Skateboard Stars Louie Lopez And Erik Herrera Honored In New Short Movie

When Americans hear about the legends of skateboarding we think of Dogtown or the Bones Brigade, and very often of blonde-haired would-be surfers who hail from Venice, Pasadena and even San Diego, California.

But some of the USA’s most talented skateboarders learned their craft far from pristine beaches, and instead on the gritty streets and paved slopes of urban Los Angeles.

Two standouts from the L.A. scene are Louie Lopez and Erik Herrera, and their great talent has been profiled recently in a new short video directed by Ryan Lee called “As You Wish.” The video, officially released December 5, is a collaboration of skateboard magazine Thrasher and banner brand Converse, the latter of which is also the shoe and gear sponsor of Lopez and Herrera.

Lopez says that doing tricks while the camera is rolling isn’t much different from the everyday pursuit of excellence on his skateboard. And that there is a lot of trial and error.

“When the camera is turned on you think, ‘OK, now it’s time to really start trying it,” Lopez said, prior to the video’s screening party in late November at Zebulon, near Silver Lake, Los Angeles. “Sometimes it takes hours, even days to land a trick, just for a couple seconds on video.”

The 28-year-old Lopez, who hails from Hawthorne, near South Central Los Angeles, adds that, “In skateboarding, the relationship you have with the person that’s filming you is key. Luckily for me and Ryan, we’ve been skating (together) for years.”

Lee agrees that his knack for capturing tricks on video comes with from his own time on skateboards and the moments spent with his longtime friend Lopez.

“My goal is to make the skateboarder look good, no matter whether they are jumping down a big set of stairs, or any other obstacle,” Lee said. “I’m always waiting for the skater to approach the lens instead of chasing them with the camera.”

Lee also says that to capture the real look and feel of a skateboarder’s tricks requires a lot of hand-held camera efforts and unusual angles. All of it gives it, he says, a bit of an NYPD Blue-style.

The name for the production “As You Wish” comes from a catchphrase used among Lee and his assistant camera operators, in which they made sure to vocalize that they were willing to catch any shot on camera, anywhere Lopez and Herrera wanted to skate.

Just last week, Lopez became one of four nominees for Thrasher Magazine’s Skater Of The Year award. He’s also the subject of another short by FA World Entertainment, called “Louie, Again & Again.”

But if Lopez is indeed Team Converse’s more well-known and more talkative skate star, Herrera’s soft-spoken personality might contradict the loudness of his skateboard prowess. Herrera, 25, said that skateboarding came to him by way of his closest relationships.

“I started because my older brothers and cousins use to skate,” Herrera said. “I didn’t initially have a lot of so-called ‘skater friends’ because I wasn’t that outgoing of a kid. I skated mostly with whoever was close to me.’

VIDEO: Lopez & Herrera crush L.A.’s streets (and offices) in “As You Wish”

While Lopez grew up and initially skated, he said, “out near the airport,” Herrera’s main dominion was closer to the higher ground and hills of Burbank. Still, both have perfected the art of traversing walls, concrete stairways and metal rails, flipping and rolling their boards in mid-air, making just about every hard surface conquerable by skateboard.

Related story: 6-time X Games champ Leticia Bufoni, skateboard trailblazer

“Burbank is a nice chill city, with a lot of secluded areas with no houses around,” Herrera said, of the area also known for its television production studios. “The cops there let you skate. Once I got a ticket for not wearing a helmet there. But other than that it’s pretty free.”

Skateboarding “part of our culture”

Lopez points out that familiar faces made up most of his influencers when he was new to skating.

“When I was young, there were very few famous Hispanic skateboarders out there,” Lopez said. He mentioned street skater and four-time X Games gold medalist Paul Rodriguez as one influence. “It definitely helps when you see someone who looks like you on a skateboard. You see what’s possible.”

Yet, Lopez said that instead of storming the skate park from the outset, he practiced around his neighborhood by himself, to hone his skills and get comfortable first. ‘When I got started I didn’t have many friends who skateboarded either, and was scared to go to try things out. But then someone sees you skate, and wants to show you how to drop in or do a trick. From there you perfect your skate.”

Lopez also said that skateboarding as a sport has grown globally and become much more inclusive, drawing in young people from all walks of life.

“It’s definitely more diverse than it’s ever been. Especially with the rise of social media. You can be from anywhere, all over the world, and make a name for yourself,” Lopez said. “It’s just a different time in skateboarding. And now it’s part of our culture.”

When asked about the first wave of famous skaters—specifically 1980s stars like Tony Hawk, Christian Hosoi, and even their predecessors from the Dogtown crew—Herrera hints that who you are influenced by has to do with your immediate environment.

Related story: Tony Hawk says authenticity is everything

“Well those skaters focused more on transition and more ramps, which I don’t really do,” Herrera said. Herrera also mentions the importance of camaraderie among skaterboarders. There’s also the rush and release.

“Skating around the city was always fun and releasing of stress. If I was ever stressed about anything—just go out and skate.”

Geeking out

Lopez mentions that one technical aspect of his skateboard lends itself to the style and ferocity of his street skating tricks.

“As a skater, for sure you geek out about the size of your wheels, the size of your board and all that.” He explains that there is a “nose” and a “tail” on a standard skateboard.

“The nose is bigger, the tail is smaller. And I’ve been doing twin-tail skateboards, and my theory with that is it lets me ride my board however I want.”

Lopez adds that on a typical board, you have to “shove the board around the right way, which a hassle. ‘To ride it whichever way, and rifle off whatever trick you want to do and don’t have to worry about a front of a back. It just offers more opportunity.’

Right after the premiere, the crowd of fans and fellow skate community members lined up for a feast of make-your-own tacos and other traditional Mexican foods, served up food-cart style.

Adding to the carnival feeling, a Mariachi band showed up to play festive music as the event’s organizers unveiled—as a surprise announcement—Erik Herrera’s new pro model, by Chocolate Skateboards.

The skateboard deck features Herrera smiling in a brown shirt, upon a red and yellow background. Herrera spoke of his transformation from shy kid to skateboard pro now with his on signature board.

“It’s kind of a tough world, skating. If you’re good sometimes you won’t make if because you don’t have a certain style the companies like,” Herrera said. “But I kept skating and it ended up happening, and I am pretty happy about that.”

Read Frye’s interviews with Tony Hawk and Leticia Bufoni

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