair share of spots being a little rougher than ideal, but we make shit happen regardless; the Island still boasts its fair share of gems.
Who are the main players in your crew? Is everyone am or are you also shooting with some pros?
The crew consists mainly of Leo Graceffo, Corey Cawdell, Eisei Sugimoto, Cheyenne Hehr, Eric Timmins, Dylan Timmins, Matt Gravel, Isaac Walker, Dane Pryds, Dan Lintaman, Leon Breton and Alex Eddy, as well as many other homies in Victoria and across the Island, as well as the mainland.
Matt Gravel is pro for Instrumental Skateboards and Eisei Sugimoto has had pro boards in Japan, where he's from.
Corey Cawdell skates, Leo Graceffo filming
When did you decide to do a full-length movie?
Leo Graceffo and I have always wanted to collaborate on a project, even before we lived in Victoria together. It has been a dream of ours for years to put together a full-length, and about a year and half ago we decided that we were going for it. Alex Eddy invested in an HD setup earlier this year and is contributing all of his footage towards the video as well, which has been a tremendous help.
What can we expect from VICtorious?
VICtorious is filmed entirely in HD, and it has definitely been the right decision. We have been busting our asses on this project for close to two years come deadline and with the way things are looking, it sure won't disappoint. Each skater is bringing their own style to the table, so expect a very diverse video. From handrails to manny pads, gaps to transition, and everything in between, there is not a style of skating left untouched.
Alex Eddy congratulating Greg Marchese
If there's one thing we need to know about the You Got That! crew, what is it?
That's a tough one to answer… I'd say wait until the video comes out and see what we're all about!
