All right, Hawke, we will keep this nice and short. Everyone knows you film and make videos. Tell us a little about your most recent project, “Stairway to Shreddin’.”

My most recent project was an online video titled “Stairway To Shreddin.” It consists mainly of my closest friends, and it was filmed over this past summer, spring, and fall. This is the second online video I’ve made, and I choose to because I feel like people will enjoy the skating more if it’s free as opposed to a DVD I would sell at BCSD and in shops. This video is a little different from ones in the past because I was filming four people who have never had full sections in any of my videos before. It was cool for me to help get their skating out there.

From what I have seen, this seems to be a video about your friends as much as it is about blading.

Yes, it is about my friends as much as it is the blading. It is different from past videos because there is no rap or hip hop. We wanted to use music that would give you a good vibe when you watched the video and show the differences in each person. I tried to include more random funny shots to get a better understanding of the skater’s personality. We looked for newer spots that had not been skated before or seen in a while in order to keep it fresh.

How far did this video take you? Where do you travel to?

Detroit, Nashville, Pittsburgh, all over Kentucky, but we skated Ohio mostly.

I know you’re not supposed to pick favorites, but since everyone else does, what is your favorite section in the video?

If I had to pick a favorite I’d probably go with Shane Conn’s section. I always enjoy filming Shane because he is usually doing something mind blowing, and it is really interesting to see what we can think up at a spot.

The response at the premiere was great. What goes through your mind while premiering a video?

I just hope everything goes smoothly, and I hope people like the video. I have had video premieres in the past, but none of them was ever as nice as this one. It was a pretty good turn out for the premiere, so I was happy with how the whole thing ended up. I feel I have received a great response from the video. Everyone seemed to like it a lot, so I’m happy with it.

Lastly, any closing comments or thank you’s?

I want to thank everyone in the video for all being really cool people and great friends. Next, I’d like to thank my parents and anyone who read this or watched the video. I also want to thank anyone who let us crash at your place while traveling. I want to thank every rollerblader who has ever shown me support on the internet or in person. I love rollerblading, it’s basically all I know so plan on seeing more videos and edits from me in the future.

Interview and Photos by Bruce Bales

See even more of Hawke’s videos here here.