In the mid-2000s, skateboarding was all about the biggest stair sets and longest handrails. If you weren’t trying to watch some dude from Southern California jump down a 14 stair, then you were pretty much out of luck. That was unless you were watching Brent Atchley’s parts in Elementality or This Is My Element. He was able to flow effortlessly around Burnside and make it look as if he was casually surfing the colossal transition.
Just as quickly as Brent popped up in the industry, he went incognito and suddenly disappeared from Element releases. Around the office, we always pitched a “Where are they now” type of interview with him, but it never came to fruition. That was until recently, when he dropped a part for Satori Wheels with the exact same flowy style we used to be mesmerized by.
It turns out that when he’s not at Burnside, Brent now has a full-time job as a peer support specialist and works with Push Movement. To figure out what that job actually entails, and why he dipped under the global radar, we hitched it to Portland and tried to track him down. Luckily we didn’t have to look for long, and he was open and willing to share his story with us.
Related Posts
-
PSYCHOANALYZING SKATEBOARDS WITH TED BARROW
We asked Ted to psychoanalyze our setups, and in the end, we concluded that we need to find a new therapist.
-
REIMAGINING THE SKATE VIDEO, A TALK ON MIKE TERNASKY AT MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE
How the filmmaker and co-founder of Plan B had an impact on how we view skateboard videos today.
-
PREMIERE: PETER PAN SYNDROME SECTION FROM “LENZ III”
Plus an interview with Shinpei Ueno on how making a 90-minute skate video will make you go crazy.
-
HUNTING FOR MUSHROOMS WITH RYAN REYES
Ryan shares his thoughts on psilocybin as we go hunting to find some nice Lobster Mushrooms to eat for dinner.
-
A QUICK LOOK INSIDE BRIAN ANDERSON’S FIRST ART SHOW
“Fathers Afloat” explores Brian’s family background and features artwork from both his father and grandfather.
-
SOAP SHOES MAKE A COMEBACK IN “STAINED” A NEW INDIE VID OUT OF ST. LOUIS
A good gimmick in the middle of a skate video is a breath of fresh air.
-
INSIDE THE MIND OF SKATE VIDEOGRAPHER JOEY SINKO
His work pays homage to early '00s skateboarding while also taking cues from Les Blank, Stanley Kubrick and other titans of cinema.
-
WATCH A VIDEO FILMED IN THE RURAL VILLAGES OF SICILY
If you thought the hill skating in San Francisco was crusty, wait till you peep this shit.
Comments
Popular
-
HOW WILL TARRIFS AFFECT THE SKATE INDUSTRY?
We reached out to various shops, manufacturers, and distributors on the front lines to find out.
-
THE LASTING LEGACY OF TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER WITH AUTHOR COLE NOWICKI
20+ years later, people are still talking about how the THPS games affected pop culture, so much so that Cole Nowicki wrote a book about it.
-
APPRECIATING LATINX IMMIGRANTS THAT SHAPED SKATEBOARDING
Tired of hearing that skateboarding is just some white boy shit? Here's a reminder that it's not.
-
THIS DUDE STATISTICALLY ANALYZED EVERY JIM GRECO CLIP
Someone clocked all of Jim Greco's footage to see what we could learn from the data. This one's for the real skate nerds.
-
EVAN SMITH STILL BELIEVES IN SKATEBOARDING
"Not getting paid like I used to is fueling my skating because it’s taking the pressure off. I can truly just enjoy the feeling."
October 18, 2022 1:27 pm
Great job on this , as a Portlander and someone who has known Brent for a long time this made my day.
Leave a reply
October 18, 2022 1:39 pm
Hell yah! Good for him
(Mikey Chin is the best, baby!)
Leave a reply
October 18, 2022 4:21 pm
Amazing content, kudos!
Leave a reply
October 18, 2022 5:27 pm
This Dude is my Favorite skateboarder
Leave a reply