Filming Natas Kaupas • Ollie to fence plant • Santa Monica • 1987   © O Photo

‘My style of filming will take someone to their limits and those who could respond got some classic parts.’

Tony Roberts

July 2025

You started skating and surfing at the age of 8. What came first though?
Same time! I grew up right on the beach and the waves were right there and everyone was riding skateboards! It was 1973 so it was the wild hippy days in Santa Cruz, California and surfing and skateboarding was everywhere I looked.


What was your first pro board?
A G&S Fiberflex with Bennet pros and Road Rider Twos. I was in heaven.


Do you still have it?
No. I wish.


You were a sponsored skateboarder and surfer. Has it never crossed your mind to go all in as a pro for one of the two?
Yeah, for sure that was my goal in my youth. However, once I got to the age when I had to start thinking about money, I thought making surf and skate movies were a better path.


On that note, you picked up a Super 8 camera while you were in High School and started filming your friends’ skating and surfing. What inspired you to move into video making apart from making money?
I was making movies on film which I would show on a projector at my own local events which were pretty wild and successful. Then video came out and the first distributor of surf and skate VHS tapes “Surf Video Network” contacted me. They transferred my movies to VHS and sold them worldwide. My first Movie was called ‘Surf/Skate’ in 1986, next was ‘No Limits’ (surf) and ‘Goin’ Off’ (skate) in 1987.

‘Skate companies were going full street and stopped paying producers and gave riders cameras.’

How did you end up working your first skate movie together called ‘Goin’ Off’ in 1987 with all the big names at the time like Natas, Cab, Chris Miller, Salba, Tommy Guerrero etc?
Every session in that movie was organic. We would just show up to session and film, it wasn’t like filming a part or anything like that. The skate world was very small back then. Keith Meek is one of my best friends and we would roll to SF to skate with TG and Bryce and those guys and hook up with Mack Dawg (Mike McEntire). We would be in touch with Salba and Malba about pools we had, or they had and then go barge. My roommates were Joel Gomez from Sessions and Rob Roskopp so we would go to Raging Waters and everyone would come there. I went to L.A. with Mack Dawg and we linked up with Natas and those guys for those sessions. It was a magical time where the energy was at an all-time high and the skate world felt like one family.

‘Going’ Off’ led you to make Speed Wheels ‘Speed Freaks’ and ‘Risk it’ which you mentioned in your documentary that this was one of the highlights in your life. What made it so special?
Just the sense of accomplishment. There was a lot of guys in that video. To film, edit, do all the audio/music, everything in less than a year, was crazy. As for my team they were the best: Metiver owned Speed Wheels, he contracted me, and he was super creative and loved seeing anything unique and radical. Roskopp did a lot of the heavy lifting, setting up shoots, making connections, getting the music. Guys like Jay Adams, Don Fisher, Geth Noble, Scott Needham would be in the van for stints. Pure epicness. Also doing Eric D’s first video part was huge for me. He was #1 street in the world two years in a row and never had a video part yet. At that time no one did unless they rode for Vision, Powell or Santa Cruz and he rode for Dogtown still. Speed Wheels started sponsoring dudes from all the other deck companies so that’s how the squad was so deep. Doing that high speed follow footage with him all over the place was insane. So many parts in that movie were game changers. Tom Knox, Mike Vallely, Danny Way the list goes on and on. My style of filming will take someone to their limits and those who could respond got some classic parts.

‘Very very rarely a cover would be chosen based purely on the photo itself with no other factors considered but almost never.’

Keith Meek • Madonna • Derby Park, California • 1988   © Tony Roberts

Speaking of game changer, your Surf movie ‘Mental Surfing’ is rated as game changer to this day as new tricks like aerials were introduced for the first time. Which skate video would you rate as game changer?
Every generation has one. 70’s; “Go For It”. 80’s: anything with Cab and Hosoi, Sick Boys, H-Street. 90’s: 411 and TransWorld videos. After that there are just so many and present day I really like the Primitive videos.


Where was the point where you transitioned into photography?
Yes. Early 90’s I was shooting still photos for my VHS covers and started getting some really good results. The Art Director at O’Neill, Mik Yankaus called Flame, the editor of Surfing Magazine, which started what would be a solid tenure there. At this same time, I was contributing to TransWorld and getting constant advice from Grant and a few photos run here and there. I was good friends with KT at Thrasher and would collaborate with those guys when Bryce was photo editor. This was at the same time that consumer video cameras became available and the surf and skate video markets changed fast. Skate companies were going full street and stopped paying producers and gave riders cameras. The surf market was flooded with shabby videos. So, I started working for the magazines and companies bringing my angles into the still photography game which was ready. I spent a lot of time in Australia and got a lot of play in Slam and Skatin’ Life as well as Australia Surfing Life magazine.


Any cover shots?
In Oz I had a Slam cover of Dave Evans but never any covers in the US. Those were always chosen due to various political factors of which I was never qualified.


What do you mean by political factors?
The selection process for a cover shot on TransWorld or Thrasher would be based on various factors. Who shot it? Covers were usually reserved for the photo editor himself or staff photographers on his inside circle. Photo editors had budgets they had to keep as low as possible and oftentimes staff photographers on salary would not get additional buyout payments based on placements, whereas any photographer not on salary would and the cover was the highest buyout rate of any placement. Who is the skater sponsored by? Do those companies advertise in the magazine? Very very rarely a cover would be chosen based purely on the photo itself with no other factors considered but almost never.

Proudest moment as a skate photographer?
Two page spread in TransWorld of my friends Ethan Powell and Lance Ripley, doubles at Buena Vista Pool on 4th of July, with dozens of my friends in the background.


Most embarrassing?
Telling NHS that the van, all the cameras, and all the footage got stolen in 1990.


In your interview with SASS Global Travel, you mentioned that you studied Grant Brittain images in TWS and took the same angles and technical perfection in the water. Where there any pushbacks from the surfers as this was new to everybody?
When aerials first came along in surfing most surfers at that time didn’t like them as they could not relate to skate style surfing, so it was not easy to break through like we did. What we accomplished was a team effort between the surfers and me. I would tell them the image I envisioned; they were down to try it. These guys were pioneering above the lip skate style maneuvers in the water and I captured it in a skate style. Up to that point in surf photography the wave was the subject and the surfer was just a detail. We brought a style of image where the surfer is the subject and the wave may just be a detail, like a skate photo. As long as you can see where they are taking off and landing, getting as close to the height of the peak action was the goal.

‘These guys were pioneering above the lip skate style maneuvers in the water and I captured it in a skate style.’

Can we just quickly chat about your photo of Neil Blender? Even without social media back in the 80ies, he was a mystery and a phantom keeping a super low profile. Please tell me about your experience shooting with him?
I loved shooting with Neil. Skateboarding at its best is individuality, skill, creativity and performance. Neil epitomized all of those aspects. I shot with him in 1987 for ‘Goin’Off’ and on a few other occasions but got to do his part for ‘Speed freaks’ in 1989. It was a lot of fun, he is incredibly funny, kind and humble.

In those years Street skating was slowly taking a slice of the pie in the skate industry which had previously been all about ramp and pool skaters. It was hard to take for a lot of the established pros as street skating seemed kind of hoky at the start. The best skaters skated with a lot of speed and power and all of a sudden you have guys like Matt Hensley getting a lot of attention, rolling up to an obstacle hunched over going really slow and taking 20 attempts to pull a trick, which was not cool at the time with most pro skaters and industry guys from the big companies.

All the main skate companies were sending their sponsored riders to the newly emerging street style events where they would compete against a new group of young street specialists. Some riders would do satirical joke style runs as kind of a passive aggressive protest to the impending change. Maybe it was a conscious effort, maybe not, but undoubtedly these guys still carried more weight than anyone in the skate industry, and perhaps if they showed how lame street style was then the companies might stop investing in it. But by the early 90s everything changed with Rocco starting World industries and Young street skaters making their own companies for the first time. In the 80s no one could have imagined that freestyle inspired street skating would completely take over the skate industry. I truly believe that if they had, a lot of 80s pros would have adapted to the different boards and terrain and tricks and remained among the best skaters in street throughout the 90s. But the change was too abrupt and unexpected for the established pros to properly adapt. Some very tragic stories in the aftermath.

Neil Blender • Sadlands, CA • 1989

In your documentary you spoke about being burnt out to make ends meet so you left for the US for Costa Rica. In your SASS interview you mentioned that back in the state’s life was pretty tough. With the move you were ‘trying to be a more simple man’. What do you mean by that?
Well I started traveling young and found my true essence in remote, tropical third world locations. So, every time I went back to the states I just felt uncomfortable and was only there to work and get back to traveling and finally just left for good for a life that’s more comfortable for me. A life based on surfing consistent, high quality tropical waves and building and skating cement spots I like. Staying inspired to continually produce better and better content and strive for finding never before seen angles and camera and editing techniques. That was 30 odd years ago and I feel the same today.


Blunt question. Would there be skateboarding without surfing?
Not what we know it as. I am sure someone would have invented it sooner or later but it wouldn’t have what we consider to be style.


Where would surfing be without skateboarding?
Only on the wave face and in the tube. Not above the lip as well.


Earlier in the interview you mentioned around 1987 when you were working on ‘Goin’ off’, the energy was at an all-time high, and the skate world felt like one family. How would you describe the state of skateboarding today?
I truly feel like it is returning to that with the connectivity of the internet and the fact that this new generation of skater skates everything and are very respectful and curious of earlier generations. Most of the guys who learned in the early 90s that only skate street doesn’t know or care about much pre- kickflip. That generation is isolated and caused a huge divide that still exists today as most of the main skate channels on YouTube are run and hosted by these guys.

‘That generation is isolated and caused a huge divide that still exists today.’

Mike V • Ollie • Los Angeles, CA • 1989

Tell me more about Real Skate Stories.
It’s my own movie theater, TV channel, to put whatever I want out there. I feel like organic historical skate content is more appreciated the more time goes by and the more the plastic feeling disposable content becomes normal. I have endless archives so the possibilities of what I can create is never ending. I love the current day skate YouTube medium so I like combining that vlog style format with organic content. Most everything filmed in my heyday has been seen so I know I am sitting on a treasure trove. As skating becomes more diverse people are starting to look on slept on dudes like Tim Jackson and recognize that there is a lot of overlooked and important footage out there that went down before the kickflip- which is where many skater’s history and interest start. The growth is steady and nowhere to go but up.


What are you up to now?
I train and surf every day and compete in all the open Masters Surfing events. My goal is to continue improving my surfing level through dedication and my maintenance of my lifelong yoga regimen and plant based diet. I post videos of my surfing every day at @trsurfing I live half the year in Dominican Republic and half the year in Nicaragua, my two favorite places for their peak surf seasons. I skate my favorite cement spots on occasion. I guide and shoot surf trips through my website trsurftrips.com and continually produce content for my YouTube Channels Real Surf Stories and Real Skate Stories.


Last question. If you could interview one person, who would it be?
Shi Heng Yi. His perspective is the most inspiring to me.

‘Tony had talent and was a gentleman and ripper on the boards! He started shooting and then became known as a ripper behind the camera! Love that guy and his film work!’

Hosoi

Christian Hosoi • Method air • Raging Waters Skate Park, San Jose, CA • 1989