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Steve Berra (born May 10, 1973) is an American professional skateboarder and director, and is also the cofounder/co-owner of the
skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport that involves riding and Skateboarding trick, performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a method of tr ...
website
The Berrics The Berrics is a private indoor skatepark owned by the professional skateboarders Steve Berra and Eric Koston. It is also a website providing content filmed in the skatepark, as well other skateboard-related media. The facility's name is a port ...
.


Early life

Berra grew up in both
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and
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and he explained in 2007 that his family was poor: "I was considered poor when I was growing up. I didn't have a phone." Berra was bullied at school for skateboarding and struggled as a student, with Berra stating that he "was the kid who everybody assumed was a complete lost cause." It was at the age of 14 years that the isolated Berra, who had a small number of friends at the time, decided that a professional skateboarding career was his aspiration.


Skateboarding career

In pursuit of his skateboarding career, Berra relocated to southern California, US when he was 18 years old and lived with skateboarding legend
Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first docume ...
. Hawk provided guidance to Berra regarding the skateboarding industry and advised, "You have to look at skating as fun. But it's not a career," due to the subculture's marginal status at the time. Berra's first sponsor was Blockhead, which led to his experience with the "Blockhead House", where he met fellow skateboarder Jason Dill. He then moved onto the 101 skateboard brand, owned by Natas Kaupas, and he has since stated that "I didn't have a good time on 101". Before Kaupas could assign Berra the status of a "professional" team rider, Berra quit 101 and joined Tony Hawk's Birdhouse company. While with Birdhouse, the 23-year-old Hawk was a mentor figure to Berra, leading to Berra's initial forays into acting. In 1992, Berra left Birdhouse and since admitted that his departure was due to being "young, misunderstood, and silly". Several months later, Berra joined the Foundation team, skating in the company's 1993 video '' Super Conductor Super Collider''. In 1998 Berra returned to Birdhouse to create the skateboarding video ''
The End The End may refer to: Film * The End (1953 film), ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * The End (1978 film), ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1995 film), a List of Canadian films of 1995, Cana ...
''. In one of the notable scenes in the movie, Berra's death is simulated in a decapitation scene (filmed with the aid of a dummy). Shortly after the release of ''The End'' Berra once again left Birdhouse and joined
Alien Workshop Alien Workshop (AWS) is an independent American skateboarding company that was founded in 1990 by Chris Carter, Mike Hill, and Neil Blender in Dayton, Ohio. Following periods under the ownership of the Burton Snowboards, Burton snowboard company a ...
, alongside Dill and professionals such as
Josh Kalis Josh Kalis (born April 27, 1976) is a professional skateboarder who specializes in " street skateboarding". Kalis was sponsored by Alien Workshop for a significant period of time before switching to board sponsor, DGK, in 2009. Biography Kalis ...
and
Rob Dyrdek Robert Stanley Dyrdek (born June 28, 1974) is an American entrepreneur, actor, producer, reality TV personality, and former professional skateboarder. He is best known for his roles in the MTV reality and variety shows '' Rob & Big'', '' Rob D ...
. In 2003 Berra struggled with severe ankle pain that prevented him from skating for most of the year and he underwent reconstructive surgery in January 2004. Footage of Berra entering ankle surgery is featured in the
DVS Shoes DVS Shoes is an American footwear and clothing company that specialises in products for skateboarding, moto, bmx, mtb and snowboarding. The company defines itself as "... driven from the pursuit of building product that embodies the sports the c ...
(formerly DVS Shoe Co.) video, ''Skate More'', a production that he managed to film a full part for. Berra has been featured in
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
shows '' Rob & Big'' and '' Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory''. Season 2, Episode 6 of ''Rob & Big'' revolves around the Tampa Pro professional skateboarding contest, whereby Berra and Dyrdek engage in a US$5,000 bet to "up the ante" of the competition. In Season 2, Episode 8 of ''Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory'', entitled "The Berrics vs. Fantasy Factory", Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory skate park crew competes against The Berrics crew. As of 2013, Berra regularly appears on the website venture The Berrics that is co-owned with professional skateboarder
Eric Koston Eric Koston (born April 29, 1975) is a Thai born American professional skateboarder and company owner. He has been featured in the ''Tony Hawk's'' video game series and the Electronic Arts (EA) video games ''Skate 2'' and ''Skate 3''. Koston c ...
. As of March 2013, Berra is no longer a member of the Alien Workshop team and his sponsors are DC Shoes, Grizzly Griptape, Skullcandy, and The Berrics.


The Berrics

The Berrics concept was primarily conceived by Berra, who enlisted close friend, Koston, to invest in the premises that contains the training facility. Located in Los Angeles, U.S., the facility's name is an amalgamation of the pair's individual names: Berra + Eric = Berrics. In 2009, skateboarding journalist, Chris Nieratko, gained entrance to the skate park and its cardinal rule: "You have to film while you're skating The Berrics." The footage is later posted on The Berrics website
TheBerrics.com
TheBerrics.com grew to become one of skateboarding's most popular websites in only several months: "In January, the site had more unique visitors than sites for all of the major skateboarding magazines, and ESPN.com's action sports page, according to comScore, a market research firm." The website features a range of weekly, regular, and special features, including "Weekendtage", "Bangin'", "Battle at the Berrics", "Field Ops", and "Off the Grid". Berra has also used the website to feature colleagues and friends from the fields of film, advertising, and music.


Perspectives on skateboarding

Berra is well known for his public opinions on skateboarding, and in a February 2013 interview with ''Jenkem'' magazine he explained his view on the status of the skateboarding industry at the commencement of the second decade of the 21st century:
The economy is a huge challenge. There is only so much money in our industry and it is a very, very, very small industry. Skateboarding may mean everything to you and I and whoever is reading this but we are a small industry with a few examples of companies that have breached into the "real" world and sometimes give us the impression that we are bigger than what we are. There is a vast difference between the sales of Element and the sales of Expedition. The Berrics obstacles have been trying to get people to understand that things have changed, the world has changed, the skater and the consumer have changed. So… it was either we start it, Eric and I, or
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does.
Berra also explained the manner in which the industry is often misperceived and how the economic conditions in the U.S.—at the time of the ''Jenkem'' interview—have affected the culture of skateboarding:
We're all squirrels fighting for the same nuts in the worst economy in 100 years and everyone has it tough right now. I don't think people outside the industry understand that. I think a lot of these people who criticize the industry definitely don't understand that. They see these pillars of the skateboarding world and they equate them to the pillars of other worlds that are much bigger than ours not knowing that some are one bad month from closing their doors. Skateboarding companies are skin and bones operations. Popularity does not mean wealth in this industry.


Directing

In the winter of 2006, Berra began his role as director of '' The Good Life'', a film that he also wrote the screenplay for. Starring Mark Webber,
Zooey Deschanel Zooey Claire Deschanel ( ; born January 17, 1980) is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in ''Mumford (film), Mumford'' (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film ''Almost Famous'' (2000). Deschanel is known f ...
,
Bill Paxton William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. A versatile character actor known for his distinctive Texan drawl and everyman screen persona, he was a four-time Golden Globe Award and a Prime ...
,
Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Dilling ...
, Chris Klein, Patrick Fugit,
Drea de Matteo Andrea Donna de Matteo (born January 19, 1972) is an American actress who is best known for her role as Adriana La Cerva on the television drama ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2006), for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sup ...
and
Donal Logue Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966) is a Canadian-American film and television actor. He played the starring role of Sean Finnerty on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005), and Detective Harvey Bullock on the DC Comics adapta ...
, ''The Good Life'' was described by Berra in the following manner: "... it had been my ‘other woman’ for many years, but because of my commitments as a professional skateboarder I couldn't pursue it 100%." The film, described as "a coming-of-age tale set in Lincoln, Nebraska, portrayed as a grim town of vacant lots, shuttered buildings, sidewalk drug dealers and deep poverty, all accented by overcast skies", premiered at the
2007 Sundance Film Festival The 2007 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 18 until January 28, 2007, in Park City, Utah with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah and Ogden, Utah. It was the 23-rd iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was '' Chica ...
and garnered a positive reception. Following the commencement of a new chapter of the Berrics project in early 2013, whereby a new premises was officially opened and the website was reconstructed, Berra has collaborated with professional skateboarder Paul Rodriguez on numerous projects, such as the Network A series "LIFE" and a
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew in some countries and colloquially known as Dew in some areas, is a soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage Bottler (company), bottlers Barney and A ...
commercial entitled "Progression".


Acting

Berra has maintained an interest in acting since the age of 18. He was a series regular on the short-lived Fox drama '' 413 Hope St.'', portraying Quentin Jefferson, a young man infected with HIV. Berra has also held brief roles in the television shows '' Felicity'' and ''
Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The seri ...
'', as well as a minor role in the 1999 film '' Anywhere but Here''. Since the age of 18, Berra has juggled his interests in skateboarding and acting, although he maintains that skateboarding has always been his primary passion.


Personal life

Prior to the launch of the Berrics website, Berra explained the impact of
Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a scam, a Scientology as a business, business, a cult, or a religion. Hubbard initially develo ...
upon his life:
Well, it's just helped me as an individual. I understand life much better and when you understand life, you have an easier time understanding other aspects of it, skateboarding included. I don't claim to be perfect, far from it in fact, but I at least have the self awareness to know that and see upon where I can improve, see where I've been the architect of my doom. Scientology has enabled me to really look at who I am, what I am doing and put myself in check if it I get too crazed. The best way I can further help people understand it is by telling them to actually go and buy a book. It's what I did.
As of August 15, 2013, Berra has not been filmed with his two children on the Berrics, or any other media, but he responded to a fatherhood question in 2009 in the following manner:
It's tough eing a fathersometimes because you go through a lot of heartbreak as a kid and then when you think you've grown out of it, you have a child of your own and you go through it all over again. You also have expectations that are sometimes unrealistic, you have heartache with them not liking you, you have heartache as a result of their heartache, but on the flipside you have this indescribable joy and connection with another person that you just don't have with anyone else and you have a real sense of achievement and pride when they turn out to be an extraordinary individual.
Steve Berra claims to have never drunk alcohol, smoked cigarettes or taken other recreational drugs.


Filmography

* Blockhead: Adventures In Cheese (1990) * Blockhead: Splendid Eye Torture (1990) * Tracker: Stacked (1991) *
Birdhouse A nest box, also spelled nestbox, is a man-made enclosure provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses or a birdbox/bird box, but some mammals such as bats ma ...
Projects: Feasters (1992) * 411VM: Issue 1 (1993) * 411VM: Issue 5 (1994) * Airwalk Skateboard Video (1996) * Transworld: 4 Wheel Drive (1996) * 411VM: Europe 1996 (1996) * Transworld: Interface (1997) * Transworld: Cinematographer (1997) *
Birdhouse A nest box, also spelled nestbox, is a man-made enclosure provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses or a birdbox/bird box, but some mammals such as bats ma ...
:
The End The End may refer to: Film * The End (1953 film), ''The End'' (1953 film), a film by Christopher Maclaine * The End (1978 film), ''The End'' (1978 film), a comedy by Burt Reynolds * ''The End'' (1995 film), a List of Canadian films of 1995, Cana ...
(1998) * 411VM: Issue 41 (2000) * Transworld: Anthology (2000) * 411VM: Tampa 2000 (2000) *
Tony Hawk Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first docume ...
's Gigantic Skatepark Tour (2001) * 411VM: Issue 48 (2001) * Transworld: Starting Point 3 (2001) * 411VM: Best Of 411, Volume 7 (2001) * Chomp On This (2002) * 411VM: Issue 50 (2002) * 411VM: Around The World (2002) * Habitat: Mosaic (2003) * DVS: Skate More (2005) * DVS: Dudes Dudes Dudes (2008) *
Alien Workshop Alien Workshop (AWS) is an independent American skateboarding company that was founded in 1990 by Chris Carter, Mike Hill, and Neil Blender in Dayton, Ohio. Following periods under the ownership of the Burton Snowboards, Burton snowboard company a ...
: Mind Field (2009)


References


External links


The Berrics

What the Pros Are Rockin': Steve BerraLeftfield Project articleSteve Berra Skate Video Videography - SkateVideoSite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berra, Stephen American skateboarders 1973 births Living people